AstroNvim

Catalog v8.

Provides AstroNvim with a file explorer, fuzzy search, completion, Git UI, diagnostics, and navigation between Neovim splits and tmux panes.

Select

The terminal shell preset uses AstroNvim as its editor by default:

[shell]
editor = "astronvim" # or "neovim" or "none"

Apply the change after editing limanix.toml. Inside the VM, open a project or file with nvim. The module includes Neovim, Git, and Lazygit. It also makes Neovim the default EDITOR unless a custom module overrides that setting.

Versions

AstroNvim line	Pinned release
6 (default)	6.0.0

Upstream maintenance status for this line has not been confirmed. The catalog records its EOL status as unknown.

The client installs the catalog's default line. Minor and patch releases within that line may change in later catalog releases, and a later catalog may make a new major line the default. Only one AstroNvim line can configure the editor: two different lines fail with astronvim: select one line. Neovim and plugin packages follow the catalog's base Nixpkgs revision. The line does not freeze their APIs or guarantee compatibility of every personal plugin configuration across catalog updates.

Use

Inside the VM, open your project directory:

nvim .

Space is the leader key: press it and pause for hints. See Terminal integration for common keys and Language servers for editor support.

Packages and state

AstroNvim is pinned to 6.0.0. The bundled plugin list is read from that release's snapshot rather than maintained separately in the catalog. Plugin versions and compiled Tree-sitter parsers come from the catalog's base Nixpkgs revision, not the snapshot's version constraints. The editor uses these read-only sources directly; it does not clone plugins on first launch or update them when you log in. Apply a catalog update to update bundled plugins. Lazy's cache, lock file, sessions, and Mason installations remain in your user directories.

The base parser list is read from the pinned AstroNvim configuration. Selected language modules contribute their additional parsers through the NixOS configuration. Go adds Go and its module formats; Rust adds Rust; Node.js adds JavaScript, TypeScript, and TSX; Python declares Python support. Nix builds these parsers with their queries, and at each start the editor links them into Tree-sitter's install directory, ~/.local/share/nvim/site. Automatic parser installation is disabled. A catalog update replaces the links; :TSUpdate leaves catalog parsers alone.

For another language, run :TSInstall LANGUAGE. It downloads and compiles the parser into the same directory; the module provides curl, the tree-sitter CLI and a C compiler. Parsers installed this way are yours: :TSUpdate updates them, and after a catalog update that brings a newer nvim-treesitter, run :TSUpdate to keep them compatible with it. :TSInstall! LANGUAGE replaces a catalog parser with your own build; :TSUninstall LANGUAGE returns to the catalog parser at the next start. To have Nix build and pin an additional parser instead, declare it in a custom module, for example lmx.capabilities.languageSupport.languages.zig.parsers = [ "zig" ];.

Language servers

Language modules declare their language servers together with the packages they install. AstroNvim reads the merged declarations from NixOS and enables those servers through AstroLSP. The Go module declares gopls; Rust declares rust-analyzer. The Python module declares Pyright; Node.js declares the JavaScript/TypeScript language server. The editor adapter maps rust-analyzer to rust_analyzer and typescript-language-server to ts_ls. Each server uses its final declaration's command and arguments. Installing an additional executable on PATH alone does not enable an LSP server. Enable additional servers, including those supplied by a project environment, through the AstroLSP servers option in user configuration.

Mason remains available for explicit additional installations with :Mason or :LspInstall; enable additional installed servers through AstroLSP's servers option. Automatic installation and registry refresh at startup are disabled. Nix-provided tools precede Mason tools on PATH. Mason tools are generic Linux binaries, which run with nix-ld, on in every LimaNix VM. This does not guarantee every Mason package works on NixOS: individual tools may also need libraries, an interpreter, or a compiler. Mason installs need network access and are user-managed, outside the catalog's package pins.

Personal configuration

An existing ~/.config/nvim/init.lua or init.vim takes precedence over the bundled AstroNvim setup. The module never replaces these files.

To customize the bundled setup, add Lazy plugin specifications under ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/. For example, lua/plugins/editor.lua:

return {
  "AstroNvim/astrolsp",
  opts = { formatting = { format_on_save = false } },
}

An optional ~/.config/nvim/lua/polish.lua runs after setup. Bundled plugins stay in the Nix store. Additional user plugins can be installed explicitly with :Lazy install; startup does not download missing plugins. XDG configuration, data, state, and cache directory overrides are respected.

The bundled colorscheme is Catppuccin. With the default system flavor its background is transparent. The terminal's background shows through. The light or dark background that Neovim detects in the terminal chooses Latte or Mocha for the text. A Catppuccin flavor in [theme] of limanix.toml uses that flavor with its own background. For another theme, assign AstroUI's colorscheme in a personal Lazy specification:

return {
  "AstroNvim/astroui",
  opts = { colorscheme = "astrodark" },
}

Save and resume a project

AstroNvim's bundled Resession plugin provides session saving and loading. Normal editor exit with project file buffers automatically saves the last session and a snapshot for the project directory. After starting a new nvim process, resume the last session with:

:lua require("resession").load("Last Session", { reset = true })

Resuming restores the project directory, named file buffers, splits and cursor positions. Later normal exits update the saved session with your new layout and positions. Save file changes before exiting or replacing a session; session snapshots do not preserve unsaved file contents or running processes. These defaults apply to the bundled setup; a personal init file can replace its session behavior.

Terminal integration

Space is the leader key. Press it and pause for the shortcut hints. Space e opens the file explorer, Space f f finds files, and Space g g opens Lazygit. With the tmux module, Ctrl-h/j/k/l moves between editor splits and terminal panes; Alt-h/j/k/l resizes them. Smart-splits loads at startup to mark the active Neovim pane for tmux.

Configure a Nerd Font and true color support in the terminal on macOS. For an SSH session the font belongs on the host, not in the VM.

Yanks go to the Mac clipboard through the platform's pbcopy, inside or outside tmux. p puts the last yank without asking the terminal and never waits for a clipboard read. Paste from the Mac with Cmd+V in insert mode, or insert it with :r !pbpaste. The terminal on the Mac must allow OSC 52; see Terminal and clipboard.

See the AstroNvim guide and LSP configuration for editor usage.

Configuration and integration

Boundary	Contract
Standard settings	programs.neovim.defaultEditor remains overridable
Personal configuration	Native Neovim XDG directory: init.lua, init.vim, lua/plugins/ and lua/polish.lua
Integration	Consumes public language-support declarations; imports Neovim, Git and Lazygit
Services	No daemon; plugins, parsers and language servers run with the editor

Corner cases

Case	Behavior or next step
Existing init file	Your init.lua or init.vim replaces the bundled startup; remove it only when you choose to use the catalog setup
Missing language server	Select a provider or declare the tool through the public capability; a binary on PATH alone is insufficient
Foreign plugin or Mason tool	Extra tools may need libraries or interpreters; add libraries to programs.nix-ld.libraries in a custom module
Two AstroNvim lines	Choose one line; different supported lines fail with astronvim: select one line
:TSInstall for a new language	Downloads the grammar and compiles it in the guest; needs network access
Catalog update with a newer nvim-treesitter	Catalog parsers update with it; run :TSUpdate for parsers you installed
Unsaved edits or running terminal jobs	Save edits and finish jobs; restoring a session restores layout and file positions rather than unsaved contents or processes
Resume a saved session	Save current edits first; the example above replaces the current editor layout