Plugin Management with lazy.nvim

Beginner10 min

Install, configure, update, and lazy-load Neovim plugins efficiently using the lazy.nvim package manager.

Prerequisites

-Neovim 0.9+ installed
-lazy.nvim bootstrapped in init.lua

Steps

Add a new plugin

Create a plugin spec file to install and configure a new plugin.

$ cat > ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/explorer.lua << 'EOF' return { "nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim", branch = "v3.x", dependencies = { "nvim-lua/plenary.nvim", "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim", }, keys = { { "<leader>e", ":Neotree toggle<CR>", desc = "Toggle file explorer" }, }, config = function() require("neo-tree").setup({ filesystem = { follow_current_file = { enabled = true } }, }) end, } EOF

Each file in lua/plugins/ can return one spec table or a list of specs. lazy.nvim auto-discovers them.

Sync plugins after changes

Tell lazy.nvim to install new plugins and update existing ones.

$ :Lazy sync

Configure lazy-loading triggers

Set up plugins to load only when needed to keep startup fast.

$ cat > ~/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/git.lua << 'EOF' return { { "lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim", event = { "BufReadPre", "BufNewFile" }, config = true }, { "tpope/vim-fugitive", cmd = { "Git", "Gvdiffsplit", "Gblame" } }, } EOF

Use 'event' to load on buffer events, 'cmd' to load on command use, 'keys' to load on keybinding, or 'ft' to load on filetype.

Check plugin load times

Profile startup to see how long each plugin takes to load.

$ :Lazy profile

Pin plugin versions with the lockfile

Commit the lockfile to ensure reproducible plugin versions across machines.

$ cat ~/.config/nvim/lazy-lock.json | head -20

The lockfile is updated automatically on :Lazy sync. Commit it to version control and run :Lazy restore on another machine.

Full Script

full-script.sh

# lazy.nvim Plugin Management Quick Reference
# (Run these commands inside Neovim)

# Open lazy.nvim UI
:Lazy

# Install/update all plugins
:Lazy sync

# Update plugins only
:Lazy update

# Restore from lockfile
:Lazy restore

# View startup profile
:Lazy profile

# Check for issues
:Lazy health

# Clean unused plugins
:Lazy clean

# View plugin logs
:Lazy log

# Lazy-loading triggers:
# event = "BufReadPre"     Load on buffer read
# cmd = "Telescope"        Load on command use
# keys = "<leader>ff"      Load on keybinding
# ft = "python"            Load on filetype

FAQ

Discussion

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# lazy.nvim Plugin Management Quick Reference # (Run these commands inside Neovim) # Open lazy.nvim UI :Lazy # Install/update all plugins :Lazy sync # Update plugins only :Lazy update # Restore from lockfile :Lazy restore # View startup profile :Lazy profile # Check for issues :Lazy health # Clean unused plugins :Lazy clean # View plugin logs :Lazy log # Lazy-loading triggers: # event = "BufReadPre" Load on buffer read # cmd = "Telescope" Load on command use # keys = "<leader>ff" Load on keybinding # ft = "python" Load on filetype