Strive: Minimalist Plugin Manager for Neovim

Strive is a lightweight, feature-rich plugin manager for Neovim with support for lazy loading, dependencies, and asynchronous operations.

Features

• ✅ Asynchronous installation and updates
• ✅ Lazy loading based on events, filetypes, commands, and keymaps
• ✅ Dependency management
• ✅ Clean and intuitive API
• ✅ Minimal overhead
• ✅ Visual progress tracking

Installation

Manual Installation

git clone https://github.com/nvimdev/strive ~/.local/share/nvim/site/pack/strive/start/strive

Bootstrap Installation

local strive_path = vim.fn.stdpath('data') .. '/site/pack/strive/start/strive'
if not vim.uv.fs_stat(strive_path) then
  vim.fn.system({
    'git',
    'clone',
    '--depth=1',
    'https://github.com/nvimdev/strive',
    strive_path
  })

  vim.o.rtp = strive_path .. ',' .. vim.o.rtp
end

Basic Usage

-- Initialize
local use = require('strive').use

-- Add plugins
use 'neovim/nvim-lspconfig':ft({'c', 'lua'})

-- Lazy-load plugins based on events
use 'lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim'
  :on('BufRead')

-- Lazy-load by commands
use 'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim'
  :cmd('Telescope')

-- Colorscheme
use 'folke/tokyonight.nvim'
  :theme()

Commands

Strive provides these commands:

• :Strive install - Install all plugins
• :Strive update - Update all plugins
• :Strive clean - Remove unused plugins

Lazy Loading Methods

Events

-- Load on specific events
use 'lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim'
  :on('BufRead')

-- Multiple events
use 'luukvbaal/stabilize.nvim'
  :on({'BufRead', 'BufNewFile'})

Filetypes

-- Load for specific filetypes
use 'fatih/vim-go'
  :ft('go')

-- Multiple filetypes
use 'plasticboy/vim-markdown'
  :ft({'markdown', 'md'})

Commands

-- Load when command is used
use 'github/copilot.vim'
  :cmd('Copilot')

-- Multiple commands
use 'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim'
  :cmd({'Telescope', 'Telescope find_files'})

Keymaps

-- Basic keymap in normal mode
use 'folke/trouble.nvim'
  :keys('<leader>t')

-- Specific mode, key, action and opts
use 'numToStr/Comment.nvim'
  :keys({
    {'n', '<leader>c', '<cmd>CommentToggle<CR>', {silent = true}},
    {'v', '<leader>c', '<cmd>CommentToggle<CR>', {silent = true}}
  })

Conditional Loading

-- Load based on a condition
use 'gpanders/editorconfig.nvim'
  :cond(function()
    return vim.fn.executable('editorconfig') == 1
  end)

-- Using a Vim expression
use 'junegunn/fzf.vim'
  :cond('executable("fzf")')

Plugin Configuration

Setup Method

-- Call the setup function of a plugin
use 'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter'
  :setup({
    ensure_installed = {'lua', 'vim', 'vimdoc'},
    highlight = {enable = true},
    indent = {enable = true}
  })

Init vs Config

-- Init runs BEFORE the plugin loads
use 'mbbill/undotree'
  :init(function()
    vim.g.undotree_SetFocusWhenToggle = 1
  end)

-- Config runs AFTER the plugin loads
use 'folke/which-key.nvim'
  :config(function()
    require('which-key').setup({
      plugins = {
        spelling = {enabled = true}
      }
    })
  end)

Build Commands

-- Run a command after installing a plugin
use 'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter'
  :run(':TSUpdate')

Local Plugin Development

-- Load a local plugin
use 'username/my-plugin'
  :load_path('~/projects/neovim-plugins')

-- Or set a global development path
vim.g.strive_dev_path = '~/projects/neovim-plugins'
use 'my-plugin'
  :load_path()

Advanced Configuration

Custom Settings

-- Set custom configuration before loading
vim.g.strive_auto_install = true        -- Auto-install plugins on startup
vim.g.strive_max_concurrent_tasks = 8   -- Limit concurrent operations
vim.g.strive_log_level = 'info'         -- Set logging level (debug, info, warn, error)
vim.g.strive_git_timeout = 60000        -- Git operation timeout in ms
vim.g.strive_git_depth = 1              -- Git clone depth
vim.g.strive_install_with_retry = false -- Retry failed installations

Example Configuration

see glepnir/nvim

Best Practices

1. Group related plugins: Use dependencies to manage related plugins
2. Lazy-load where possible: This improves startup time
3. Use appropriate events: Choose the right events, filetypes, or commands
4. Keep configuration organized: Group plugins by functionality
5. Regular updates: Run :Strive update periodically
6. Clean unused plugins: Run :Strive clean to remove unused plugins

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the plugin is available on GitHub
2. Verify your internet connection
3. Increase the timeout for Git operations:

   vim.g.strive_git_timeout = 300000  -- 5 minutes

4. Enable debug logging:

   vim.g.strive_log_level = 'debug'

5. Try reinstalling:

   :Strive clean
   :Strive install