Revision as of 04:37, 15 January 2026

Neovim

LazyVim + Claude Code workflow for non-Cursor open source coding

Philosophy

Code manually in nvim (left pane) with subtle AI assistance, while Claude Code handles big refactors in a separate tmux pane (right). Robot edits files → nvim auto-reloads → review changes instantly.

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│ nvim (manual)   │ Claude Code     │
│ - Ghost text AI │ - Big refactors │
│ - Hot reload    │ - File edits    │
│ - Diffview      │ - Commits       │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

Why not Cursor?

Nvim muscle memory preserved
Complete control over AI integration points
No vendor lock-in
tmux + ssh workflow stays intact
Works on remote servers (VPS) seamlessly

Core Stack

Base

LazyVim - Sane defaults, most disabled
oil.nvim - Filesystem as a buffer (- to toggle)
telescope - Fuzzy finding everything
diffview - Git diff visualization

AI Integration

copilot.lua - Ghost text (not popup completions)
Claude Code - CLI for big refactors (separate terminal)

Inline AI (Ghost Text)

File: ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/copilot-inline.lua

Ghost text suggestions that feel natural:

Key	Action
`Tab`	Accept full suggestion
`]s` / `[s`	Cycle through suggestions
`C-Right`	Accept one word
`C-l`	Accept one line
`C-]`	Dismiss

Why inline > popup: No fighting with LSP completions. Ghost text for AI, completion menu for LSP.

Hot Reload System

Files: directory-watcher.lua, hotreload.lua

When Claude Code edits files:

Filesystem watcher detects change
Nvim auto-reloads visible buffers (only if unmodified)
Statusline shows green ⟳ for 5 seconds
Never loses unsaved work

Diffview Integration

File: git-diff-hotreload.lua

Key	Action
`<leader>gd`	Open diffview (review changes)
`]c` / `[c`	Jump between changes
`Tab`	Cycle through files
`<leader>gc`	Close diffview

Yank With Context

Share code with Claude Code including file path:

<leader>yr → Yank with relative path
<leader>ya → Yank with absolute path

Output: src/components/Button.tsx:15-23 + code block

Statusline Indicators

Red ● - Unsaved changes
Green ⟳ - Just reloaded by Claude Code (5 sec flash)
Gray "AI" - Copilot attached
Blue Δ - Diffview open

CLI Aliases

v     # Just nvim
n     # nvim . (open with oil.nvim)
vs    # Fuzzy find files with bat preview
vg    # Grep contents, fuzzy find, open file
o     # Obsidian vault fuzzy finder
r     # Recent files across ALL ~/code projects

Visual Plugins

ayu - Dark theme that doesn't burn retinas
twilight - Dims inactive code
zen-mode - Full screen focus

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 = Neovim =
-''LazyVim configuration for writing in the dark''
+''LazyVim + Claude Code workflow for non-Cursor open source coding''
-[https://github.com/ejfox/dotfiles/tree/master/.config/nvim|nvim dotfiles]
+[https://github.com/ejfox/dotfiles/tree/master/.config/nvim nvim dotfiles]
-== Overview ==
+== Philosophy ==
-Current setup uses LazyVim as a base, stripped down to essentials. Like everything else, optimized for solitary work at 3am.
+Code manually in nvim (left pane) with subtle AI assistance, while Claude Code handles big refactors in a separate tmux pane (right). Robot edits files → nvim auto-reloads → review changes instantly.
-== Plugin Stack ==
+<pre>
-=== Core ===
+┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
-* '''LazyVim''' - Base configuration, most defaults disabled
+│ nvim (manual)   │ Claude Code     │
-* '''init.lua''' - <code>require("config.lazy")</code> and nothing else
+│ - Ghost text AI │ - Big refactors │
+│ - Hot reload    │ - File edits    │
+│ - Diffview      │ - Commits       │
+└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘
+</pre>
-=== Visual ===
+'''Why not Cursor?'''
-* '''ayu.lua''' / '''ayu-toggle.lua''' - Dark theme that doesn't burn retinas at night
+* Nvim muscle memory preserved
-* '''auto-dark-mode.lua''' - Follows system, though it's always dark anyway
+* Complete control over AI integration points
-* '''twilight.lua''' - Dims inactive code like thoughts you're not ready to process
+* No vendor lock-in
-* '''zen-mode.lua''' - Full screen focus mode for when the world needs to disappear
+* tmux + ssh workflow stays intact
+* Works on remote servers (VPS) seamlessly
-=== Minimal Interfaces ===
+== Core Stack ==
-* '''minimal-statusline.lua''' - Just enough info to know the file saved
-* '''minimal-telescope.lua''' - Fuzzy finding without the fuzzy thinking
+=== Base ===
-* '''minimal-git.lua''' - Git integration stripped to essentials
+* '''LazyVim''' - Sane defaults, most disabled
+* '''oil.nvim''' - Filesystem as a buffer (<code>-</code> to toggle)
+* '''telescope''' - Fuzzy finding everything
+* '''diffview''' - Git diff visualization
+=== AI Integration ===
+* '''copilot.lua''' - Ghost text (not popup completions)
+* '''Claude Code''' - CLI for big refactors (separate terminal)
+== Inline AI (Ghost Text) ==
+''File: <code>~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/copilot-inline.lua</code>''
+Ghost text suggestions that feel natural:
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Key !! Action
+|-
+| <code>Tab</code> || Accept full suggestion
+|-
+| <code>]s</code> / <code>[s</code> || Cycle through suggestions
+|-
+| <code>C-Right</code> || Accept one word
+|-
+| <code>C-l</code> || Accept one line
+|-
+| <code>C-]</code> || Dismiss
+|}
+'''Why inline > popup:''' No fighting with LSP completions. Ghost text for AI, completion menu for LSP.
+== Hot Reload System ==
+''Files: <code>directory-watcher.lua</code>, <code>hotreload.lua</code>''
+When Claude Code edits files:
+# Filesystem watcher detects change
+# Nvim auto-reloads visible buffers (only if unmodified)
+# Statusline shows green ⟳ for 5 seconds
+# Never loses unsaved work
+== Diffview Integration ==
+''File: <code>git-diff-hotreload.lua</code>''
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Key !! Action
+|-
+| <code><leader>gd</code> || Open diffview (review changes)
+|-
+| <code>]c</code> / <code>[c</code> || Jump between changes
+|-
+| <code>Tab</code> || Cycle through files
+|-
+| <code><leader>gc</code> || Close diffview
+|}
+== Yank With Context ==
+Share code with Claude Code including file path:
+* <code><leader>yr</code> → Yank with relative path
+* <code><leader>ya</code> → Yank with absolute path
+Output: <code>src/components/Button.tsx:15-23</code> + code block
+== Statusline Indicators ==
+* '''Red ●''' - Unsaved changes
+* '''Green ⟳''' - Just reloaded by Claude Code (5 sec flash)
+* '''Gray "AI"''' - Copilot attached
+* '''Blue Δ''' - Diffview open
+== CLI Aliases ==
+<pre>
+v     # Just nvim
+n     # nvim . (open with oil.nvim)
+vs    # Fuzzy find files with bat preview
+vg    # Grep contents, fuzzy find, open file
+o     # Obsidian vault fuzzy finder
+r     # Recent files across ALL ~/code projects
+</pre>
+== Visual Plugins ==
+* '''ayu''' - Dark theme that doesn't burn retinas
+* '''twilight''' - Dims inactive code
+* '''zen-mode''' - Full screen focus
+== See Also ==
+* [[Dotfiles]]
+* [[CLI]]
+* [[VPS]]
 [[Category:Technical]]

⚡ Technical
Core	Technical · CLI · Dotfiles · Nvim · SSH · VPS
Tools	Sketchybar · ArchiveBox · ThinkPad Linux
Systems	Automation · Personal APIs · Quantified Self
Reference	Runbooks · New Computer Runbook · Syntax guide