Neovim Configuration for 2026
A year after my last Neovim configuration post, I’ve made another significant change to how I manage my setup. This time, I switched from kickstart-modular.nvim to MiniMax, a minimal configuration built on top of the mini.nvim ecosystem.
Why I Switched
While I was happy with kickstart-modular.nvim, the upstream project (kickstart.nvim) appears to be no longer actively maintained.
There is an effort to maintain a fork, but I decided to explore alternatives rather than rely on a community fork.
MiniMax embraces the mini.nvim philosophy of having small, focused, well-integrated plugins.
It’s actively maintained by the author of mini.nvim itself, and provides a solid foundation that’s both minimal and fully-featured.
My Configuration and Workflow
- I maintain my own fork of MiniMax.
- I apply my customizations in a single commit.
- I periodically pull in upstream changes, staying up-to-date with improvements while keeping my modifications intact.
This workflow continues to work well for me, it’s the same approach I used with kickstart-modular.nvim.
What Changed in the Migration
The transition from kickstart-modular.nvim to MiniMax was surprisingly smooth because both configurations share similar philosophies.
Here are the key differences I encountered:
| Feature | Before (kickstart-modular) | After (MiniMax) |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin Management | lazy.nvim | mini.deps (simpler, more integrated) |
| File Explorer | telescope.nvim for file browsing | mini.files (lightweight, tree-style interface) |
| Auto-completion | nvim-cmp with multiple completion sources | mini.completion (simpler, built-in) |
| Configuration Structure | Multiple Lua files in lua/custom/ directory | Single customization file at configs/nvim-0.11/plugin/50_custom_plugins.lua |
Customizations
I continue to keep my customizations minimal. MiniMax already includes most of what I need through its carefully selected mini.nvim modules and a few additional plugins like LSP support, Tree-sitter, and formatters.
Here are the plugins and customizations I added on top of MiniMax:
| Plugin/Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| mason.nvim | LSP server package manager. Makes it easy to install and manage language servers. |
| clipboard-image.nvim | Paste images directly from clipboard into Markdown posts—essential for my blog workflow. |
| opencode.nvim | AI-powered code assistant integrated with my terminal. Mapped to <Leader>c prefix. |
| Spell checking | Custom commands (:Spell, :NoSpell, :SpellToggle) with auto-enable for Markdown files. |
| Custom formatters | Added formatters for Caddy, Markdown, JSON, and shell scripts to conform.nvim. |
Additional Customizations
Beyond plugins, I made several configuration tweaks:
- Buffer Navigation: Mapped
<Tab>and<Shift-Tab>to cycle through buffers. - Mouse Behavior: Changed from
mouse='a'tomouse='nci'to disable visual selection mode while keeping other mouse features. - Diagnostic Display: Enhanced inline diagnostics with custom icons (✘ for errors, ▲ for warnings) and a
<Leader>odtoggle. - Relative Line Numbers: Enabled with
vim.o.relativenumber = true(commented out in base config). - Shell Integration: Set default shell to
/usr/bin/zshfor:termcommands. - Hidden Characters: Commented out
vim.o.list = trueto hide tab characters.
Plugins I No Longer Need
Some plugins from my kickstart-modular.nvim setup became unnecessary with MiniMax:
- bufferline.nvim: MiniMax’s
mini.tablineprovides similar functionality - karen-yank.nvim: I have a love/hate relationship with this plugin. For now I’m going to go back to the default cut/paste behavior.
- rose-pine.nvim: Using the default MiniMax colorscheme (though I may add this back)
- vim-fugitive:
mini.gitcovers most of my Git workflow needs
Thoughts on the Switch
I’m impressed with how cohesive MiniMax feels. The mini.nvim ecosystem provides a surprisingly complete feature set with minimal overhead.
The configuration is easier to understand because most functionality comes from a single, well-documented plugin family.
The main trade-off is that some mini.nvim modules are less feature-rich than their standalone counterparts (e.g., mini.completion vs nvim-cmp).
However, I’ve found the simpler implementations to be sufficient for my needs, and the performance benefits are noticeable.
If you’re looking for a minimal, maintainable Neovim configuration in 2026, I highly recommend giving MiniMax a try. You can see my complete configuration with customizations here.