❄️ Neovim Configuration (NixCats + Lazy)

This repository contains a reproducible Neovim configuration built using nixCats-nvim and lazy.nvim. It is designed to be consumed as a Flake input by a NixOS system, but can also be tested and built locally.

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🔄 The Development Workflow

When adding plugins or changing configurations, follow this strict order of operations to ensure Nix picks up your changes.

1. Edit Configuration 🛠️

• Add Dependencies: Modify nvim/flake.nix if you need to add new plugins or external tools to the flake inputs.
• Configure Neovim: Modify nvim/lua/plugins/your-plugin.lua or other configuration files to set up the plugin.

2. Stage Changes (Crucial Step) ⚠️

Nix Flakes only see files that are tracked by git. If you do not stage your new files or changes, Nix will ignore them.

cd nvim
git add .

3. Quick Local Verification ⚡

Before updating your entire system, verify that the configuration loads correctly.

# Run Neovim directly from the flake source
nix run .

If this works, your configuration is valid.

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🚀 Applying Changes to NixOS

Once you have verified the config via nix run ., you need to update your main NixOS configuration to use the new commit/hash of this repo.

Option A: The "Commit" Method

1. Commit and push your changes in this Neovim repository.
2. If your NixOS configuration tracks a branch (e.g., main), it will pick up the changes automatically on the next generic update.

Option B: The "Manual Update" Method (Faster/Local)

If you have staged changes (via git add .) but haven't committed them yet, or if you are pointing to a local path:

1. Update the flake lock: Tell your system flake to update specifically the nvim-config input.

# Replace 'nvim-config' with whatever you named this input in /etc/nixos/flake.nix
sudo nix flake update nvim-config --flake /etc/nixos

2. Rebuild the System:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch

🛠️ Maintenance & Utility

Testing the Build 🏗️

To check if the derivation builds successfully without running it:

nix build .
# The output will be linked to ./result

Updating Neovim Dependencies 📦

When you need to update the inputs defined inside the Neovim flake (e.g., bumping plugin versions):

cd nvim
nix flake update

Cleaning Up lazy.nvim 🧹

Since we are using Nix, sometimes lazy.nvim state or cache can desync or become cluttered. To reset the state and download fresh copies of plugins (that aren't managed strictly by Nix):

rm -rf ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy ~/.local/state/nvim ~/.cache/nvim

What this guide covers:

• Workflow Logic: It emphasizes the "Edit -> Git Add -> Update Flake -> Rebuild" loop.
• Safety: It highlights the importance of git add . (a common pitfall).
• Testing: It provides the nix run . command for fast feedback.
• Maintenance: It includes the specific cleanup commands for lazy.nvim paths.

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Il flusso di lavoro completo

• Modifichi nvim/flake.nix (aggiungi un plugin)

• Modifichi nvim/lua/plugins/qualcosa.lua (lo configuri)

• Fondamentale: Vai nella cartella nvim e fai git add .

• Spostati nella cartella NixOS principale

• Update del flake principale:

  • O si fa il commit della repo e nix lo riconosce automaticamente al prossimo rebuild
  • O si fa l'update manuale dopo una modifica staged (git add .) sudo nix flake update nvim-config --flake /etc/nixos

• Ricompila il sistema sudo nixos-rebuild switch

• Per verificare velocemene se le impostazioni di nvim sono a posto usare nella cartella .config/nvim: nix run . e vedere se va (dopo aver fatto git add .)

• Per eliminare i plugin scaricati da lazy: rm -rf ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy ~/.local/state/nvim ~/.cache/nvim

• Quando si aggiunge un input al flake della config: nix flake update nella dir di config nvim

• per testare nvim: nix run . oppure compilarlo in result/ con nix build .