Neovim Plugin Selection Criteria

This rule applies to files matching the patterns above.

# Neovim Plugin Selection Criteria

## Rule
Every plugin added to the configuration MUST meet activity, performance, and necessity criteria. Prefer built-in Neovim features over plugins when available.

## Evaluation Checklist

### Must-Have Criteria
| Criteria | Minimum |
|----------|---------|
| Last commit | Within 6 months |
| GitHub stars | 500+ (or well-known author) |
| Neovim support | Native Lua (not Vimscript wrapper) |
| Lazy-loadable | Supports event/cmd/ft/keys triggers |
| No conflicts | Doesn't override core Vim behavior |

### Prefer Built-in Over Plugin
```lua
-- Bad: plugin for what Neovim does natively
{ "tpope/vim-commentary" }  -- Neovim has gc/gcc built-in (0.10+)
{ "jiangmiao/auto-pairs" }  -- Use mini.pairs or built-in

-- Good: plugins that extend beyond built-in
{ "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim" }  -- Far beyond :find
{ "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter" }  -- Syntax beyond regex
```

### Performance Budget
```lua
-- Each plugin should add < 5ms to startup
-- Total plugin count: aim for < 30 active plugins
-- Profile with :Lazy profile

-- Good: lazy-loaded, minimal impact
return {
  "windwp/nvim-autopairs",
  event = "InsertEnter",  -- Only loads when editing
}

-- Bad: eagerly loaded, unnecessary at startup
return {
  "some-plugin",
  lazy = false,  -- Loads immediately
}
```

### Dependency Limits
- Maximum 2 levels of dependency depth
- Avoid plugins that pull in > 3 dependencies
- Shared dependencies (plenary.nvim) are acceptable

## Good Plugin Stack Example
```lua
-- Core (always loaded)
"folke/lazy.nvim"              -- Plugin manager
"nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter"  -- Syntax

-- On-demand (lazy-loaded)
"nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim"    -- cmd/keys trigger
"neovim/nvim-lspconfig"            -- event trigger
"hrsh7th/nvim-cmp"                 -- InsertEnter trigger
"lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim"          -- BufReadPre trigger
```

## Anti-Patterns
- Installing "awesome Neovim" lists wholesale without evaluation
- Using Vimscript plugins when Lua alternatives exist
- Keeping unused plugins (run :Lazy clean regularly)
- Not reading plugin source code before installing
- Installing a plugin for a one-line Lua solution