Nvim

Neovim

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

nvim dotfiles

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:

1. Filesystem watcher detects change
2. Nvim auto-reloads visible buffers (only if unmodified)
3. Statusline shows green ⟳ for 5 seconds
4. 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

See Also

• Dotfiles
• CLI
• VPS