smear-cursor.nvim
A Neovim plugin that animates the cursor with a customizable smear effect in all terminals.
What is smear-cursor.nvim?
Smear cursor for Neovim is a plugin that adds animated cursor effects to Neovim when running in terminals. It creates a visual smear trail as the cursor moves, simulating smooth animations typically found in graphical Neovim frontends. The plugin solves the problem of bland, static cursors in text-only terminals by providing dynamic visual feedback.
Neovim users who work in terminals and want enhanced visual feedback without switching to a graphical frontend like Neovide.
It offers a unique way to animate cursors purely through text rendering, making it compatible with any terminal. Developers choose it for its customization options and ability to mimic graphical cursor effects in a terminal environment.
Overview
🌠 Neovim plugin to animate the cursor with a smear effect in all terminals
Use Cases
Best For
- Adding visual flair to terminal-based Neovim setups
- Simulating Neovide-like cursor animations in terminals
- Customizing cursor behavior with physics-based parameters
- Enhancing visual feedback during buffer and window navigation
- Experimenting with creative cursor effects like particles or fire trails
- Improving the editing experience in terminals without graphical capabilities
Not Ideal For
- Users who rely on other cursor-modifying plugins like vim-smoothie or multiple visual enhancements
- Developers already using graphical Neovim frontends such as Neovide, which have built-in smooth cursors
- Environments where terminal emulators override cursor colors, making consistent customization difficult
- Setups prioritizing text clarity and minimal visual artifacts over aesthetic effects
Pros & Cons
Pros
Simulates smooth cursor effects using only text characters, working in any terminal without graphical capabilities, as emphasized in the project description.
Offers fine-tuning of parameters like stiffness and damping to control motion responsiveness, detailed in configuration examples for faster or bouncier smears.
Supports multiple effects from basic smears to particle-based 'fire' animations, providing creative options shown in demo videos and config snippets.
Allows enabling or disabling smear per buffer, line, or insert mode, enhancing flexibility for different editing tasks without manual intervention.
Cons
The text-based rendering creates a shadow around the smear that can obscure underlying text, a limitation admitted in the known issues section.
Likely conflicts with other plugins that modify the cursor, restricting use in complex setups, as warned in the README.
Optimal effects require rare fonts with legacy computing symbols like Cascadia Code, and performance may suffer on terminals with color overrides.
Open Source Alternative To
smear-cursor.nvim is an open-source alternative to the following products:
Frequently Asked Questions
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