Skip to main content
Harpoon is a Neovim plugin that solves a simple but critical problem: quickly navigating between the small set of files you’re actively working on. No more fuzzy finding, endless :bnext cycling, or trying to remember which buffer contains that file you were just editing.

​
Why Harpoon?

You’re working on a codebase and find yourself frequenting a small set of files. Fuzzy finders are powerful but slow you down when you know exactly where you want to go. Buffer navigation with :bnext and :bprev gets repetitive. Alternate file (CTRL-^) only works for two files. You need something better. Harpoon lets you mark files and navigate to them with persistent keybindings. Think of it as bookmarks on steroids - mark the files that matter, jump between them instantly, and maintain context across sessions.

Installation

Install Harpoon with your favorite plugin manager

Quickstart

Get up and running in under 2 minutes

File navigation

Learn how to mark and navigate between files

Configuration

Customize Harpoon to match your workflow

​
Key features

​
Persistent file marks

Marks are saved per project and automatically update their position within files as you edit. Unlike vim’s global marks, Harpoon marks are designed for project-based workflows. 
-- Mark the current file
require("harpoon.mark").add_file()

-- Navigate to mark 1
require("harpoon.ui").nav_file(1)

​
Quick menu interface

View all your marked files in a popup menu where you can reorder, delete, or open them in splits and tabs. 
-- Toggle the quick menu
require("harpoon.ui").toggle_quick_menu()
From the menu:
  • Press Enter to open a file
  • Press CTRL-V to open in a vertical split
  • Press CTRL-X to open in a horizontal split
  • Press CTRL-T to open in a new tab
  • Press q or ESC to close

​
Terminal management

Harpoon provides persistent terminals that integrate seamlessly with your workflow. Navigate between terminals, send commands, and maintain context just like with files. 
-- Navigate to terminal 1 (creates it if it doesn't exist)
require("harpoon.term").gotoTerminal(1)

-- Send a command to terminal 1
require("harpoon.term").sendCommand(1, "npm test")

​
Tmux integration

Harpoon works out of the box with tmux, letting you navigate and send commands to tmux windows and panes. 
-- Go to tmux window 1
require("harpoon.tmux").gotoTerminal(1)

-- Send command to tmux window 1
require("harpoon.tmux").sendCommand(1, "ls -la")

​
Quick example

Here’s the most common Harpoon workflow: 
local mark = require("harpoon.mark")
local ui = require("harpoon.ui")

-- Mark your frequently used files
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>a", mark.add_file)

-- Open the quick menu
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-e>", ui.toggle_quick_menu)

-- Navigate to specific marks
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-h>", function() ui.nav_file(1) end)
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-t>", function() ui.nav_file(2) end)
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-n>", function() ui.nav_file(3) end)
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-s>", function() ui.nav_file(4) end)

-- Cycle through marks
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-S-P>", ui.nav_prev)
vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-S-N>", ui.nav_next)
Harpoon requires Neovim 0.5.0+ and plenary.nvim as a dependency.

​
What’s next?

Get started with Harpoon

Follow our quickstart guide to mark your first file and start navigating

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us