lir.nvim
A simple, customizable file explorer plugin for Neovim with floating window support.
What is lir.nvim?
lir.nvim is a lightweight file explorer plugin for Neovim that provides both traditional buffer-based navigation and floating window functionality. It offers a clean, minimal interface for browsing directories and managing files directly within the Neovim environment.
Neovim users who want a minimal, configurable file explorer integrated into their editor, particularly those who prefer to define their own key mappings and workflow.
Developers choose lir.nvim for its unopinionated, minimal design that gives complete control over key mappings and behavior, combined with the flexibility of both buffer-based and floating window navigation modes.
Overview
Neovim file explorer
Use Cases
Best For
- Neovim users who want a file explorer with no default keybindings to fully customize their workflow
- Users who prefer toggling between a traditional buffer view and a floating window for file navigation
- Managing files and directories within Neovim with operations like create, rename, delete, copy, cut, and paste
- Quickly copying absolute file paths to the clipboard while browsing directories
- Visually selecting and performing batch operations on multiple files using the mark system
- Integrating file type icons via nvim-web-devicons for a more visual browsing experience
Not Ideal For
- Users who want a file explorer with out-of-the-box keybindings and minimal configuration effort
- Projects requiring integrated advanced features like git status or bookmarks without installing additional plugins
- Those preferring a GUI-rich file manager with drag-and-drop and extensive visual feedback
- Teams or individuals seeking a highly opinionated, feature-complete file explorer with built-in tools and defaults
Pros & Cons
Pros
lir.nvim has no default keybindings, allowing users to define all actions manually, as shown in the configuration example where mappings for edit, split, up, and others are set according to personal workflow.
It offers both buffer-based navigation like traditional explorers and a toggleable floating window with adjustable size and transparency, providing flexibility in how files are browsed within Neovim.
Supports creating, renaming, deleting, copying, cutting, and pasting files and directories, enabling full file management directly in the editor without external tools, as detailed in the mappings.
Includes a mark system for selecting multiple files, allowing batch operations which can improve efficiency when handling groups of files, with example mappings provided for toggling marks.
Cons
Since it defines no default mappings, users must spend time setting up keybindings from scratch, which can be a barrier for quick adoption and adds initial setup overhead.
Advanced functionalities such as git integration or bookmark management are not included by default and require separate plugin installations, increasing dependency complexity and setup steps.
Customizing the floating window, like changing borders or size, requires writing Lua functions, as indicated by the commented win_opts example in the README, which may be challenging for users unfamiliar with Neovim's API.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
nvim-tree.luaA file explorer tree for neovim written in lua
oil.nvimNeovim file explorer: edit your filesystem like a buffer
neo-tree.nvimNeovim plugin to manage the file system and other tree like structures.
yazi.nvimA Neovim Plugin for the yazi terminal file manager
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