jwrobesjwrobes/skills/setup-nvim-tmux/SKILL.md

setup-nvim-tmux

Skill1 starsChanged 7 months agoMITView on GitHub

Set up a macOS development environment with Neovim and tmux, matching Jonathan's config. Use when the user says "set up neovim", "set up tmux", "configure my terminal", "copy dev environment", or wants to replicate this Neovim + tmux workflow on a new machine.

Installs packages

In this repository18 other files it gives its agents.
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The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

7 rules. About 0 are common, 1 is distinctive, and 6 are very specific to this project.

≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈1
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
6
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

Common
Distinctive
Very specific

Very specific:
Read and write each config file from this skill's configs/ directory:
line 48
Very specific:
Read configs/vimrc → write to ~/.vimrc
line 50
Very specific:
Read configs/init.vim → write to ~/.config/nvim/init.vim (create dir with mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim)
line 51
Very specific:
Read configs/tmux.conf → write to ~/.tmux.conf
line 52
Very specific:
Read configs/save-scrollback.sh → write to ~/.tmux/scripts/save-scrollback.sh
line 53
Very specific:
Read configs/restore-scrollback.sh → write to ~/.tmux/scripts/restore-scrollback.sh
line 54
Distinctive:
Wait for "TMUX environment reloaded" message
line 72

≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.

Files

SKILL.md

Neovim + Tmux Environment Setup

Automated setup for a macOS dev environment with Neovim, tmux, vim-plug, TPM, and seamless vim/tmux navigation.

Prerequisites

macOS with Homebrew installed
A terminal emulator (iTerm2 recommended)

Setup Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

- [ ] Step 1: Install core tools via Homebrew
- [ ] Step 2: Install config files
- [ ] Step 3: Install tmux scripts and plugins (TPM)
- [ ] Step 4: Install Neovim plugins (vim-plug)
- [ ] Step 5: Verify the setup

Step 1: Install Core Tools

brew install neovim tmux the_silver_searcher reattach-to-user-namespace node fzf

Tool	Purpose
`neovim`	Editor (init.vim sources ~/.vimrc)
`tmux`	Terminal multiplexer
`the_silver_searcher`	`ag` — fast code search, used by fzf and vim grep
`reattach-to-user-namespace`	macOS clipboard integration for tmux copy/paste
`node`	Required by coc.nvim and markdown-preview.nvim
`fzf`	Fuzzy finder (also installed as a vim plugin)

Step 2: Install Config Files

Read and write each config file from this skill's configs/ directory:

Read configs/vimrc → write to ~/.vimrc
Read configs/init.vim → write to ~/.config/nvim/init.vim (create dir with mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim)
Read configs/tmux.conf → write to ~/.tmux.conf
Read configs/save-scrollback.sh → write to ~/.tmux/scripts/save-scrollback.sh
Read configs/restore-scrollback.sh → write to ~/.tmux/scripts/restore-scrollback.sh
Make scripts executable:

mkdir -p ~/.tmux/scripts
chmod +x ~/.tmux/scripts/save-scrollback.sh ~/.tmux/scripts/restore-scrollback.sh

Step 3: Install Tmux Plugin Manager (TPM)

git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

Then install the tmux plugins:

Start tmux: tmux
Press Ctrl-a then I (capital I) to install plugins (tmux-resurrect, tmux-continuum)
Wait for "TMUX environment reloaded" message

Step 4: Install Neovim Plugins (vim-plug)

vim-plug auto-installs on first launch (see the curl in .vimrc). Just run:

nvim +PlugInstall +qall

This installs all plugins defined in the plug#begin / plug#end block. Key plugins:

Plugin	What it does
`fzf` + `fzf.vim`	Fuzzy file finder (`Ctrl-p`) and history (`Ctrl-b`)
`vim-tmux-navigator`	Seamless `Ctrl-h/j/k/l` between vim splits and tmux panes
`vim-tmux-runner`	Send commands from vim to a tmux pane
`coc.nvim`	Autocomplete engine (needs Node.js)
`vim-fugitive`	Git wrapper (`:Git blame`, `:Git diff`, etc.)
`vim-surround`	Change surrounding chars (`cs"'` to swap `"` → `'`)
`vim-commentary`	Toggle comments with `gcc`
`vim-test` + `tslime`	Run tests from vim, output in a tmux pane
`markdown-preview.nvim`	Live markdown preview in browser
`vim-easy-align`	Align text across lines
`jellybeans.vim`	Color scheme

Step 5: Verify

# Neovim launches without errors
nvim --version

# Tmux launches with correct prefix (Ctrl-a)
tmux new -s test
# Press Ctrl-a then : — should open tmux command prompt

# ag works
ag --version

# Clipboard integration works
echo "test" | pbcopy && pbpaste

Key Bindings Quick Reference

Tmux (prefix = `Ctrl-a`)

Binding	Action
`Ctrl-a \|`	Split pane horizontally
`Ctrl-a -`	Split pane vertically
`Ctrl-a h/j/k/l`	Navigate panes (vim-style)
`Ctrl-a H/J/K/L`	Resize panes
`Ctrl-a r`	Reload tmux.conf
`Ctrl-a I`	Install TPM plugins
`Ctrl-h/j/k/l`	Navigate between vim splits AND tmux panes seamlessly

Neovim (leader = `Space`)

Binding	Action
`Ctrl-p`	Fuzzy find files
`Ctrl-b`	Fuzzy find from file history
`Space s`	Run nearest test
`Space t`	Run current test file
`Space v`	Re-run last test
`Space lp`	Start markdown preview
`Space lc`	Stop markdown preview
`gcc`	Toggle comment on line
`jk`	Exit insert mode (alternative to Esc)
`Space Space`	Switch between last two files
`Space ff`	Toggle fold
`K`	Grep word under cursor
`\`	Start an Ag search

Customization Notes

Color scheme: Set by jellybeans.vim. Change in .vimrc if preferred.
Tab width: 2 spaces (set in .vimrc via tabstop/shiftwidth).
Tmux status bar: Red with session name, positioned at top. Customize in .tmux.conf.
Test runner: Configured for RSpec and Mocha via vim-test. Adjust test#ruby#rspec#executable for your project.
Copilot: Commented out in .vimrc — uncomment the Copilot section if desired.
Tree-sitter: Commented out in both init.vim and .vimrc — uncomment to enable better syntax highlighting.

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