# Neovim Rebuild — Decisions & Reference

Authoritative notes for the Neovim migration. Use this alongside `MIGRATION_PLAN.md` and `neovim-migration-guide.md`.

- Migration plan: MIGRATION_PLAN.md
- Guide and requirements: neovim-migration-guide.md

## Decisions Log

Record every decision here with a short rationale. Append new entries; do not rewrite history.

- 2025-12-06: PHP LSP = `intelephense` (good PHP ecosystem support; integrates includePaths).
- 2025-12-06: Enable Markdown LSP = `marksman` (lightweight, good MD features).
- 2025-12-06: Use legacy `listchars` and `showbreak` values (preserve muscle memory).
- 2025-12-06: No direnv fallback for local config (keep setup simple and repo-driven).
- 2025-12-06: Project-local config = layered JSON `.nvim.json` + `.nvim.local.json` with `.nvimroot` as workspace boundary marker (multi-repo friendly).
- 2025-12-06: Switch to `folke/neoconf.nvim` for project-local configuration (supersedes custom layered JSON loader); use `.neoconf.json` at workspace root.
- 2025-12-06: Use `mason.nvim` + `mason-lspconfig.nvim` to install/manage LSP servers; keep custom lspconfig setup; include `.neoconf.json` in root detection.
  - For PHP validation inside this repo: we require `.neoconf.json` to attach `intelephense` to avoid the repo’s `.git` being chosen as the LSP root.
- 2025-12-06: Plugin approval policy — other plugins are allowed, but do not install any plugin not listed without explicit confirmation.
- 2025-12-07: **CRITICAL REGRESSION FIX**: Neovim 0.11+ does NOT support `on_new_config` callback in `vim.lsp.config()`. Project-local settings (`.nvim.lua`) must be loaded via `LspAttach` autocmd instead. The `on_new_config` hook was silently ignored, causing empty settings and breaking goto-definition for external includes. Solution: Use `LspAttach` to load project settings, merge into `client.settings`, and send `workspace/didChangeConfiguration` notification.
- 2025-12-07: Native `exrc` + `.nvim.lua` finalized as project-local config approach (replaces neoconf, which is incompatible with Neovim 0.11+ native LSP API). Security via `vim.opt.secure = true`.
- 2025-12-07: Navigation Phase 4 decisions:
  - Skip Neo-tree in favor of netrw for project visualization
  - Use Telescope as primary "find file" tool with fuzzy finding
  - Add Oil.nvim for file manipulation (rename/move/delete with buffer sync)
  - netrw for tree view and preview splits; Oil for operations that would break buffer names
  - PHP `gf` enhancement via `includeexpr` for WordPress/PHP path resolution
- 2025-12-07: Treesitter Phase 5 decisions:
  - Focus on core languages: PHP, HTML, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, Markdown, Lua, Bash, JSON
  - Enable syntax highlighting with performance safeguard (disable for files >100KB)
  - Incremental selection: CR to expand, BS to shrink, S-CR for scope expansion
  - Textobjects for functions (`af`/`if`), classes (`ac`/`ic`), parameters (`aa`/`ia`), conditionals, loops, comments
  - Movement keymaps: `]f`/`[f` for next/prev function, `]c`/`[c` for classes, `]a`/`[a` for parameters
  - Parameter swapping: `<leader>a`/`<leader>A` to swap with next/prev parameter
  - Auto-tag for HTML/PHP/JS/React/TS/Vue files (auto-close, auto-rename, close-on-slash)
  - Indent disabled initially (experimental); can enable per-filetype if stable
- 2025-12-07: UX/Editing Phase 6 decisions:
  - Enable signcolumn=yes (always show for LSP diagnostics, git signs)
  - Enable cursorline (highlight current line)
  - Enable colorcolumn=80,120 (visual guides at 80 and 120 chars)
  - NO cursorcolumn (as per AGENTS.md)
  - NO auto-window toggling behavior (keep settings static, no per-window autocmds)
  - NO motion plugin (skip leap/flash for simplicity)
  - Undotree moved to separate phase (6.8)
  - Comment.nvim for commenting (gcc/gc/gbc/gb keymaps)
  - nvim-surround for text objects (ys/ds/cs operators)
  - nvim-autopairs for auto-closing brackets/quotes with Treesitter and cmp integration
  - indent-blankline for visual indent guides with scope highlighting
  - nvim-ufo for enhanced folding with Treesitter/LSP providers (zR/zM/K for peek)
  - undotree for visual undo history (<leader>u to toggle)
- 2025-12-07: Git integration Phase 7:
  - Gitsigns with minimal config for signs in gutter (add, change, delete markers)
  - Hunk navigation: `]h`/`[h` for next/prev hunk
  - Hunk actions: stage, reset, preview
  - NO inline blame or advanced features (keep minimal)
- 2025-12-07: Copilot Phase 8:
  - Integrated via copilot.lua + copilot-cmp (completion source)
  - Auto-trigger suggestions as you type
  - Copilot suggestions appear before LSP in completion menu (higher priority)
  - Enabled for all filetypes
  - No specific Copilot keymaps (use existing cmp keymaps)
  - Node.js v22.21.1 confirmed working
- 2025-12-07: Formatting & Linting Phase 9:
  - **Philosophy**: Formatters are authoritative; Neovim settings match formatter output
  - **Formatters**: prettier (JS/TS/CSS/JSON/MD/HTML), phpcbf (PHP/WordPress), stylua (Lua), black (Python)
  - **Linters**: eslint_d (JS/TS), phpcs (PHP/WordPress), markdownlint (Markdown), ruff (Python)
  - **Strategy**: Project-local executables first (node_modules/.bin/, vendor/bin/), then Mason, then system PATH
  - **WordPress**: phpcs/phpcbf already installed globally; use phpcs.xml or --standard=WordPress
  - **Format-on-save**: Enabled by default, toggle with `<leader>lt`
  - **Manual format**: `<leader>lf` (buffer), `<leader>lf` (visual range)
  - **Linting split**: none-ls for formatting only, nvim-lint for diagnostics (none-ls removed linters)
  - **Python support**: pyright LSP, black formatter, ruff linter, treesitter parser
  - **Per-filetype indentation**: Explicit settings per filetype to match formatters
    - PHP: tabs, 2-space display (WordPress standards)
    - JS/TS/CSS/JSON/HTML: 2 spaces (Prettier)
    - Lua: 2 spaces (common convention)
    - Markdown: 2 spaces (Prettier)
    - Python: 4 spaces (Black/PEP 8)
  - **Global defaults**: 4 spaces (reasonable baseline for other filetypes)
- 2025-12-07: Kept Behaviors Phase 10:
  - **Abbreviations**: Common typo corrections (`adn→and`, `waht→what`, `tehn→then`, `functin→function`, `positin→position`) in dedicated `lua/abbreviations.lua` file for modularity
  - **Templates**: Shell script template (template.sh) auto-loaded via BufNewFile autocmd for `*.sh` files
  - **Whitespace highlighting**: Already handled via `listchars` in Phase 3.2 (settings.lua)
  - **Persistent folds**: Not needed; UFO handles folding without explicit persistence mechanism

## Project-Local Configuration (design)

Context: Projects can contain multiple git repositories (e.g., WordPress site with theme + multiple plugins). We need a way to set per-project `intelephense.includePaths` and similar without globalizing settings.

Options considered
- Layered JSON files (recommended): `.nvim.json` (committed) + `.nvim.local.json` (gitignored)
  - Walk upward from current file; collect and merge configs until reaching a boundary marker or filesystem root.
  - Boundary marker: `.nvimroot` to define a workspace that can encompass multiple repos.
  - Merge order: top → bottom; nearest wins on conflicts; arrays replace by default unless we later add a merge strategy.
  - Pros: safe (data-only), portable, reviewable in PRs.
  - Cons: less dynamic than Lua.
- Layered Lua files: `.nvim.lua` + `.nvim.local.lua`
  - Pros: maximum flexibility (computed paths).
  - Cons: executes code from the repo; security gates required.
- Env/direnv: rejected (decision 2025-12-06).
- Central registry file in `~/.config/nvim/`: possible later for private overrides, but not primary.

Chosen approach (confirmed)
- Use `folke/neoconf.nvim` with `.neoconf.json` at the workspace root (or project roots) to supply LSP/plugin settings. Multi-repo: keep a single `.neoconf.json` at the parent workspace folder and open Neovim from there (or use a rooter later if needed).

Example `.neoconf.json`
```
{
  "lspconfig": {
    "intelephense": {
      "settings": {
        "intelephense": {
          "environment": {
            "includePaths": [
              "wp-content/themes/my-theme",
              "wp-content/plugins/custom-plugin"
            ]
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```
- Files recognized per directory level:
  - `.nvim.json`: checked into VCS; shared per-project defaults.
  - `.nvim.local.json`: gitignored; machine-specific overrides.
- Loader behavior:
  1. Start at the buffer’s directory; ascend toward root.
  2. Stop at directory containing `.nvimroot` (if found) or at filesystem root.
  3. At each level, if `.nvim.json` or `.nvim.local.json` exists, parse and stage for merge.
  4. Merge staged configs in ascending order; nearest directory applies last.
- Path resolution:
  - Relative paths resolve against the topmost boundary (i.e., `.nvimroot` directory if present; otherwise the highest directory in which a config was found). This allows referencing sibling repos (e.g., theme and plugins) from a single top-level site folder.

Example `.nvim.json`
```
{
  "lsp": {
    "php": {
      "intelephense": {
        "includePaths": [
          "wp-content/themes/my-theme",
          "wp-content/plugins/custom-plugin",
          "vendor/some-package/src"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Intended integration
- A helper module `lua/local_config.lua` will expose:
  - `load(start_dir) -> table` collecting and merging configs
  - `get(path, default)` for reads, e.g., `get({"lsp","php","intelephense","includePaths"}, {})`
- LSP wiring (in Phase 3.5):
  - Read includePaths via the helper and pass to `settings.intelephense.environment.includePaths` in `lspconfig.intelephense.setup{}`.

Open items to confirm
- Confirm JSON as the format (vs Lua) for project-local config.
- Confirm `.nvimroot` as the workspace boundary marker name.
- Confirm array merge behavior (replace vs concatenate). Initial proposal: replace.

## LSP Scope (initial)

- Core servers: `lua_ls`, `tsserver`, `html`, `cssls`, `jsonls`, `bashls`
- PHP: `intelephense` (decision)
- Markdown: `marksman` (decision)
- Keep configuration minimal; defer language-specific tuning.

## Text & Editing Settings

- `spelllang = en_gb`
- `listchars` and `showbreak` will reuse legacy values.
- `completeopt = menu,menuone,noselect` for `nvim-cmp`.

## Process Reminders

- After any change or decision, update this README and MIGRATION_PLAN.md.
- Keep subphases small and verify each step in isolation.