Nvim Keymap Skill

Use this skill when editing or explaining custom Neovim keymaps in this repository.

Source Of Truth

• Put custom Neovim keymaps in nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/keymaps.nix.
• Keep plugin files under nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/plugins/ focused on plugin setup, not local key ownership.
• If a plugin currently defines a repo-local keymap and it can be expressed as a normal settings.vim.keymaps entry, move it into keymaps.nix.
• Treat nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/keymaps.nix as the file to read first when listing or auditing mappings.

Current Layout Rules

• Space is the main picker/action namespace, modeled after Helix Space mode.
• g is the goto/jump namespace, modeled after Helix goto mode.
• m is the match/surround/textobject namespace, modeled after Helix match mode.
• z is reserved for Helix-like view-mode aliases when view-only scrolling or alignment helpers are needed.
• , is fallback space for commands that do not fit the Helix-like layout or would collide with more important Space/g bindings.
• Keep insert-mode ergonomics and command-line remaps at the top of keymaps.nix.
• Add a short comment above each mapping describing intent, not just the literal action.

Preferred Placement

Space namespace

Use Space first for pickers and LSP actions:

• Telescope pickers: file, buffer, grep, branch, marks, history, keymaps, symbols, diagnostics
• file-browser-like entry points such as :Yazi cwd
• LSP actions such as hover, rename, and code actions
• repo-local utility commands that are not jumps, such as QuickRun, clipboard helpers, and LspRestart, if they do not collide with a more important Space binding

Examples already used in this repo:

• Space e for :Yazi cwd
• Space f for tracked files
• Space g for git status
• Space G for git branches
• Space gc for git commits
• Space / for live grep
• Space a for code action
• Space r for rename
• Space k for hover
• Space p / Space P for system clipboard paste
• Space y / Space Y for system clipboard yank
• Space C for copying the current working directory
• Space R for QuickRun
• Space \ for LspRestart

g namespace

Use g for location changes and jump-like motions:

• gd definition
• gy type definition
• gr references
• gi implementations
• gn / gp next and previous diagnostics
• gj / gf Hop-based jump motions

If a mapping is fundamentally about moving focus to another location, prefer g over Space.

m namespace

Use m for match-oriented editing helpers, especially bracket matching, surround operations, and textobject entry points.

Examples already used in this repo:

• mm matching bracket jump
• ms surround add prefix
• mr surround replace prefix
• md surround delete prefix
• ma around-textobject visual selection prefix
• mi inside-textobject visual selection prefix

z namespace

Use z for Helix-like view manipulation that changes the viewport without changing the editing target.

Examples already used in this repo:

• zc vertical centering
• zj / zk view-only scrolling
• zm horizontal alignment helper

, namespace

Use , only when:

• the natural Space or g slot is already occupied by a more important mapping
• the command is repo-specific and not meaningfully Helix-like
• the mapping is an overflow command such as QuickRun

Editing Workflow

1. Read nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/keymaps.nix.
2. Search nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/plugins/ for stray keymaps.
3. If changing placement, preserve the existing namespace logic above.
4. Update comments so the intent stays obvious in-file.
5. If keymap ownership moved out of a plugin file, remove the old plugin-local keymap.
6. When the user asks for an inventory, include mappings from both keymaps.nix and any remaining plugin-local keymaps.

Verification

After keymap edits:

• Run nixfmt on changed Nix files.
• Run nix flake check in nixos/darwin.
• Run nix flake check in nixos/linux.
• If Linux evaluation fails because NIXOS_PRIVATE_CONFIG is missing, report that explicitly instead of masking it.

File References

• nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/keymaps.nix
• nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/default.nix
• nixos/shared-home-manager/taco/nvf/plugins/