Snacks.nvim features and usage - Snehil's Neovim Configuration

Snacks.nvim is a comprehensive plugin that provides multiple utilities in one package. It’s loaded early with high priority for immediate availability.

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

priority = 1000,
lazy = false,

Core features

Picker

Fuzzy finder for files, grep, buffers, LSP, and more

Explorer

File explorer with diagnostics and git integration

Notifier

Notification system with history

Dashboard

Startup dashboard with quick actions

Scratch buffers

Temporary note-taking buffers

Zen mode

Distraction-free editing modes

Picker

The picker is the primary way to find and navigate files, code, and git objects.

File finding

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>ff`	Find files	Search files in current directory
`<leader><leader>`	Smart find	Auto-detect git root or use cwd
`<leader>fr`	Recent files	Browse recently opened files
`<leader>fp`	Projects	Switch between projects
`<leader>nc`	Config files	Search Neovim config directory

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>ff",
  function()
    Snacks.picker.files({
      layout = "ivy_taller",
      supports_live = true,
      format = "file",
      finder = "files",
    })
  end,
  desc = "[F]ind [F]iles",
}

The picker automatically shows hidden files (dotfiles) by default.

Text searching

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>fa`	Grep all	Live grep across all files
`<leader>fv`	Grep word	Search for word under cursor or visual selection

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>fa",
  function()
    local layout = "ivy_split"
    if vim.bo.filetype == "snacks_dashboard" then
      layout = "dashboard_ivy_split"
    end
    Snacks.picker.grep({ layout = layout })
  end,
  desc = "[F]ind [A]ll",
}

Buffer management

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>jk",
  function()
    Snacks.picker.buffers({
      on_show = function()
        vim.cmd.stopinsert()
      end,
      finder = "buffers",
      hidden = false,
      unloaded = true,
      current = true,
      sort_lastused = true,
      win = {
        input = { keys = { ["d"] = "bufdelete" } },
        list = { keys = { ["d"] = "bufdelete" } },
      },
      layout = "ivy_taller",
    })
  end,
  desc = "Snacks picker buffers",
}

Press d on any buffer in the picker to delete it without opening.

Snacks picker powers all LSP navigation:

Definitions
References
Symbols

gd - Go to definition with auto-confirm for single results

Snacks.picker.lsp_definitions({
  unique_lines = true,
  auto_confirm = true,
  jump = { reuse_win = true },
})

grp - Find all references to symbol under cursor

Snacks.picker.lsp_references({
  layout = "ivy_split",
})

<leader>sf - Browse document symbols <leader>sS - Browse workspace symbols

Snacks.picker.lsp_symbols()
Snacks.picker.lsp_workspace_symbols()

Git pickers

Key	Command	Description
`<leader>gl`	Git log line	Commits that modified current line
`<leader>gd`	Git diff	Browse all changed hunks
`<leader>gS`	Git stash	Manage stashes interactively
`<leader>go`	Git browse	Open file on GitHub/GitLab

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>gl",
  function()
    Snacks.picker.git_log_line({
      on_show = function()
        vim.cmd.stopinsert()
      end,
    })
  end,
  desc = "Git log for current line",
}

Search utilities

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>sh`	Help pages	Search Neovim help documentation
`<leader>sk`	Keymaps	Browse all keybindings
`<leader>sC`	Commands	Search Neovim commands
`<leader>sd`	Diagnostics	Buffer diagnostics
`<leader>sD`	Diagnostics	Workspace diagnostics
`<leader>sp`	Plugins	Search plugin specs
`<leader>su`	Undo history	Browse undo tree
`<leader>sm`	Marks	Browse marks
`<leader>sj`	Jumps	Browse jump list
`<leader>sr`	Resume	Resume last picker

Picker keybindings

Inside any picker window:

Key	Action	Description
`<Esc>`	Close	Close picker (normal and insert mode)
`<M-p>`	Cycle layouts	Switch between layout presets
`<Tab>`	Focus preview	Jump to preview window
`J`	Scroll down	Scroll preview down (normal mode)
`K`	Scroll up	Scroll preview up (normal mode)
`H`	Scroll left	Scroll preview left (normal mode)
`L`	Scroll right	Scroll preview right (normal mode)

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

win = {
  input = {
    keys = {
      ["<Esc>"] = { "close", mode = { "n", "i" } },
      ["<M-p>"] = { "cycle_layouts", mode = { "i", "n" } },
      ["<Tab>"] = { "focus_preview", mode = { "i", "n" } },
    },
  },
}

Picker configuration

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

picker = {
  sources = {
    files = {
      hidden = true, -- Show hidden files (dotfiles) by default
    },
  },
  matcher = {
    frecency = true, -- Use frequency + recency for sorting
  },
  formatters = {
    file = {
      filename_first = true, -- Display filename before path
      truncate = 80,
    },
  },
}

Explorer

File explorer with git status and diagnostics integration.

Opening explorer

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<M-e>",
  function()
    Snacks.explorer()
  end,
  desc = "File Explorer",
}

Configuration

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

explorer = {
  enabled = true,
  show_hidden = true,
}

Features

Git integration

Shows git status indicators for files

Diagnostics

Auto-opens folders with errors/warnings

Netrw replacement

Replaces default file explorer

Line numbers

Shows absolute line numbers in list

Notifications

Beautiful notification system with history.

Usage

vim.notify("Message", vim.log.levels.INFO)

Configuration

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

notifier = {
  enabled = true,
  timeout = 3000, -- Auto-dismiss after 3 seconds
}

Managing notifications

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>nh`	History	Show notification history
`<leader>un`	Dismiss	Dismiss all notifications

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>nh",
  function()
    Snacks.notifier.show_history()
  end,
  desc = "Notification History",
}

Scratch buffers

Temporary buffers for notes and experiments.

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>.`	Scratch	Toggle scratch buffer
`<leader>S`	Select	Select from multiple scratch buffers

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>.",
  function()
    Snacks.scratch()
  end,
  desc = "Toggle Scratch Buffer",
}

Scratch buffers are persisted across sessions. Use them for quick notes, calculations, or testing code snippets.

Zen mode

Distraction-free editing with two modes:

Zen mode
Zoom mode

<leader>z - Full zen mode with hidden UI elements

function()
  Snacks.zen()
end

Hides statusline, tabline, and centers content.

<leader>Z - Maximize current window

function()
  Snacks.zen.zoom()
end

Maximizes current split without hiding UI.

Dashboard

Startup dashboard with quick actions:

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

dashboard = { enabled = true }

Launches automatically when opening Neovim without a file.

Indent guides

Animated indent guides with scope highlighting:

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

indent = {
  enabled = true,
  animate = {
    style = "up_down",
    duration = {
      step = 25, -- ms per step
      total = 1000, -- maximum duration
    },
  },
  scope = {
    underline = true, -- underline the start of the scope
  },
}

Toggle indent guides with <leader>ug.

Utility functions

Buffer operations

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>bd`	Delete buffer	Smart buffer deletion
`<leader>cR`	Rename file	Rename file and update imports

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

{
  "<leader>bd",
  function()
    Snacks.bufdelete()
  end,
  desc = "Delete Buffer",
}

Key	Action	Description
`<leader>fn`	Next reference	Jump to next reference of word under cursor
`<leader>fN`	Prev reference	Jump to previous reference

Toggles

Snacks provides convenient toggles for various options:

Key	Toggle	Description
`<leader>us`	Spelling	Toggle spell check
`<leader>uw`	Wrap	Toggle line wrapping
`<leader>uL`	Relative number	Toggle relative line numbers
`<leader>ud`	Diagnostics	Toggle diagnostic display
`<leader>ul`	Line number	Toggle line numbers
`<leader>uc`	Conceal	Toggle conceallevel
`<leader>uT`	Treesitter	Toggle treesitter highlighting
`<leader>ub`	Background	Toggle light/dark background
`<leader>ug`	Indent guides	Toggle indent guides
`<leader>uD`	Dim	Toggle dim inactive windows

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

Snacks.toggle.option("spell", { name = "Spelling" }):map("<leader>us")
Snacks.toggle.option("wrap", { name = "Wrap" }):map("<leader>uw")
Snacks.toggle.diagnostics():map("<leader>ud")

Input dialogs

Snacks provides improved input dialogs:

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

input = { enabled = true }

All vim.ui.input() calls use Snacks input for better UI.

Advanced configuration

Custom layouts

The configuration uses custom layouts defined in utils/snacks_picker.lua:

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

layout = {
  preset = function()
    return require("utils.snacks_picker").preferred_layout()
  end,
  cycle = false,
}

File exclusions

lua/plugins/snacks.lua

exclude = {
  "*.pb",
  "*.gw",
  "*.pb.go",
  "*.pb.gw.go",
  "*.pb.validate.go",
  "*.swagger.json",
  ".git",
  "node_modules",
}

Integration with other plugins

Snacks integrates with:

Neogit: Git operations use Snacks pickers
Trouble: Send picker results to Trouble with <c-t>
CodeDiff: Git browsing uses Snacks for stash management

Performance

High priority

Loaded early (priority = 1000) for immediate availability

Not lazy

Always loaded to ensure utilities are ready

Frecency sorting

Intelligent file ranking based on frequency and recency

Efficient rendering

Optimized for large directories and search results

Get Started

Core Configuration

Language Support

Plugin Guide

Customization

​Core features

Picker

Explorer

Notifier

Dashboard

Scratch buffers

Zen mode

​Picker

​File finding

​Text searching

​Buffer management

​LSP navigation

​Git pickers

​Search utilities

​Picker keybindings

​Picker configuration

​Explorer

​Opening explorer

​Configuration

​Features

Git integration

Diagnostics

Netrw replacement

Line numbers

​Notifications

​Usage

​Configuration

​Managing notifications

​Scratch buffers

​Zen mode

​Dashboard

​Indent guides

​Utility functions

​Buffer operations

​Word navigation

​Toggles

​Input dialogs

​Advanced configuration

​Custom layouts

​File exclusions

​Integration with other plugins

​Performance

High priority

Not lazy

Frecency sorting

Efficient rendering

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Core features

Picker

File finding

Text searching

Buffer management

LSP navigation

Git pickers

Search utilities

Picker keybindings

Picker configuration

Explorer

Opening explorer

Configuration

Features

Notifications

Usage

Configuration

Managing notifications

Scratch buffers

Zen mode

Dashboard

Indent guides

Utility functions

Buffer operations

Word navigation

Toggles

Input dialogs

Advanced configuration

Custom layouts

File exclusions

Integration with other plugins

Performance