vim-plug

In Neovim, you can use vim-plug within an init.lua file by accessing the Vim functions via vim.fn.

Example pattern:

local Plug = vim.fn['plug#']

vim.call('plug#begin')

Plug('junegunn/seoul256.vim')
Plug('fatih/vim-go', { ['tag'] = '*' })
Plug('preservim/nerdtree', { ['on'] = 'NERDTreeToggle' })

vim.call('plug#end')

-- Load color schemes after plug#end()
vim.cmd('silent! colorscheme seoul256')

local vim = vim
local Plug = vim.fn['plug#']

vim.call('plug#begin')

Plug('junegunn/seoul256.vim')
Plug('https://github.com/vim-easy-align/vim-easy-align.git')
Plug('fatih/vim-go', { ['tag'] = '*' })
Plug('neoclide/coc.nvim', { ['branch'] = 'release' })
Plug('junegunn/fzf', { ['dir'] = '~/.fzf' })
Plug('junegunn/fzf', { ['dir'] = '~/.fzf', ['do'] = './install --all' })
Plug('junegunn/fzf', { ['do'] = function()
  vim.fn['fzf#install']()
end })
Plug('nsf/gocode', { ['rtp'] = 'vim' })
Plug('preservim/nerdtree', { ['on'] = 'NERDTreeToggle' })
Plug('tpope/vim-fireplace', { ['for'] = 'clojure' })
Plug('~/my-prototype-plugin')

vim.call('plug#end')

vim.cmd('silent! colorscheme seoul256')

Use the do option to execute tasks (like building or installing dependencies) automatically after a plugin is installed or updated. The hook runs inside the plugin's directory and only executes if the repository has changed.

Supported formats:

• Shell command: A string representing a shell command (e.g., 'make').
• Vim command: A string starting with : (e.g., ':GoInstallBinaries').
• Lambda expression: A Vim function passed as a lambda (e.g., { -> fzf#install() }).
• Vim function reference: A function that accepts a dictionary argument containing plugin metadata.

To force these hooks to run even if the plugin hasn't changed, use PlugInstall! or PlugUpdate!.

" Shell command
Plug 'Shougo/vimproc.vim', { 'do': 'make' }

" Vim command
Plug 'fatih/vim-go', { 'do': ':GoInstallBinaries' }

" Lambda expression
Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'do': { -> fzf#install() } }

" Vim function with metadata
function! BuildYCM(info)
  " info contains: name, status ('installed', 'updated', 'unchanged'), and force
  if a:info.status == 'installed' || a:info.force
    !./install.py
  endif
endfunction
Plug 'ycm-core/YouCompleteMe', { 'do': function('BuildYCM') }

You can delay plugin loading using the on and for options. This is a last-resort optimization for plugins that do not already implement lazy loading via :help autoload.

• on: Loads the plugin when specific Vim commands are invoked. Can accept a single command string or a list of strings.
• for: Loads the plugin when specific file types are opened. Can accept a single filetype string or a list of strings.
• Combined: You can use both on and for to require both conditions to be met.
• Disable loading: Pass an empty list [] to either option to prevent the plugin from loading automatically. You can then load it manually using plug#load(NAMES...).

" Load on command
Plug 'preservim/nerdtree', { 'on': 'NERDTreeToggle' }
Plug 'junegunn/vim-github-dashboard', { 'on': ['GHDashboard', 'GHActivity'] }

" Load on filetype
Plug 'tpope/vim-fireplace', { 'for': 'clojure' }
Plug 'kovisoft/paredit', { 'for': ['clojure', 'scheme'] }

" Load on both command and filetype
Plug 'junegunn/vader.vim',  { 'on': 'Vader', 'for': 'vader' }

" Disable automatic loading
Plug 'some/plugin', { 'on': [] }

Configure the behavior of vim-plug using these global variables:

| Flag | Default | Description |
|-------|---------|-------------|
| `g:plug_threads`    | 16                                | Default number of threads to use |
| `g:plug_timeout`    | 60                                | Time limit of each task in seconds (*Ruby & Python*) |
| `g:plug_retries`    | 2                                | Number of retries in case of timeout (*Ruby & Python*) |
| `g:plug_shallow`    | 1                                | Use shallow clone |
| `g:plug_window`     | `-tabnew`                         | Command to open plug window |
| `g:plug_pwindow`     | `vertical rightbelow new`         | Command to open preview window in `PlugDiff` |
| `g:plug_url_format` | `https://git::@github.com/%s.git` | `printf` format to build repo URL (Only applies to the subsequent `Plug` commands) |

The following commands are available for managing plugins:

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `PlugInstall [name ...] [#threads]` | Install plugins |
| `PlugUpdate [name ...] [#threads]` | Install or update plugins |
| `PlugClean[!]` | Remove unlisted plugins (bang version will clean without prompt) |
| `PlugUpgrade` | Upgrade vim-plug itself |
| `PlugStatus` | Check the status of plugins |
| `PlugDiff` | Examine changes from the previous update and the pending changes |
| `PlugSnapshot[!] [output path]` | Generate script for restoring the current snapshot of the plugins |