prompt-reference.nvim

Stage code references — each with its own prompt — into a review, then copy the whole thing to your clipboard formatted for pasting into an LLM.

Instead of copying a snippet, switching to your chat, typing "in foo.lua lines 40-52, …", and repeating for every place you want to touch, you build up a review: select some code, jot the instruction for it, repeat across files, and copy it all at once as one structured message.

Demo

Select code → type a prompt → repeat → open the review → copy the whole bundle.

Example output

Selecting two regions and adding a prompt to each, then copying, yields (XML style):

<item>
<file path="src/auth.lua" lines="40-52" language="lua">
local function verify(token)
  ...
end
</file>
<prompt>
This doesn't handle expired tokens — add an expiry check.
</prompt>
</item>

<item>
<file path="src/routes.lua" lines="8" language="lua">
router:get("/me", require("auth").verify)
</file>
<prompt>
Make sure this route returns 401 when verify fails.
</prompt>
</item>

Or, with output_style = "markdown":

src/auth.lua:40-52
```lua
local function verify(token)
  ...
end
```

This doesn't handle expired tokens — add an expiry check.

Install

lazy.nvim

{
  "r10a/prompt-reference.nvim",
  -- opt-in default keymaps (see Configuration); omit to bind your own
  opts = { keymaps = true },
}

packer.nvim

use({
  "r10a/prompt-reference.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("prompt-reference").setup({ keymaps = true })
  end,
})

Requires Neovim 0.10+ (uses vim.fn.getregion).

Usage

1. Select code in visual mode and add it — a prompt window opens; type the instruction for that selection and press <CR>.
2. Repeat across as many files/regions as you like. A small review panel appears at the bottom-right showing what's staged.
3. Open the review, then press <CR> to copy the whole bundle to your clipboard and clear it. Paste into your LLM.

Commands

Always available, no setup() required:

Command	Description
:PromptReferenceAdd	Add the visual selection (prompts for text)
:PromptReferenceReview	Open the review window
:PromptReferenceCopy	Copy the review to the clipboard and clear it

In the review window

Key	Action
<CR>	Copy the whole review to the clipboard & clear
dd	Delete the item under the cursor
r	Re-enter the prompt for the item (shows its code as context)
?	Show this help
<Tab><Tab> / <Esc>	Close the review

Configuration

Defaults:

require("prompt-reference").setup({
  sink = "clipboard",        -- where a finished review goes: "clipboard" or "tmux"
  register = "+",            -- register to copy into (default: system clipboard)
  use_git_root = true,       -- paths relative to the git root; else cwd-relative
  include_code = true,       -- include the selected code, not just the reference
  output_style = "markdown", -- "markdown" or "xml" (xml parses more reliably for Claude)

  -- Only used when sink = "tmux".
  tmux = {
    command = "claude",      -- foreground command of the pane to auto-detect
    submit = true,           -- press Enter after pasting so the review is sent
    select = false,          -- switch focus to that pane after sending
  },

  -- Opt-in keymaps. `keymaps = true` uses these defaults; a table merges over
  -- them; `false` (the default) binds nothing so you can map the functions yourself.
  keymaps = {
    add = "<CR>",           -- (visual) add selection to the review
    review = "<Tab><Tab>",  -- (normal) open the review
    copy = false,           -- (normal) copy the review without opening it
  },
})

Sending straight into a running Claude Code session (tmux)

With sink = "tmux", finishing a review (the review window's <CR>, or copy_all) pastes the whole bundle into the tmux pane running Claude Code and presses Enter, instead of copying to a register. Run Neovim and claude in the same tmux session (any windows/panes); the target pane is found automatically by matching tmux.command (default "claude") against each pane's foreground command, so no window numbers are hard-coded.

The paste goes through tmux load-buffer (payload via stdin, never shell-quoted) and paste-buffer -p (bracketed paste), so multi-line reviews and any backticks/quotes/XML in your prompts arrive intact as one block. If Neovim isn't inside tmux, or no matching pane is found, the review falls back to the clipboard with a warning so it's never lost.

This is a one-way hand-off: it types the review into your existing interactive session; it does not read Claude's response back.

To bind your own keys instead of the defaults:

local pr = require("prompt-reference")
vim.keymap.set("x", "ga", pr.add_selection, { desc = "Add to review" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "gr", pr.review, { desc = "Open review" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "gc", pr.copy_all, { desc = "Copy review" })

API

• require("prompt-reference").add_selection() — stage the current visual selection
• require("prompt-reference").review() — open the review window
• require("prompt-reference").copy_all() — copy the review and clear it

Development

The demo GIF is generated with VHS from demo/demo.tape, recorded against the two sample files (demo/auth.lua and demo/routes.lua) to show the multi-file review path:

cd demo
vhs demo.tape          # writes demo/demo.gif

The tape sets FontFamily "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font" so file-type icons render (install any Nerd Font and adjust the name to match if you don't have it).

On macOS, if VHS can't reach its headless browser, point it at a real Chrome:

ROD_BROWSER_BIN="/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" vhs demo.tape

License

MIT