nvim-plugin-template
A template repository for creating Neovim plugins with a pre-configured Lua structure, testing, and CI workflows.
What is nvim-plugin-template?
nvim-plugin-template is a GitHub template repository designed to kickstart the development of Neovim plugins. It provides a pre-configured project structure, automated testing with plenary.nvim and busted, and CI/CD workflows for formatting checks and documentation generation. It solves the problem of repetitive setup and ensures new plugins follow best practices from the start.
Lua developers and Neovim enthusiasts who want to create and distribute high-quality Neovim plugins with minimal initial configuration. It's ideal for those familiar with Neovim's Lua API and looking for a standardized development workflow.
Developers choose this template because it eliminates boilerplate, enforces code quality through automated checks, and streamlines publishing via Luarocks. Its opinionated structure and integrated tools reduce setup time and help maintain consistency across plugins.
Overview
A neovim plugin template for github repos
Use Cases
Best For
- Bootstrapping a new Neovim plugin project quickly
- Ensuring code quality with automated linting and testing
- Publishing plugins to Luarocks with CI/CD automation
- Learning Neovim plugin development best practices
- Maintaining consistent structure across multiple plugins
- Generating vimdocs automatically from Markdown
Not Ideal For
- Plugin authors who prefer writing in Vimscript instead of Lua
- Developers creating extremely small or experimental plugins where the structured setup is unnecessary overhead
- Projects requiring integration with non-Neovim editors or environments
- Teams with existing, mature plugin development pipelines who don't need a standardized template
Pros & Cons
Pros
Built entirely in Lua, it ensures deep compatibility with Neovim's native scripting and performance benefits, as stated in the README's 100% Lua codebase feature.
Includes pre-configured testing with plenary.nvim and busted, enabling robust test-driven development without manual setup, as highlighted in the features.
Integrates Stylua for automatic formatting checks, enforcing consistent code style and catching errors through GitHub Actions workflows.
Provides a GitHub Actions workflow for publishing to Luarocks with secret configuration, simplifying distribution and release management.
Cons
Relies on external tools like plenary.nvim, busted, and Stylua, which can introduce complexity, maintenance overhead, and potential compatibility issues.
The standardized directory layout is fixed and may not accommodate all plugin architectures, forcing adherence to a specific pattern that could be restrictive.
Exclusively designed for Lua plugins, making it unsuitable for projects that need Vimscript or other languages, despite Neovim's multi-language capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
plugin-template.nvimA template to create Neovim plugins written in Lua
boilitcreate boilerplate structure for neovim plugins
nvim-pseudometa-plugin-templateA template for new nvim plugins
spring-initializr.nvimThe Spring Initializr for Neovim.
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