ShadowForge.nvim

The Ultimate Neovim Experience.

Installation • Configuration • Keybindings • Architecture

Detailed Documentation here

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⚡ Introduction

ShadowForge.nvim is not just a configuration; it is an Integrated Development Environment built on top of Neovim. It bridges the gap between the raw speed of Vim and the luxury of modern IDEs.

Unlike other distributions, ShadowForge prioritizes Architecture. It separates the "Core" (the engine) from the "User" (your config), ensuring that updates never break your personal settings.

shadowforge.nvim docs here

✨ The Shadow Standard

• 🚀 Blazing Fast: Powered by lazy.nvim and snacks.nvim consolidation. Sub-30ms startup time.
• 🧠 Hyper-Intelligent: Replaces nvim-cmp with blink.cmp (Rust-based) for sub-millisecond autocompletion.
• 🎨 Glassmorphic UI: A heavily modified Catppuccin theme with transparency, window animations, and smooth scrolling.
• 🛡️ Ironclad Stability: Includes ShadowDoctor for diagnostics and ShadowBackup for instant snapshots of your config.
• 🛠️ ShadowConfig: Control the IDE via lua/user/init.lua. No complex Lua required.

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Dashboard

ShadowDoctor	Coding Experience	Themery

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📥 Installation

1. Prerequisites

• Neovim >= 0.10.0
• Nerd Font (JetBrains Mono Nerd Font recommended)
• Git, Ripgrep, Fd, NodeJS, GCC (for Treesitter)

2. Clone the Forge

Backup your existing config first!

Linux / MacOS

git clone https://github.com/shadowdevforge/shadowforge.nvim ~/.config/nvim

Windows (PowerShell)

git clone https://github.com/shadowdevforge/shadowforge.nvim $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim

3. Launch

Open Neovim. The Bootstrap process will start automatically.

nvim

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🛠️ Management Tools

ShadowForge comes with built-in commands to keep your system healthy.

Command	Description
:ShadowDoctor	Run a full system diagnostic check (Tools, Config, Health).
:ShadowUpdate	Pull latest core updates, sync plugins, and update parsers.
:ShadowBackup	Create a timestamped snapshot of your lua/user config.

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⚙️ Configuration

ShadowForge uses a Zero-Conflict architecture.

1. The Easy Way (lua/user/init.lua)

Toggle features using the simple configuration table.

return {
  editor = {
    relative_numbers = true,
    wrap = false,
  },
  ui = {
    transparency = true, -- Toggle glass effect
    animations = true,   -- Toggle smooth cursor
  },
  lsp = {
    servers = { "rust_analyzer", "ts_ls", "pyright", "gopls" }, -- Auto-install these
  },
}

2. The Power User Way (lua/user/overrides.lua)

Inject settings into any plugin or add new ones without editing the core.

return {
  -- Add a new plugin
  { "zbirenbaum/copilot.lua", cmd = "Copilot", event = "InsertEnter" },

  -- Modify an existing plugin
  {
    "nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim",
    opts = { window = { width = 40 } },
  },
}

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🏗️ Architecture

shadowforge.nvim/
├── init.lua                 # Bootstrapper & Performance Flags
├── lazy-lock.json           # Version Control Lockfile
├── lua/
│   ├── shadowforge/         # THE CORE (Read-Only)
│   │   ├── config.lua       # Configuration Engine
│   │   ├── core/            # Options, Keymaps, Autocmds
│   │   ├── health/          # Doctor & Backup Modules
│   │   └── modules/         # Plugin Specs
│   │       ├── coding/      # Blink, Conform, Pairs
│   │       ├── editor/      # Neo-tree, Telescope, Git
│   │       ├── lsp/         # LSPConfig, Mason
│   │       ├── treesitter/  # Treesitter, Context
│   │       └── ui/          # Themes, Dashboard, Lualine, Noice
│   └── user/                # YOUR CONFIG (Safe Zone)
│       ├── init.lua         # Feature Flags
│       ├── keymaps.lua      # Custom Bindings
│       └── overrides.lua    # Plugin Modifications

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⌨️ Keybindings (Cheatsheet)

The <Space> key is your Leader.

Context	Key	Action
General	<Space> w	Fast Save
	<Space> qq	Quit All
	jj	Exit Insert Mode
	;	Command Mode
Files	<Space> e	File Explorer (Neo-tree)
	<Space> ff	Find Files
	<Space> fr	Recent Files
	<Space> fw	Live Grep
Explorer	H (Shift+h)	Go Up (Parent Directory)
	L (Shift+l)	Context Switch (Zoom In / Change CWD)
	l	Open File / Expand Dir
	h	Collapse Dir
UI	<Space> th	Switch Theme (Themery)
	<Space> sd	Toggle Focus Mode (Dim)
	<Space> un	Dismiss Notifications
Window	<C-h/j/k/l>	Navigate Windows
	<C-Arrow>	Resize Windows
Buffers	<S-h/l>	Cycle Buffers
	<Space> bd	Close Buffer

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Great time with shadowforge.nvim :)