nvim-rip-substitute
A Neovim plugin for search and replace using ripgrep with incremental preview, a popup UI, and modern regex syntax.
What is nvim-rip-substitute?
nvim-rip-substitute is a Neovim plugin that replaces Vim's native `:substitute` command with a more powerful alternative. It uses ripgrep for fast, workspace-wide search and replace, offering a modern popup interface, incremental preview, and common regex syntax instead of Vim's arcane patterns.
Neovim users (version 0.10+) who frequently perform search and replace operations within buffers or across their workspace and want a more intuitive, feature-rich experience than Vim's built-in substitute command.
Developers choose this plugin for its modern regex syntax with PCRE2 support (including lookarounds), live incremental preview of matches, a dedicated popup window for editing with Vim motions, and high performance via ripgrep integration, even on large files.
Overview
Search & replace in the current buffer or workspace with incremental preview, a convenient UI, and modern regex syntax.
Use Cases
Best For
- Performing complex search and replace operations using common regex patterns (like lookarounds) instead of Vim's native syntax.
- Getting a live, incremental preview of matches and replacements with highlighted results before executing a substitution.
- Executing workspace-wide substitutions across the current working directory using configurable glob patterns.
- Debugging complex regex patterns by opening planned substitutions directly in regex101 from within Neovim.
- Managing a history of previous substitutions for easy reuse within a session or across sessions.
- Performing substitutions within a specific visual range or line selection with visual emphasis on the affected area.
Not Ideal For
- Vim users who haven't migrated to Neovim 0.10+
- Simple, one-off substitutions where Vim's native syntax is sufficient
- Projects requiring search and replace operations involving line breaks (\n or \r)
- Environments where installing and maintaining ripgrep with PCRE2 support is impractical
Pros & Cons
Pros
Uses common regex patterns with PCRE2 support for lookarounds and backreferences, avoiding Vim's arcane syntax as demonstrated in the README's syntax comparison.
Provides live preview of matches and replacements with highlighted results and a live match count, reducing errors before execution.
Offers a dedicated window with syntax highlighting, vim motions for editing, and no delimiter handling, improving the editing workflow.
Enables substitutions across the current working directory with configurable glob patterns, defaulting to files with the same extension for broader operations.
Leverages ripgrep for fast operations even in files with thousands of lines and matches, as highlighted in the performance claims.
Cons
Cannot search or replace for \n or \r, a limitation admitted in the README that restricts handling of multiline patterns.
Requires ripgrep installation with PCRE2 support for full features, adding external dependency and setup overhead, especially on systems without it.
Only compatible with Neovim 0.10+, excluding users on older versions or vanilla Vim, limiting its audience.
Incremental preview activates all conceals, which can hide syntax in filetypes like markdown or json, though it doesn't affect the actual substitution.
Frequently Asked Questions
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