fuzzyedit.vim

Fuzzy file search integrated directly into the :edit command line.

FuzzyEdit adds a fuzzy file finder to Vim's command line: as you type :e ..., a popup below the command line shows the best matching files in the current project, updated on every keystroke. There is no separate window or buffer to open, close, or navigate out of: you stay in command-line mode the whole time.

:e ma
▶ src/main.c
  src/main_test.c
  app/main.rs
  Makefile

Features

• Pure Vimscript, no C code, no external binary required.
• Uses only Vim's public APIs (popup_*(), cmdline autocommands, systemlist()/globpath()).
• Works without fd (falls back to find, then to a pure Vimscript globpath() scan if neither is available).
• Uses git ls-files when available, so .gitignored files and directories (node_modules, target, build, ...) are excluded automatically in git repositories.
• Fuzzy scoring engine with no external dependency (no fzf), favoring consecutive characters, word/path-segment starts, camelCase boundaries, and short paths.
• Stays fluid on projects with tens of thousands of files, thanks to a memoized file cache and a scoring core compiled with Vim9 :def.
• Keyboard-only navigation (arrows, Tab, Enter, Escape); you never leave the command line.

Requirements

• Vim 8.2 or newer, compiled with +popupwin.
• No other dependency. git and fd are optional and used automatically when available in $PATH.

Installation

Using Vim's native package support (no plugin manager required):

git clone <this-repo-url> ~/.vim/pack/plugins/start/fuzzyedit
vim -u NONE -i NONE -es -c "helptags ~/.vim/pack/plugins/start/fuzzyedit/doc" -c "qa!"

With a plugin manager (vim-plug, packer.nvim-style managers for Vim, minpac, etc.), add the repository as you would any other plugin and run its install/update command.

Usage

Type :edit (or :e) followed by a fragment of the filename you are looking for. A popup appears below the command line with up to g:fuzzyedit_max_results suggestions, sorted by relevance.

Key	Action
<Down> / <C-n> / <Tab>	Select the next result
<Up> / <C-p> / <S-Tab>	Select the previous result
<CR>	Open the selected file
<Esc>	Close the popup (keeps the command line)

Commands

• :FuzzyEditRebuildCache — force a rebuild of the file cache for the current project.
• :FuzzyEditStatus — show a diagnostic (project root, cache backend, file count, last query timing) useful for troubleshooting slowdowns.

Configuration

let g:fuzzyedit_max_results = 15
let g:fuzzyedit_ignore_patterns = ['.git/*', 'node_modules/*', ...]
let g:fuzzyedit_root_markers = ['.git', '.hg', '.svn', 'Makefile', ...]
let g:fuzzyedit_commands = ['e', 'edit']

See :help fuzzyedit for the full documentation, including the architecture, the scoring algorithm, and performance notes.

Disclaimer

This plugin was developed for the most part with the help of an AI coding assistant. Review the code before relying on it in your own workflow, and report any issue you find.

License

Distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). See the LICENSE file for details.