monkey-vim

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Introduction

The project monkey-vim, aims to make a powerful and fast terminal-native IDE.

Positioning: monkey-vim targets pure terminal environments — no GUI, no gvim, no built-in terminal multiplexing. Use it in:

Environment	Description
Linux Terminal	xterm, kitty, alacritty, wezterm, gnome-terminal, etc.
macOS Terminal	Terminal.app, iTerm2, kitty, etc.
WSL	Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2 recommended)
Server TTY	Bare Linux console (tty1–tty63), 256-color fallback
kmscon	Kernel Mode Setting console — modern TTY replacement with true color and Unicode support

Window/split management is delegated to tmux or your terminal emulator's native tabs.

Screenshot

Requirements

vim 9.0+
A terminal environment (no GUI / gvim support)

Installation

1. Git clone

git clone https://github.com/QMonkey/monkey-vim.git

2. Install dependencies

2.1 Common tools

Tool	Purpose	Required
curl	Plugin manager bootstrap	Yes
git	Plugin manager, vim-fugitive	Yes
ripgrep (rg)	ctrlsf code search + fzf.vim file search	Yes
universal-ctags	gutentags tag generation	Yes
GNU Global (`global`)	gutentags gtags (GTAGS) generation & navigation	Recommended
Pygments (`pygmentize`)	gtags parser for non-C/C++ languages (Python, Go, Rust, JS, etc.)	Recommended
fzf (>= 0.53.0)	Fuzzy finder (fzf.vim)	Yes
bat	Syntax-highlighted file preview in fzf	Recommended
delta	Enhanced git diff preview (fugitive, fzf)	Recommended

# Ubuntu/Debian — apt packages may be outdated for fzf/bat/delta, use brew
sudo apt-get install curl git ripgrep universal-ctags global python3-pygments

# For fzf, bat, delta on older Debian/Ubuntu, use Homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
brew install fzf bat git-delta

# OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install curl git ripgrep universal-ctags global python3-Pygments fzf bat git-delta

# CentOS (enable EPEL for ripgrep/ctags/global/pygments/fzf/bat/delta)
sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum install curl git ripgrep universal-ctags global python3-pygments fzf bat git-delta

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S curl git ripgrep ctags global python-pygments fzf bat git-delta

# macOS
brew install curl git ripgrep universal-ctags global pygments fzf bat git-delta

2.2 LSP servers

Language Server Protocol support is provided by yegappan/lsp. Install the servers for languages you use:

Language	LSP Server	Install
C/C++	clangd	`sudo apt-get install clangd`, `sudo zypper install clang`, `sudo yum install clang-tools-extra`, `sudo pacman -S clang`, or `brew install llvm`
Go	gopls	`go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest`
Python	python-lsp-server	`pip3 install python-lsp-server`
Rust	rust-analyzer	`rustup component add rust-analyzer`
Lua	lua-language-server	`brew install lua-language-server` or `sudo pacman -S lua-language-server`
Shell	bash-language-server	`npm install -g bash-language-server`
Vim	vim-language-server	`npm install -g vim-language-server`
JavaScript	typescript-language-server	`npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript`
TypeScript	typescript-language-server	`npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript`
JSON	vscode-json-language-server	`npm install -g vscode-langservers-extracted`
YAML	yaml-language-server	`npm install -g yaml-language-server`
Markdown	marksman	`brew install marksman` or `sudo pacman -S marksman`

Node.js is required for all npm install -g entries above. Install it via your system package manager (sudo apt-get install nodejs, sudo zypper install nodejs, sudo yum install nodejs, sudo pacman -S nodejs, brew install node) or from nodejs.org.

2.3 C/C++

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install gcc g++ clangd

# OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install gcc gcc-c++ clang

# CentOS
sudo yum install gcc gcc-c++ clang clang-tools-extra

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S gcc clang

# macOS
brew install gcc llvm

2.4 Go

# Install the latest version of Go, then:
go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest

2.5 Python

# Python 3 is required (install via system package manager if not present)
pip3 install python-lsp-server
# Optional: formatters/linters (not tracked by checkhealth.sh)
pip3 install autopep8 flake8 pylint

2.6 JavaScript / TypeScript

# Install LSP server
npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript

2.7 Rust

# Install rustup (includes rustc & cargo), then:
rustup component add rust-analyzer

2.8 YAML

# Install LSP server
npm install -g yaml-language-server

2.9 Markdown

Preview Markdown in browser via WSL/glow:

# Option 1: glow (terminal Markdown renderer)
# https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow
brew install glow       # macOS / Linuxbrew
sudo pacman -S glow     # Arch Linux
sudo apt-get install glow  # Debian 13+
go install github.com/charmbracelet/glow@latest  # Ubuntu / OpenSUSE / CentOS, or any platform with Go

# Option 2: Open in Windows browser (WSL only)
# :!explorer.exe %

2.10 Fonts (optional)

Vim uses common Unicode characters (⎇, │, 🔒, ▸, ·, ¬) and works without extra fonts. A Nerd Font is optional if you prefer the Powerline-style look.

3. Health check

Verify that all required dependencies and optional LSP servers are available:

./checkhealth.sh

Pass --install to automatically install missing dependencies (required tools + optional LSP servers). Supports apt/zypper/yum/pacman/brew, npm, pip, go install, and rustup:

./checkhealth.sh --install

4. Install monkey-vim

Linux, Mac, WSL, and kmscon

cd monkey-vim
ln -sf $(pwd)/.vimrc ~/.vimrc
ln -sf $(pwd)/configs/.clang-format ~/.clang-format   # global clang-format style (optional)
vim

5. Update project

cd monkey-vim
git pull

:PlugInstall
:PlugUpdate
:PlugUpgrade
:PlugClean

6. kmscon setup (optional)

kmscon is a Linux KMS/DRM-based system console that replaces the legacy tty with full Unicode support, multi-seat capability, and true color rendering. It is an excellent companion for monkey-vim on headless servers.

6.1 Install kmscon

# Ubuntu/Debian (older versions without terminfo)
sudo apt-get install kmscon

# OpenSUSE (Tumbleweed / Leap 15.x)
sudo zypper install kmscon

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S kmscon

# CentOS — not in official/EPEL repos, build from source below instead
# Build from source (requires meson, ninja, and ncurses for tic)
git clone https://github.com/kmscon/kmscon.git
cd kmscon
meson setup builddir/
meson install -C builddir/

Building from source automatically compiles and installs the kmscon terminfo entry via tic, so vim can detect terminal capabilities correctly without any TERM workaround. The default prefix is /usr/local; append --prefix=/usr to the meson setup command to install system-wide.

On older systems, dependencies like libtsm may be too old to satisfy the build requirements. In that case, use the package manager version and apply the TERM workaround in section 6.3.

6.2 Replace tty with kmscon (permanent)

To make kmscon the default system console instead of the legacy tty/getty, replace agetty with kmscon on the desired tty:

# Stop the existing getty on tty1
sudo systemctl stop getty@tty1.service
sudo systemctl disable getty@tty1.service

# Create a kmscon service for tty1
sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/getty.target.wants
sudo ln -s /usr/lib/systemd/system/kmsconvt@.service \
    /etc/systemd/system/getty.target.wants/kmsconvt@tty1.service

# Override ExecStart to use kmscon's own terminal type
sudo systemctl edit kmsconvt@tty1.service

Add the following override:

[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/bin/kmscon "--vt=%I" --seats=seat0 --no-switchvt \
    --login -- /sbin/agetty -o '-p -- \\u' - --noclear %I kmscon

The last argument kmscon tells agetty to set TERM=kmscon, which matches the terminfo entry installed during build.

# Start kmscon on tty1
sudo systemctl start kmsconvt@tty1.service

After reboot, press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to the kmscon-enhanced tty1. You can repeat this for tty2–tty6 as needed.

6.3 True color support

kmscon supports true color (24-bit). monkey-vim detects this automatically via has('termguicolors') and renders GUI colors directly.

If kmscon was installed via package manager (older versions without terminfo) or the terminfo entry is missing, vim may fail with E558: Terminal entry not found in terminfo. In that case, add the following to your shell profile:

# Add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.)
export TERM=xterm-256color
export COLORTERM=truecolor

The COLORTERM=truecolor is required so vim still detects true color support when TERM is set to xterm-256color. Note that using xterm-256color instead of kmscon's native terminfo may cause minor display artifacts in vim due to terminal capability mismatches. For the best experience, build from source to get the native terminfo entry.

If you fall back to a traditional Linux tty (tty1–tty63), monkey-vim degrades to 256-color mode with sonokai's dark palette for accurate color approximation.

6.4 Fonts (optional)

kmscon uses the system's built-in font renderer. If you prefer Powerline-style icons, install a system monospace font of your choice.

Plugin list

Plugin	Purpose
yegappan/lsp	Language Server Protocol client
hrsh7th/vim-vsnip	Snippet engine
hrsh7th/vim-vsnip-integ	LSP snippet integration
rafamadriz/friendly-snippets	Snippet collection
junegunn/fzf.vim	Fuzzy file/buffer/tag finder
dyng/ctrlsf.vim	Async code search (rg/ag backend)
itchyny/lightline.vim	Status line
sainnhe/sonokai	Colorscheme
mg979/vim-visual-multi	Multiple cursors
monkoose/vim9-stargate	Easy motion (replaces vim-sneak)
tpope/vim-fugitive	Git wrapper
airblade/vim-gitgutter	Git diff in sign column
ludovicchabant/vim-gutentags	Automatic ctags & gtags (GNU Global) generation
justinmk/vim-dirvish	Directory viewer (replaces netrw)
tpope/vim-surround	Surround text with parens/quotes/etc
svermeulen/vim-subversive	Substitute with clipboard
andymass/vim-matchup	Extended % matching
wellle/targets.vim	Additional text objects
michaeljsmith/vim-indent-object	Indent-based text objects
cohama/lexima.vim	Auto-close brackets/parens
tpope/vim-repeat	Repeat plugin maps with `.`
tpope/vim-eunuch	UNIX shell helpers (:SudoWrite, :W, :Delete, etc.)
tpope/vim-obsession	Session management
Konfekt/FastFold	Faster folding for large files
haya14busa/vim-asterisk	Improved `*` / `#` search
kshenoy/vim-signature	Visual marks
airblade/vim-rooter	Auto-change working directory
junegunn/gv.vim	Git commit browser
romainl/vim-qf	Quickfix/Location list helpers

Keyboard shortcut

The "Leader" key below means comma key.

1. Normal mode

1.1 Remap

s       Replace a motion/text object with clipboard content (see §1.7)
S       Replace from cursor to end of line with clipboard content (see §1.7)
Y       Copy from the cursor position to the end of the line, same as y$
H       To the first non-blank character of the line, same as ^
L       To the last character of the line, same as $
U       Redo, same as Ctrl-r
;       Enter command line mode, same as :
q       Quit current window (with special handling for diff/fugitive/quickfix)
Shift+q  Quit vim, same as :qa
t       Recording, same as the original q (normal and visual mode)

j       Move down one display line (gj), works on wrapped lines
k       Move up one display line (gk), works on wrapped lines
f       Search 1 char to jump with hints (stargate)
F       Search 2 consecutive chars to jump with hints (stargate)
gs      Select words/regions for multi-cursor editing (vim-visual-multi)

The following remaps work in both Insert mode and Command-line mode:

Ctrl+p  Move up        (Up)
Ctrl+n  Move down      (Down)
Ctrl+b  Move left      (Left)
Ctrl+f  Move right     (Right)
Ctrl+a  Jump to start  (Home)
Ctrl+e  Jump to end    (End)
Ctrl+h  Backspace      (BackSpace)
Ctrl+d  Delete forward (Del)

1.2 F1 ~ F4

F1      Open CtrlSF search prompt
F2      Toggle CtrlSF search window
F3      Open a terminal at the bottom
F4      Toggle terminal buffer (open/hide)

1.3 Buffer

Leader+o    Open a new buffer with given file path in current window
[+b         Jump to previous buffer
]+b         Jump to next buffer

1.4 Split

Leader+Leader+s    Open a horizontal split with given file path in current window
Leader+Leader+v    Open a vertical split with given file path in current window

Ctrl+h      Jump to the left split
Ctrl+j      Jump to the below split
Ctrl+k      Jump to the above split
Ctrl+l      Jump to the right split
Leader+z    Toggle zoom

1.5 Tab

Leader+Leader+t    Open a tab with given file path in current window

[+t         Jump to previous tab
]+t         Jump to next tab
Leader+1~9  Jump to the 1~9 tab
Leader+[    Jump to first tab
Leader+]    Jump to last tab

1.6 Search (vim-asterisk)

Pressing * or # highlights all occurrences of the word under cursor without moving. Press again to jump normally.

*       Highlight current word without moving (press again to jump)
g*      Same as *, partial match
#       Same as *, search backward
g#      Same as g*, search backward

1.7 Replace (vim-subversive)

s{textobj}  Replace a text object with clipboard content (e.g. siw to replace current word)
ss          Replace entire current line with clipboard content
S           Replace from cursor to end of line with clipboard content

1.8 LSP (Language Server Protocol)

K                   Hover documentation for symbol under cursor
gh                  Show hover in popup

gd                  Go to definition
gc                  Go to declaration
gt                  Go to type definition
gi                  Go to implementation
gr                  Show references

Leader+gd           Peek definition
Leader+gc           Peek declaration
Leader+gt           Peek type definition
Leader+gi           Peek implementation
Leader+gr           Peek references

Leader+rn           Rename symbol
[d                  Previous diagnostic
]d                  Next diagnostic
[D                  First diagnostic
]D                  Last diagnostic
Leader+gh           Show current line diagnostics
Leader+d            Show current buffer diagnostics

Files are auto-formatted on save via LSP. Completion is enabled by default — LSP-powered suggestions appear automatically as you type. K uses :LspHover as the keyword program for most filetypes.

1.9 File/Buffer/Tag navigation (fzf.vim)

Ctrl+p      Search files

Leader+b    Search buffers (C-d to delete, Enter to open)
Leader+t    Search buffer tags
Leader+p    Search project tags
Leader+f    Search function in buffer
Leader+e    Search line in buffer

1.10 Fold

These are standard Vim built-in keys enhanced by FastFold for performance:

za      When on a closed fold, open it. When on an open fold, close it and set 'foldenable'
zc      Close one fold under the cursor
zo      Open one fold under the cursor
zR      Open all folds
zM      Close all folds
zuz     Manually update all folds (FastFold)

1.11 Marks (vim-signature)

m[a-zA-Z]   Toggle mark and display it in the leftmost column
m,          Place the next available mark
m.          If no mark on line, place the next available mark. Otherwise, remove (first) existing mark

dm[a-zA-Z]  Delete mark[a-zA-Z]
m-          Delete all marks in current line
m<Space>    Delete all marks in current buffer

'[a-zA-Z]   Jump to the mark
]`          Jump to next mark
[`          Jump to prev mark
`]          Jump by alphabetical order to next mark
`[          Jump by alphabetical order to prev mark
m/          View all marks in Location List

m[0-9]      Toggle the corresponding marker !@#$%^&*()

m<S-[0-9]>  Remove all markers of the same type
m<BS>       Remove all markers

]-          Jump to next line having a marker of the same type
[-          Jump to prev line having a marker of the same type
]=          Jump to next line having a marker of any type
[=          Jump to prev line having a marker of any type
m?          Open location list and display markers from current buffer

:SignatureToggle Show/hide marks without deleting them
:SignatureRefresh Re-sync marks and signs if they go out of sync

1.12 Dirvish (Directory viewer, replaces netrw)

-           Open file directory in current window
~           Open project root or home directory in current window

<CR>        Enter directory or open file
o           Open in current window (edit)
a           Open in horizontal split
i           Open in vertical split
t           Open in new tab
-           Go up one directory
A/I/O       Disabled (use a/i/o instead)
x           Add files to arglist
R           Reload directory view
:Shdo       Generate shell script from lines (e.g., :%Shdo)

1.13 Code search (ctrlsf)

Leader+a        Search current word in current directory

1.14 Surround (vim-surround)

ys+textobj+surroundA        Add surround A for the region of textobj
yss+surroundA               Add surround A for current line
ds+surroundA                Delete surround A
cs+surroundA+surroundB      Change surround A to B

1.15 Terminal

F3      Open a terminal buffer
F4      Toggle terminal buffer (open/hide)

F3 opens a new terminal at the bottom. F4 toggles the terminal — hides it without killing the job, reopens the same terminal on demand.

Use <Ctrl-\><Ctrl-n> to switch from terminal mode to normal mode. In normal mode, <ScrollWheelUp> and <ScrollWheelDown> scroll the terminal buffer.

1.16 Others

Leader+ws       Save session
Leader+rs       Remove session

Sessions are saved to ~/.cache/sessions/. On Vim startup, a session is automatically restored from this directory.

'.              Jump to last changes
''              To the position before the latest jump, or where the last "m'" or "m`" command was given
Ctrl+o          Go to [count] Older cursor position in jump list
Ctrl+i          Go to [count] newer cursor position in jump list
Ctrl+^          Edit the alternate file. Mostly the alternate file is the previously edited file
cod             Toggle diff
cop             Toggle paste (auto-disabled on leaving insert mode)
col             Toggle list
con             Clear search highlight
Leader+cr       Change project root (manual only, no auto-chdir on file open)
Leader+space        Strip trailing whitespace
Leader+Leader+space  Strip trailing whitespace + \\r (DOS newlines)
Leader+q            Toggle quickfix
Leader+l            Toggle location list

In quickfix/location windows (ack-style mappings):

o/Enter — Open entry (file + line)
go — Open in horizontal split
gO — Open and focus new window
t — Open in new tab
T — Open in new tab (keep quickfix focused)
q — Close quickfix window

Quickfix windows auto-resize to fit content (max 10 lines), auto-close when empty, and are placed at the bottom.

Note: gdefault is set, so :s performs global substitution (all matches per line) by default. The jumplist is cleared on each Vim startup (clearjumps) to avoid cross-project contamination. jumpoptions+=stack makes the jumplist behave like the tagstack.

1.17 Auto-insert file headers

New .sh and .py files get a shebang line automatically inserted:

.sh → #!/usr/bin/env bash
.py → #!/usr/bin/env python3

1.18 Match-up (extended % matching)

%       Go forward to next matching word (cycles back from close to open)
g%      Go backward to previous matching word
[%      Go to previous outer open word (start of surrounding block)
]%      Go to next surrounding close word (end of surrounding block)
z%      Go inside nearest inner contained block
i%      Inside of any block (text object)
a%      Around any block (text object)

1.19 Lexima (auto-close pairs)

Lexima automatically closes pairs: (), [], {}, "", '', ```. Backspace inside an empty pair deletes both characters. Enter inside {} auto-indents and creates a closing brace. In vim files, " is not auto-paired (since " is the comment leader).

2. Insert mode

2.1 Snippets (vim-vsnip)

Ctrl+l      Expand snippet
Tab         Jump to next placeholder
Shift+Tab   Jump to previous placeholder

2.2 FZF Completion

Ctrl+x Ctrl+p   Fuzzy file path completion (fzf)
Ctrl+x Ctrl+l   Fuzzy line completion (fzf)
Ctrl+x Ctrl+b   Fuzzy buffer line completion (fzf)
Ctrl+x Ctrl+f   Built-in filename completion
Ctrl+x Ctrl+n   Built-in keyword completion
Ctrl+x Ctrl+o   Built-in omni completion
Ctrl+x Ctrl+]   Tag completion (fallback when LSP is slow/unavailable)

3. Visual mode

3.1 Remap

s       Replace selected text with clipboard content
;       Enter command line mode, same as :
<       Decrease indent, keep selection
>       Increase indent, keep selection

3.2 Search

*       Search selected text forward (standard vim behavior, enhanced by vim-asterisk)
#       Search selected text backward (standard vim behavior, enhanced by vim-asterisk)

3.3 Replace

# '\r' standard for newline

s{textobj}  Replace a text object with clipboard content (e.g. siw)
ss          Replace entire current line with clipboard content
S           Replace from cursor to end of line with clipboard content

3.4 Easy motion (vim9-stargate)

f       Search 1 character to jump with hints (stargate)
F       Search 2 consecutive characters to jump with hints (stargate)

3.5 Code search (ctrlsf)

Leader+a        Search selected text in current directory

3.6 Surround (vim-surround)

S+surroundA     Add surround A for selected text (vim-surround built-in)

4. Command line mode

Ctrl+p  Previous command
Ctrl+n  Next command
Ctrl+a  Jump to the begin of the command line
Ctrl+e  Jump to the end of the command line

Use git in vim

1. git for vim: vim-fugitive

Core

" Run an arbitrary git command. Similar to :!git [args] but chdir to the repository tree first.
:Git [args]

" Short alias for :Git
:G [args]

Common examples

:Git status
:Git diff
:Git commit
:Git log
:Git blame
:Git pull
:Git push

Staging / Writing / Blame

" Stage file (git add)
:Gwrite
" Stage and quit
:Gwq

" Delete file from git and buffer
:GDelete
" Delete from git, keep buffer
:GRemove
" Rename / move file
:GMove {dest}

" Blame current file in a scroll-bound split
:Git blame

Diffs

" Diff against index (staging area)
:Gdiffsplit
" Diff against HEAD (last commit)
:Gdiffsplit HEAD
" Always vertical
:Gvdiffsplit

Log and search

" git-log into quickfix list
:Gclog
" git-log into location list
:Gllog
" git-grep into quickfix list
:Ggrep [args]

" Browse file/commit in GitHub
:GBrowse
" Copy URL to clipboard
:GBrowse!

Git status buffer keymaps

In the :Git status buffer:

s — Stage file
u — Unstage file
- — Stage/unstage toggle
X — Discard changes
= — Toggle inline diff
cc — Commit
ca — Amend last commit
cf — Fixup commit
cs — Squash commit
crc — Revert commit
coo — Checkout file
dd — :Gdiffsplit
dv — :Gvdiffsplit
gq — Close status window

More help: :h fugitive.txt or https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive#screencasts

2. Git commit browser: gv.vim

" Open git commit browser
:GV
" List commits affecting current file only
:GV!
" Fill location list with revisions of current file
:GV?

Keymaps

Leader+gg       Open git status
Leader+gl       Git commit browser for current file (GV!)
Leader+gL       Open git commit browser (GV)
Leader+gd       Vertical diff against index
Leader+gD       Diff entire project against index
Leader+gb       Git blame

3. Git diff gutter: vim-gitgutter

Keymaps

[h / ]h         Jump to previous/next hunk
Leader+hp       Preview current hunk
Leader+hs       Stage current hunk
Leader+hr       Undo current hunk
Leader+hS       Stage entire file
Leader+hR       Discard all changes in file
Leader+hq       Load hunks into quickfix (current file)
Leader+hQ       Load hunks into quickfix (all files)

Useful Vim commands

1. vim-eunuch (UNIX shell helpers)

" Like :wall, but writes all windows rather than all buffers
:W

" Write all modified buffers
:wall

" Write file with sudo privileges
:SudoWrite

" Edit file with sudo
:SudoEdit {file}

" Delete file from disk and buffer
:Delete
" Delete file from disk, keep buffer
:Remove

" Rename / move file
:Rename {dest}

" Copy file
:Copy {dest}

" Change permissions
:Chmod {mode}

" Create directory (incl. parents)
:Mkdir {dir}
" Mkdir on its own creates the current file's parent dir

" Find files (results in quickfix)
:Cfind {args}

2. CtrlSF

" Search recursively in current directory for the pattern
" Jump to the first result unless ! is given.
:CtrlSF[!] [PATTERN] [path]

" Reopen CtrlSF window
:CtrlSFOpen

" Close CtrlSF window
:CtrlSFClose

3. Gutentags

" Generate tags for current file
:GutentagsUpdate

" Generate tags for current project
:GutentagsUpdate!

If GNU Global (gtags/global) and Pygments (pygmentize) are installed, gutentags also generates the GTAGS/GRTAGS/GPATH databases in ~/.cache/tags/<project>/. GNU Global provides native parsers for C/C++/Java, and falls back to Pygments for all other languages (Python, Go, Rust, JavaScript, etc.). The gtags database is queried with the :cs commands, or directly with the global CLI.

4. fzf.vim

" Search files
:Files [QUERY]

" Search git-tracked files
:GFiles [QUERY]          " or :GitFiles
:GFiles?                 " show git status

" Search buffers (C-d to delete, Enter to open)
:Buffers [QUERY]

" Search lines in loaded buffers
:Lines [QUERY]

" Search lines in current buffer
:BLines [QUERY]

" Search tags in the project
:Tags [QUERY]

" Search buffer tags
:BTags [QUERY]

" Interactive grep (ripgrep)
:Rg [QUERY]              " or :RG for full-screen results

" Search with ag (Silver Searcher)
:Ag [QUERY]

" Search file history
:History [QUERY]

" Search command history
:History:

" Search search history
:History/

" Search marks
:Marks

" Search buffer-local marks
:BMarks

" Search jumps
:Jumps

" Search changes
:Changes

" Search help tags
:Helptags [QUERY]

" Search windows
:Windows

" Search git commits (current file)
:Commits [QUERY]         " :BCommits for buffer commits

" Search commands
:Commands

" Search key mappings
:Maps

" Search filetypes
:Filetypes

" Search snippets (UltiSnips)
:Snippets

" Search colorschemes
:Colors

" Search files via locate
:Locate [QUERY]

5. vim-qf (Quickfix helpers)

" Keep only matching entries in qf/loc list
:Keep {pattern}

" Remove matching entries
:Reject {pattern}

" Save current qf/loc list by name
:SaveList {name}

" Load named list
:LoadList {name}

" Execute command on every file in list
:Dofile {cmd}

" Execute command on every line in list
:Doline {cmd}

6. vim-obsession (Session management)

" Start/update session in ~/.cache/sessions/
:Obsession {file}

" Toggle pause/resume session tracking
:Obsession

" Stop and delete session file
:Obsession!

7. LSP commands (yegappan/lsp)

" Symbol search across entire workspace
:LspSymbolSearch [query]

" Show outline of current file
:LspOutline

" Show symbols in popup
:LspDocumentSymbol

" Switch between source and header
:LspSwitchSourceHeader

" Show/server status
:LspShowAllServers

" Workspace management
:LspWorkspaceAddFolder {folder}
:LspWorkspaceRemoveFolder {folder}
:LspWorkspaceListFolders

Precautions

Indentation convention — monkey-vim applies indent settings per filetype:

Filetype	Style	Width
`c`, `cpp`, `go`, `sh`, `vim`, `sql`	Hard tab (`noexpandtab`)	4
`rust`, `python`, `markdown`	Spaces (`expandtab`)	4
`javascript`, `typescript`, `lua`, `yaml`, `json`	Spaces (`expandtab`)	2

The global default is 4-width hard tabs. To customize, override the FileType autocmds in your own vimrc after sourcing monkey-vim's.

Vim clipboard integration

monkey-vim sets clipboard=unnamed,unnamedplus so vim's yank/delete automatically syncs to the system clipboard. Copied text persists in the system clipboard after vim exits (the system clipboard is owned by the display server / Wayland compositor / terminal, not by vim).

If you use a standalone clipboard manager (optional):

Tool	Platform	Purpose
parcellite	X11	Lightweight clipboard manager with persistent history
cliphist	Wayland	Clipboard history for wlroots-based compositors
Built-in	macOS/WSL	System clipboard persists by default — no extra tool needed

Extra setup

Build vim from source

Build Vim from source for the latest version with full features: GTK3 GUI, Wayland/X11 support, and Lua/Python3/Perl/Ruby integration. Pick the display server you use: Wayland (listed first) or X11.

Note: Vim's Linux GUI is GTK-based — there is no Qt version, so the GTK3 packages below are required even on KDE (or any other Qt-based desktop). GTK3 apps run fine on any desktop environment.

1. Install dependencies

The gpm packages enable mouse support on the Linux text console (TTY), not on the desktop. Harmless to include.

Ubuntu/Debian

Wayland:

sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev \
	libwayland-dev \
	libatk1.0-dev \
	libcairo2-dev \
	libgpm-dev \
	libncurses-dev \
	python3-dev \
	lua \
	liblua-dev \
	perl \
	libperl-dev \
	ruby \
	ruby-dev

X11:

sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev \
	libx11-dev \
	libxt-dev \
	libxpm-dev \
	libatk1.0-dev \
	libcairo2-dev \
	libgpm-dev \
	libncurses-dev \
	python3-dev \
	lua \
	liblua-dev \
	perl \
	libperl-dev \
	ruby \
	ruby-dev

OpenSUSE

Wayland:

sudo zypper install gtk3-devel \
	wayland-devel \
	atk-devel \
	cairo-devel \
	gpm-devel \
	ncurses-devel \
	python-devel \
	python3-devel \
	ruby-devel \
	lua-devel \
	clipboard

X11:

sudo zypper install gtk3-devel \
	xorg-x11-devel \
	libXpm-devel \
	libXt-devel \
	atk-devel \
	cairo-devel \
	gpm-devel \
	ncurses-devel \
	python-devel \
	python3-devel \
	ruby-devel \
	lua-devel \
	clipboard

CentOS

Wayland:

sudo yum install gtk3-devel \
	wayland-devel \
	atk-devel \
	cairo-devel \
	gpm-devel \
	ncurses-devel \
	python-devel \
	python3-devel \
	ruby-devel \
	lua-devel \
	perl \
	perl-devel \
	perl-ExtUtils-ParseXS \
	perl-ExtUtils-XSpp \
	perl-ExtUtils-CBuilder \
	perl-ExtUtils-Embed

X11:

sudo yum install gtk3-devel \
	libX11-devel \
	libXpm-devel \
	libXt-devel \
	atk-devel \
	cairo-devel \
	gpm-devel \
	ncurses-devel \
	python-devel \
	python3-devel \
	ruby-devel \
	lua-devel \
	perl \
	perl-devel \
	perl-ExtUtils-ParseXS \
	perl-ExtUtils-XSpp \
	perl-ExtUtils-CBuilder \
	perl-ExtUtils-Embed

Arch

Wayland:

sudo pacman -S gtk3 \
	wayland \
	gpm \
	ncurses \
	lua \
	perl \
	python \
	ruby

X11:

sudo pacman -S gtk3 \
	libx11 \
	libxt \
	libxpm \
	gpm \
	ncurses \
	lua \
	perl \
	python \
	ruby

Mac (native GUI, no Wayland/X11 needed)

brew install python \
	python3 \
	ruby \
	lua \
	atk \
	cairo

2. Compile and install

Wayland

./configure --with-features=huge \
	--enable-gui=gtk3 \
	--enable-gpm \
	--with-wayland \
	--enable-python3interp \
	--enable-luainterp \
	--enable-perlinterp \
	--enable-rubyinterp \
	--enable-multibyte \
	--enable-terminal \
	--enable-fontset \
	--enable-cscope \
	--enable-fail-if-missing
make
sudo make install

The GTK3 GUI auto-detects the Wayland backend at runtime; you can force it with export GDK_BACKEND=wayland. --with-wayland enables native Wayland support (+wayland, +wayland_clipboard) for terminal Vim, so clipboard access works even without the GUI.

X11

./configure --with-features=huge \
	--enable-gui=gtk3 \
	--enable-gpm \
	--with-x \
	--enable-python3interp \
	--enable-luainterp \
	--enable-perlinterp \
	--enable-rubyinterp \
	--enable-multibyte \
	--enable-terminal \
	--enable-fontset \
	--enable-cscope \
	--enable-fail-if-missing
make
sudo make install

--with-x adds X11 support (clipboard, drag & drop). Note that --with-wayland is on by default with --with-features=huge, and a single GTK3 build runs on both Wayland and X11 by auto-detecting the display server.

kmscon / text console (no GUI)

The builds above also work in kmscon — the GUI is simply unused. On a console-only machine where you don't want the GUI libraries, build without a GUI instead: use --enable-gui=no, drop --with-wayland / --with-x and the libgtk-3-dev / Wayland / X11 packages. --enable-gpm keeps console mouse support, and --enable-terminal covers terminal mode.

Use vim to view man doc in shell

Put this in your bashrc:

export MANPAGER="env MAN_PN=1 vim -R +MANPAGER -"

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 658 Commits
configs		configs
pictures		pictures
.gitignore		.gitignore
.vimrc		.vimrc
README.md		README.md
README.zh-CN.md		README.zh-CN.md
checkhealth.sh		checkhealth.sh

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

monkey-vim

Introduction

Screenshot

Requirements

Installation

1. Git clone

2. Install dependencies

2.1 Common tools

2.2 LSP servers

2.3 C/C++

2.4 Go

2.5 Python

2.6 JavaScript / TypeScript

2.7 Rust

2.8 YAML

2.9 Markdown

2.10 Fonts (optional)

3. Health check

4. Install monkey-vim

5. Update project

6. kmscon setup (optional)

6.1 Install kmscon

6.2 Replace tty with kmscon (permanent)

6.3 True color support

6.4 Fonts (optional)

Plugin list

Keyboard shortcut

1. Normal mode

1.1 Remap

1.2 F1 ~ F4

1.3 Buffer

1.4 Split

1.5 Tab

1.6 Search (vim-asterisk)

1.7 Replace (vim-subversive)

1.8 LSP (Language Server Protocol)

1.9 File/Buffer/Tag navigation (fzf.vim)

1.10 Fold

1.11 Marks (vim-signature)

1.12 Dirvish (Directory viewer, replaces netrw)

1.13 Code search (ctrlsf)

1.14 Surround (vim-surround)

1.15 Terminal

1.16 Others

1.17 Auto-insert file headers

1.18 Match-up (extended % matching)

1.19 Lexima (auto-close pairs)

2. Insert mode

2.1 Snippets (vim-vsnip)

2.2 FZF Completion

3. Visual mode

3.1 Remap

3.2 Search

3.3 Replace

3.4 Easy motion (vim9-stargate)

3.5 Code search (ctrlsf)

3.6 Surround (vim-surround)

4. Command line mode

Use git in vim

1. git for vim: vim-fugitive

Core

Common examples

Staging / Writing / Blame

Diffs

Log and search

Git status buffer keymaps

2. Git commit browser: gv.vim

Keymaps

3. Git diff gutter: vim-gitgutter

Keymaps

Useful Vim commands

1. vim-eunuch (UNIX shell helpers)

2. CtrlSF

3. Gutentags

4. fzf.vim

5. vim-qf (Quickfix helpers)