10 KiB
chopsticks
Vim for engineers. ~25 plugins, works over SSH.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/m1ngsama/chopsticks/main/get.sh | bash
Why
You SSH into a server. You need to edit code. You want LSP, fuzzy find, git integration, format-on-save — not a 20-minute setup.
chopsticks gives you a production-ready Vim config in one command. Pure VimScript — no Node.js for the core. Degrades gracefully on TTY. Works the same on your MacBook and your headless Arch box.
24–25 plugins (tmux-navigator loads only inside tmux), LSP, linting, and a hand-built statusline. No bloat, no decorations, just tools.
What's in the box
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| LSP | completion, go-to-def, hover, rename, code actions — pure VimScript (vim-lsp) |
| Lint + format | ALE runs black, prettier, goimports, rustfmt on save |
| Fuzzy find | files, buffers, grep, tags, marks, commands — FZF |
| Git | status, diff, blame, push, pull, conflict markers — fugitive + gitgutter |
| Run file | ,cr — auto-detects Python, Go, Rust, JS, C, Shell, and more |
| Markdown | quiet writing defaults, browser preview (,mp), table of contents (,mt) |
| Diagnostics | :ChopsticksStatus — see what's installed, what's missing, how to fix it |
| TTY-aware | degrades gracefully on SSH, console, slow links — never breaks |
Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/m1ngsama/chopsticks/main/get.sh | bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/m1ngsama/chopsticks/main/get.sh | bash -s -- --profile=minimal
Or manually:
git clone https://github.com/m1ngsama/chopsticks.git ~/.vim
cd ~/.vim && ./install.sh --profile=engineer
Supports macOS (brew), Debian/Ubuntu (apt), Arch (pacman), Fedora (dnf).
First launch installs plugins automatically (30-60s). Restart vim when done.
Use ./install.sh --dry-run --profile=full to inspect the resolved profile and
config path without changing files. Use ./install.sh --configure-only --profile=minimal to switch profiles without reinstalling plugins or tools.
Profiles
Default profile: engineer. Interactive installs ask for this profile before
plugins are installed; --profile=minimal, --profile=engineer, or
--profile=full selects it without prompting. --yes keeps the existing local
profile or uses engineer.
" Put this in ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/chopsticks.vim.
let g:chopsticks_profile = 'minimal' " core navigation/editing/git/markdown
let g:chopsticks_profile = 'engineer' " default: LSP, ALE, syntax extras
let g:chopsticks_profile = 'full' " engineer + heavier Markdown feedback
minimal avoids LSP, ALE, completion plugins, extra language syntax plugins,
Startify, UndoTree, and browser Markdown preview. full keeps those and opts
into Markdown lint, format, spell, conceal, Marksman, and LSP virtual text.
Project updates leave ~/.config/chopsticks.vim alone, so put local choices
there instead of editing the managed .vimrc. The ,? cheat sheet follows the
active profile and only shows keys for enabled features.
Keys
Leader: ,
Ctrl+p fuzzy find file gd go to definition
,rg ripgrep project K hover docs
,e toggle file sidebar ,cr run current file
,gs git status ,f format
,w save ,q quit
jk exit insert mode ,? cheat sheet
All keybindings
Files
Ctrl+p find | ,b buffers | ,rg grep | ,rG grep word | ,fh recent | ,fl lines | ,e browser | ,E browser (file dir) | ,, last file
Code
gd def | gy type | gi impl | gr refs | K docs | [g ]g diagnostics | [e ]e ALE errors | ,rn rename | ,ca action | ,o outline | ,cr run
Edit
,S+2ch jump | gc comment | cs"' surround | Alt+j/k move line | ,u undo tree | ,y clipboard | ,* replace word | ,F re-indent | ,W strip whitespace | [<Space> ]<Space> blank lines
Git
,gs status | ,gd diff | ,gb blame | ,gc commit | ,gp push | ,gl pull | ,gL log graph | ,gC FZF commits | ,gB buffer commits | ]x [x conflict
Windows
Ctrl+hjkl navigate (+ tmux) | ,z maximize | ,h ,l buffers | ,bd close buffer | ,= ,− resize | ,tv ,th terminal | Esc Esc exit terminal
Markdown
,mp preview in browser | ,mt table of contents
Toggle
F2 paste | F3 line numbers | F4 relative numbers | F6 invisible chars | ,ss spell check | ,af format on save
Utilities
,cp copy full path | ,cf copy filename | ,ev edit vimrc | ,sv reload vimrc | ,wa save all | :ChopsticksStatus diagnostics
LSP
:LspInstallServer " auto-detects filetype
:LspStatus " check what's running
:ChopsticksStatus " see all tools + LSP + linters at a glance
pylsp, gopls, rust-analyzer, clangd, sqls — no Node.js. JS/TS servers need Node.
Markdown LSP (marksman) is opt-in so prose buffers stay quiet by default.
ALE and vim-lsp coexist cleanly (ale_disable_lsp=1). ALE handles linting + formatting. vim-lsp handles everything else.
Markdown
Markdown opens in writing mode: wrapped text, no spell noise, no concealed syntax, no sign column, no real-time markdownlint, and no Marksman diagnostics. The explicit commands still work:
,mp " preview in browser
,mt " table of contents
Opt into heavier Markdown tooling from your own vimrc before loading chopsticks:
let g:chopsticks_markdown_lint = 1
let g:chopsticks_markdown_format_on_save = 1
let g:chopsticks_markdown_lsp = 1
let g:chopsticks_markdown_spell = 1
let g:chopsticks_markdown_conceal = 1
let g:previm_enable_realtime = 1
For Markdown LSP, install or select marksman first.
Architecture
~/.vim/
├── .vimrc thin loader
├── modules/
│ ├── env.vim TTY detection, truecolor, skip built-in plugins
│ ├── plugins.vim vim-plug + 24–25 plugins
│ ├── core.vim settings, keymaps, performance
│ ├── ui.vim solarized, statusline, startify
│ ├── editing.vim easymotion, yank highlight, blank lines
│ ├── navigation.vim fzf, netrw sidebar, windows, terminal
│ ├── lsp.vim vim-lsp, asyncomplete
│ ├── lint.vim ale, format-on-save
│ ├── git.vim fugitive, gitgutter, conflict nav
│ ├── languages.vim vim-go, markdown, filetype settings
│ └── tools.vim run file, quickfix, cheat sheet, diagnostics
Each module is self-contained. Comment out one line in .vimrc to disable it. Add your own with call s:load('mine').
Performance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Lazy-loaded | 7 plugins (on command or filetype) |
| Built-in plugins skipped | 12 (gzip, tar, zip, vimball, logiPat, etc.) |
| Large file threshold | 10MB (auto-disables syntax + undo) |
| TTY large file | 500KB (syntax disabled) |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Plugins not loading | :PlugInstall then :PlugUpdate |
| LSP not starting | :LspInstallServer for current filetype |
| Colors wrong | export COLORTERM=truecolor in shell rc |
Ctrl+s freezes |
stty -ixon in shell rc |
| Everything slow | Large file? Auto-disabled >10MB |
| What's installed? | :ChopsticksStatus shows tools, LSP, linters |
More in the wiki.
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md. The two rules that matter: no Node.js dependencies, and don't regress startup time.