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Installing LazyVim

Prerequisites​

Before installing LazyVim, ensure these tools are available:

check-prerequisites.sh
nvim --version          # Need 0.11.2+
git --version           # Need 2.19.0+
rg --version            # ripgrep for Telescope grep
fd --version            # fd for Telescope file search
fc-list | grep -i nerd  # Check for Nerd Font

Installation Steps​

1. Backup Existing Config​

backup.sh
# Required: backup config directory
mv ~/.config/nvim ~/.config/nvim.bak

# Optional but recommended: backup data, state, cache
mv ~/.local/share/nvim ~/.local/share/nvim.bak
mv ~/.local/state/nvim ~/.local/state/nvim.bak
mv ~/.cache/nvim ~/.cache/nvim.bak

2. Clone the Starter​

clone-starter.sh
git clone https://github.com/LazyVim/starter ~/.config/nvim

3. Remove Git History​

detach-from-starter.sh
rm -rf ~/.config/nvim/.git

This detaches your config from the starter repo so you can version-control your own setup.

4. Launch Neovim​

first-launch.sh
nvim

On first launch, lazy.nvim auto-installs all plugins. This takes 1-2 minutes. After it finishes:

  • The LazyVim dashboard appears
  • Press f to find files, r for recent files, q to quit

5. Post-Installation Health Check​

:LazyHealth

This loads all plugins and checks if everything works correctly.

Try with Docker (Sandbox)​

docker run -w /root -it --rm fedora:latest sh -uelic '
  dnf copr enable -y dejan/lazygit
  dnf install -y git lazygit fd-find curl ripgrep tree-sitter-cli neovim
  git clone https://github.com/LazyVim/starter ~/.config/nvim
  cd ~/.config/nvim
  nvim
'

Verify Installation​

After installation, test these:

:checkhealth       " Verify Neovim + plugin health
:Lazy              " Open plugin manager UI — all plugins should show
:LazyExtras        " Browse optional extras
<space>ff          " Telescope find files — try searching
<space>e           " Neo-tree file explorer — should open sidebar
:lua print(vim.fn.has("nvim-0.11"))  " Should print 1

Post-Installation Recommendations​

  1. Set up Git: Initialize a repo for your config to track changes
  2. Install a Nerd Font: Required for proper icon display
  3. Install lazydocker/lazygit: Enhances git workflow
  4. Run :Lazy update: Ensure all plugins are up-to-date
  5. Explore Extras: Run :LazyExtras and enable what you need