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Neovim

Quick notes

Search for Markdown files without leaving the terminal

  • Make sure you are in your home directory: ~
  • Press Space + f to search in the current working directory

Open a URL or file in Neovim

  • gx opens the link with the default system application, usually your configured browser.
  • gf opens a file directly within Neovim.

Preview Markdown in Neovim

Use the command: MarkdownPreview

Return to a suspended Neovim session

  • Run fg in the terminal to resume the suspended Neovim session.

Copilot setup

Setup references: alanju and ianchesal

Configuration file:

~/.config/nvim/lua/custom/plugins.lua

Check notification messages and logs

Use:

:messages

⌨️ Neovim keys

A quick-reference cheat sheet for everyday motions, editing, and tooling in Neovim (LazyVim or custom setups).

🧭 Motions

🧠 LSP and completions

  • Ctrl + n / Ctrl + p – navigate suggestions up and down.
  • Tab – accept the selected suggestion. Do not use Enter, which inserts a new line.
  • K / Shift + k – show documentation for a function or symbol, such as docstrings.

✍️ Inserting

[!NOTE] Mode abbreviations: N = Normal mode · I = Insert mode · T = Terminal mode

Action Shortcut (from Normal mode)
Append at end of line Shift + A
Insert at beginning of line Shift + I
Open new line below o
Open new line above Shift + o
Insert below (same as o) o

📋 Clipboard and special pastes

  • gp – paste below the cursor while keeping the cursor after the pasted text.
  • gP – paste above the cursor.
  • Alt + h – move to the start of the line.
  • Alt + l – move to the end of the line.

🪄 LazyVim and custom leader keys

Leader key: Space

Shortcut Action
<leader> gC Create a PR
<leader> gM Merge a PR
<leader> uC Select a colour theme
<leader> bd Delete the current buffer
Space + fr Open recently used files in Telescope
Space + n¹ Find files using the classic Telescope mapping
Ctrl + 6 Switch to the last closed buffer or alternate file

¹ n is an alias for the old Telescope files command.

🗂️ Obsidian.nvim

  • With the cursor on a wiki link, press Enter (<CR>) to follow it. This works only with obsidian.nvim.
  • Alternatively, place the cursor inside the parentheses instead of inside the brackets [], then press gf to open the file.

Example: a Neovim reference note in the same app notes section.

  1. Type [[ and begin writing the note name.
  2. Select an existing file from the list or choose (create) to create a new note in your inbox.

✅ Checkboxes

  • Press Enter on a list item to toggle it into a checkbox.

  • Continue pressing Enter to cycle through states: → x (done) → ~ (cancelled) → ! (important) → > (moved) → (unchecked).

  • [ ] test

  • [x] new

🧭 Normal mode navigation

🔹 Line and character movement

Motion Meaning
$ (or AltGr + 4) Go to the end of the line
0 Go to the start of the line
j / k / h / l Down / up / left / right
5j, 9k … Move 5, 9, … lines (prefix with a count)
2w Jump forward 2 words
2e Jump to the end of the second word forward
% (Shift + 5) Jump to the matching bracket

🧲 Search while moving

  • / – search forward for a pattern.
  • ? – search backward for a pattern.
  • n – move to the next match in the same direction.
  • N – move to the previous match in the opposite direction.

✂️ Quick edits

  • r<letter> – replace the character under the cursor. For example, re replaces the current character with e.
  • R – enter Replace mode and overwrite characters continuously.
  • ce – change to the end of the current word.
  • cc – change the entire line.
  • c$ – change from the cursor to the end of the line.

✂️ Deleting

  • de – delete to the end of the current word.
  • d2w – delete two words forward.
  • d<count><motion> – delete using any motion. For example, d5w deletes five words.
  • dd – delete the current line.
  • 5dd – delete five lines.
  • di(, di[, di{ – delete everything inside parentheses, brackets, or braces. The cursor can be anywhere inside.

Try it:

  • Put the cursor on 3 in testing1234567890 and press de. It becomes testing12.
  • Put the cursor inside (delete this) and press di(. The parentheses remain, but the text is removed.

📋 Copy and paste

  • y – yank (copy). Combine with a motion, such as yiw (yank inner word) or yy (yank the whole line).
  • p – paste after the cursor or below the current line.
  • P – paste before the cursor or above the current line.
  • Visual mode: v → select text → y to yank.

🪟 Folding headings

Key Action
za Toggle the fold under the cursor
zA Toggle all folds under the cursor recursively
zc Close the fold
zo Open the fold
zO Open all folds under the cursor
zR / zi Open all folds in the buffer
zM Close all folds in the buffer

🔍 Search and replacing

Basic commands

  • :nohl (or :noh) – clear search highlighting until the next search.
Command Effect
:%s/old/new/g Replace all occurrences of old with new in the whole file
:%s/old/new/gc Replace all occurrences with confirmation for each match
/pattern Search forward for pattern
?pattern Search backward for pattern
\vpattern “Very magic” mode: non-alphanumeric characters are treated as special regex characters without escaping

🔁 Quickly replace the word under the cursor

[!TIP] Use ciw as an alternative.

  1. In Normal mode, place the cursor on a word and press * to search forward for the same word.
  2. Press N to return to the previous occurrence if you overshot it, then press cgn.
  3. Type the replacement and press Esc.
  4. Press . repeatedly to apply the same change to each next occurrence.

Custom keymap:

map("n", "<C-n>", "*Ncgn", { silent = true, desc = "Substitute word under cursor" })

Now Ctrl + n on a word starts the “replace this word” flow immediately.

🧪 Complex replace examples

Use :s with capture groups \( … \) and the backreference \1.

  • Convert - name: Advanced Programming → "Advanced Programming",
:%s/- name: \(.*\)/"\1",/g
  • Convert (e/h) → (y/n)
:%s/(e\/h)/(y\/n)/g

🧩 Miscellaneous tips

  • v – enter Visual mode, then move to select text.
  • gg – go to the first line.
  • Shift + g – go to the last line.
  • o – open a line below and enter Insert mode.
  • O – open a line above and enter Insert mode.

CodeCompanion.nvim

  • ga – accept the changes in CodeCompanion.
  • Ctrl + s – send the selected lines to the AI.

Commands

  • /commit is useful for generating a commit message for you.

Octo.nvim

  • localleader = \

Commenting and using which-key.nvim

  • Open the issue with Space + gi, then press localleader + ca to access the which-key plugin UI.