Fully dynamic nvim config directory

[shofel]

UPD

Ah, ./nvim actually means the copy of ./nvim stored in nix store 🤔
I'm looking for another solution

Context:

With wrapRc=false we have basic ability to edit neovim config and apply changes without rebuild. But

1. It requires symlinking ./nvim from flake to ~/.config/${NVIM_APPNAME}
2. It requires to use another $NVIM_APPNAME to not interfere with default config at ~/.config/nvim
3. .nvim/init.lua is still immutable since it's stored with readFile in compile time

Proposal

I propose to introduce two modes:

1. mutable mode: read nvim config directly from the ./nvim directory of the flake
2. immutable mode: read nvim config from nix store. This is just the same as it was with wrapRc=true

Here are two derivations using the new option:

  # Uses config files directly from `configPath`
  # Restart nvim to apply changes in config
  nvim-shovel = mkNeovim {
    inherit plugins;
    inherit extraPackages;
    configMutable = true;
  };

  # Uses config files saved in nix store
  # Rebuild to apply changes in config. TODO: how exactly
  nvim-shovel-sealed = mkNeovim {
    inherit plugins;
    inherit extraPackages;
    configMutable = false;
  };

Here is the code in mkNeovim.nix (https://github.com/shofel/dotfiles/blob/merge-nvim/neovim/mkNeovim.nix#L59)

    # Save config directory to nix store
    # See also: https://neovim.io/doc/user/starting.html
    configStored = stdenv.mkDerivation {
      name = "neovim-config";
      src = configPath;
      installPhase = "cp -r . $out";
    };

    # Let it work as if `./nvim/` would be at `~/.config/nvim/`.
    initLua = ""
    ... 
      + (
        let config = if configMutable
                     then configPath
                     else configStored;
        in /* lua */ '';
        function appendConfig()
          vim.opt.rtp:prepend("${config}")
          vim.opt.rtp:append("${config}/after")
        end
        appendConfig()
        dofile("${config}/init.lua")
      '')

Another change is how the derivation with config directory is prepared. I removed the machinery of splitting the config dir to lua/, nvim/ and after/. I believe with installPhase = "cp -r . $out"; we achieve the behaviour closest to neovim without nix. Right? 🤔

[mrcjkb]

Hey again 😄

Thanks for the suggestion and for sharing your progress.
I definitely like the idea of allowing to pass in an impure config path. Perhaps it could be simplified by removing the configMutable arg and assuming it is true if configPath != null?

I believe with installPhase = "cp -r . $out"; we achieve the behaviour closest to neovim without nix.

The reason I split out the lua and nvim directories is because of a bug in Neovim that can cause filetype plugins to be sourced prematurely: neovim/neovim#19008.

[shofel]

The reason I split out the lua and nvim directories is because of a bug in Neovim that can cause filetype plugins to be sourced prematurely: neovim/neovim#19008.

Yes, I've read you comment on this matter in the code. To be honest, I'm not sure if the issue is relevant to the config in kickstart-nix.nvim.

As it's said in the description:

With the recent change that filetype plugin indent on is ran before loading the init file, that means that a syntax on line in your init file will trigger filetype plugins to be loaded

So, the trigger of this issue is syntax on in the init file. But there is no syntax on line in init.lua

But there is cmd.filetype('plugin', 'indent', 'on'), which "is ran before loading the init file" - as stated in the issue description.

kickstart-nix.nvim/nvim/init.lua

Line 100 in d796211

cmd.filetype('plugin', 'indent', 'on')

It must be about step 6 in initialization:

> 6. Enable filetype and indent plugins.
	This does the same as the command: >
		:runtime! ftplugin.vim indent.vim
<	Skipped if the "-u NONE" command line argument was given.

But this is my purely theoretical research, lacking any experiments. And if splitting config directories once solved an issue for you, then it totally makes sense regarding any speculations.

[mrcjkb]

To be honest, I'm not sure if the issue is relevant to the config in kickstart-nix.nvim.

I've run into it in my personal config.
And a user of my rustaceanvim nvim plugin who uses a nix-built nvim (not with kickstart-nix.nvim) has encountered the same issue independently.
The problem is that since this is a template repo, to be extended, I'd rather not design it around the assumption that nobody will ever add something to their config that leads to them encountering the bug.

[shofel]

It works when I pass an absolute path as a raw string, just typed in manually. The nvim config is applied every time I change init.lua and restart nvim without rebuild

    nvimConfig =
    let stored = configPath;
        target = "/home/slava/workspaces-one/25-dotfiles/25.01-dotfiles/neovim/nvim/";
        mutable = runCommandLocal
          "kickstart-config-symlink" {}
          ''ln -s ${lib.escapeShellArg (target)} $out'';
    in
    if mutableConfig then mutable else stored;

But when I reference the directory as a path, then it is stored in nix store. Even if it's coerced to string, and modified

        target = "/" + (substring 1 (-1) (toString ./nvim)) + "/";

I borrowed the code from home-manager's out-of-store link. I believe it must be the best code for out-of-store links :)