hexcheck.nvim

Neovim plugin that checks the dependencies declared in mix.exs against the latest releases on hex.pm and annotates lines that have newer versions available.

This is default look of it.

First plugin ever done, so if you found any errors or have suggestions feel free to open an issue or PR :)

Features

• Asynchronously queries hex.pm for each dependency in the current project.
• Adds end-of-line virtual text highlighting the latest version when an update is available.
• Plays nicely with existing highlights via the dedicated HexCheckVirtualText highlight group.
• Configurable virtual text color, emphasis, and message prefix.
• Compares against the locked versions in mix.lock.

Requirements

• Neovim 0.8 or newer (uses vim.notify_once, vim.api.nvim_buf_set_extmark, etc.).
• curl in your $PATH for reaching the hex.pm API.

Installation

Install it with your preferred plugin manager. Example using lazy.nvim with default options:

{
  "renews/hexcheck.nvim",
  cmd = "HexCheck",
  opts = {
    highlight_color = "#123716",
    italic = true,
    bold = false,
    message_prefix = "new version available ",
  },
}

You dont need to specify the opts table or the cmd if you want the defaults. The plugin is a no-op until you run :HexCheck, so lazy-loading on the command is a good fit.

Usage

1. Open your project’s mix.exs (or any buffer inside the same project directory).
2. Run :HexCheck.
3. Dependencies that have newer releases than what is pinned in mix.lock will gain virtual text such as new version available 1.2.3 at the end of their line.

The command looks for a mix.exs in the current buffer, falling back to the current working directory if necessary. Any warnings (missing file, request failures, etc.) are reported through vim.notify.

Configuration

Call require("hexcheck").setup() to adjust how the inline hints look:

require("hexcheck").setup({
  highlight_color = "#fabd2f",
  italic = false,
  bold = true,
  message_prefix = "update available ",
})

Options:

• highlight_color (string or false) – hex color applied to the virtual text ("#8ec07c" by default). Use false to keep your own color.
• italic (boolean) – apply italic style; defaults to true.
• bold (boolean) – apply bold style; defaults to false.
• message_prefix (string) – text prepended to the fetched version ("new version available " by default). Include a trailing space if you want one.

If you would rather manage highlight groups yourself, omit the option and set it manually:

hi! link HexCheckVirtualText DiagnosticHint
" or
hi HexCheckVirtualText guifg=#8ec07c gui=italic

How it works

• :HexCheck scans mix.exs to find dependency declarations and their line numbers.
• The plugin reads mix.lock to determine the exact versions currently in use.
• Each dependency is queried asynchronously against hex.pm for the newest release.
• When a newer release is found, a virtual text hint is scheduled back into mix.exs.
• Only dependencies declared directly in mix.exs are checked;

Troubleshooting

• No annotations appear – verify mix.exs is reachable, contains tuples like {:plug_name, "1.2.3"}, and that mix.lock sits alongside it.
• API requests fail – make sure you have network access and curl is installed.
• Highlight color clashes – adjust the highlight_color, italic, or bold options, or redefine HexCheckVirtualText.

Contributing

If you want to contribute or found an issue just open a PR and Im take a look :)