Installation¶

This guide covers how to install and set up the Neovim configuration.

Automated Installation (Recommended)¶

The easiest way to set up this configuration is to use the automated installation script:

git clone https://github.com/clintonsteiner/nvim.git ~/dotfiles/nvim
cd ~/dotfiles/nvim
python3 install.py

The install.py script will guide you through an interactive setup process and handle all the following steps:

Creating necessary directories - Creates ~/.config/nvim, ~/.virtualenvs, and other required paths
Installing Neovim v0.11.4 - Uses Homebrew on macOS or downloads the binary directly
Setting up a Python virtual environment - Creates an isolated Python environment using uv
Cloning this configuration - Clones the repository to ~/dotfiles/nvim
Installing Python dependencies - Sets up all required Python packages (pynvim, zuban, ruff, darker)
Installing Nerd Font - Installs JetBrains Mono Nerd Font for icon support
Creating symlinks - Links the configuration to your Neovim config directory
Installing Treesitter - Downloads language parsers for syntax highlighting
Optional: Installing Rust tools - Installs eza, fd, and ctags (Linux only)

Manual Installation¶

If you prefer more control or encounter issues with the automated script:

# 1. Clone the configuration
git clone https://github.com/clintonsteiner/nvim.git ~/dotfiles/nvim

# 2. Create directories
mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim
mkdir -p ~/.virtualenvs
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

# 3. Create Python virtual environment
python3 -m venv ~/.virtualenvs/nvim
source ~/.virtualenvs/nvim/bin/activate

# 4. Install Python dependencies
pip install pynvim zuban ruff "darker[isort]"
deactivate

# 5. Create symlinks
ln -s ~/dotfiles/nvim/init.lua ~/.config/nvim/init.lua
ln -s ~/dotfiles/nvim/lua ~/.config/nvim/lua

# 6. Install Treesitter parsers
nvim -c "TSInstall python lua comment vim vimdoc c sql query" -c "quit"

macOS-Specific Installation¶

With Homebrew (Recommended):

brew install neovim python@3.11 fzf ripgrep

Then run the automated installation script.

Without Homebrew:

The script will download the Neovim binary directly. You’ll still need to install:

python3 -m pip install --user uv

Linux Installation¶

Install dependencies first:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-venv git fzf ripgrep cargo

# Fedora
sudo dnf install -y python3 python3-venv git fzf ripgrep cargo

Then run the automated installation script.

Verifying the Installation¶

After installation, verify everything is set up correctly:

# Check Neovim version
nvim --version

# Check Python environment
~/.virtualenvs/nvim/bin/python -m pip list

# Open Neovim and check health
nvim +checkhealth

Look for any warnings in the health report, particularly for:

Python provider (should use your virtual environment)
LSP (should detect Zuban)
Treesitter (should show installed parsers)

Troubleshooting Installation¶

Virtual environment not found: Ensure the virtual environment exists at ~/.virtualenvs/nvim. If not, create it manually:

python3 -m venv ~/.virtualenvs/nvim

Neovim not found: Check that Neovim is installed and in your PATH:

which nvim
nvim --version

If using the binary installation, ensure ~/.local/bin is in your $PATH:

export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH

LSP not activating: Check that Zuban is installed in the virtual environment:

~/.virtualenvs/nvim/bin/python -m pip list | grep zuban

If not installed, install it:

~/.virtualenvs/nvim/bin/pip install zuban

See the Troubleshooting section for more detailed help.