Default Experience

This page describes the out-of-the-box experience when using np without any presets or customizations. It's the base NixVim configuration that provides a complete, project-oriented Neovim setup.

Overview

np ships with a curated set of plugins, keybindings, and settings designed for efficient development. The focus is on usability, discoverability, and non-pollution—everything stays project-specific via Nix.

Key highlights:

Leader Key: Space (<Space>)
Theme: Catppuccin with full UI integration
Session Management: Automatic save/restore for git repositories
Completion: Blink.cmp with LSP integration
Search: Snacks picker for fuzzy finding
Diagnostics: Trouble for workspace issues, custom signs and virtual text

UI & Theme

The interface uses Catppuccin theme with integrations for a cohesive look.

Status Line: Lualine with LSP status, git info, and diagnostics
Buffer Tabs: Bufferline with close buttons and indicators
File Explorer: Neo-tree sidebar with git status
Notifications: Noice for command-line and messages
Diagnostics Panel: Trouble for workspace-wide issues
Key Hints: Which-key for discoverable bindings

Screenshots

Editor View

Editor Screenshot

Which-Key

Which-key

LSP

Lazygit

Language Support

LSP Servers

Out-of-the-box support for common config and markup languages:

Lua: lua_ls (with inlay hints)
JSON: jsonls
Markdown: marksman
Nix: nil_ls
TOML: taplo
YAML: yamlls

Diagnostics include custom signs (e.g.,  for errors) and virtual text with spacing.

Tree-Sitter Parsers

Syntax highlighting and folding for:

bash, json, lua, markdown, nix, regex, toml, vim, vimdoc, yaml

Folding uses indent method with custom characters.

Keybindings

Bindings are grouped logically under <leader> (space). Use <leader>? or Which-key to explore.

Core Categories

Windows (<leader>w): Navigation, resizing, splitting
Buffers (<leader>b): Switching, deleting, pinning
Tabs (<leader><tab>): New, close, navigate
Explorer (<leader>e): Neo-tree toggle/reveal
Code/LSP (<leader>c): Rename, actions, definitions, diagnostics
Search (<leader>s): Files, buffers, grep, replace
Git (<leader>g): Lazygit, hunks, blame, log
Notifications (<leader>n): History, dismiss
Session (<leader>sl): Load last session
Debugger (<leader>d): Breakpoints, stepping, UI

Examples

<leader>sf: Search files
<leader>cd: Go to LSP definitions
<leader>gg: Open Lazygit
<C-s>: Save file (insert/visual/normal modes)

Which-Key Screenshot

Plugins

The base setup includes these enabled plugins (categorized):

Completion & LSP

blink-cmp: Fast completion
lsp: Core LSP support
lsp-signature: Function signatures
lsp-status: Status indicators
navic: Breadcrumb navigation

bufferline: Buffer tabs
edgy: Window management
lualine: Status line
neo-tree: File explorer
noice: Notifications
trouble: Diagnostics panel
web-devicons: Icons
which-key: Key hints

Development Tools

conform-nvim: Formatting
dap, dap-ui, dap-view, dap-virtual-text: Debugging
git-conflict: Merge conflict resolution
gitsigns: Git hunks and blame
lazydev: Lua development
none-ls: Linting/formatting bridge
toggleterm: Terminal integration
treesitter: Syntax parsing

Utilities

colorizer: Color previews
emmet: HTML/CSS snippets
grug-far: Search & replace
markview: Markdown rendering
mini: Collection of small plugins
snacks: Picker, notifications, terminal
ts-autotag: Auto-close tags
ts-comments: Enhanced comments

Extra Plugins

plenary-nvim: Lua utilities
nvim-lsp-file-operations: LSP file ops

Session Management

For git repositories, np automatically:

Saves session on exit (VimLeavePre) to .nvim/session.vim
Restores session on start (VimEnter) if no files specified
Handles Neo-tree windows properly
Adds .nvim/ to .gitignore if needed

This enables Project-Oriented Development—no global state, per-project persistence.

Customization

The base is designed to be extended:

Add presets for language support (see Presets)
Override NixVim options in your project's nix/nixvim.nix
Disable unwanted plugins or add new ones

For example, to add Python support:

imports = [
  inputs.np.nixvimModules.base
  inputs.np.nixvimModules.presets.python
];

This keeps your setup clean and reproducible.

np Docs