nvim/MIGRATION_PLAN.md

# Neovim Migration Checklist

Source of truth for the step-by-step rebuild. Keep this concise and up to date. See details in `neovim-migration-guide.md`.

## Phase 0 — Ground Rules
- [x] Create AGENTS.md with rules
  
## Phase 1 — Clean & Archive Legacy Config

## Phase 1.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [x] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 1.2 — Inventory legacy files
- [x] Inventory existing Vimscript, plugin files, and directories

## Phase 1.3 — Create archive location
- [x] Create `legacy/` archive folder within this config

## Phase 1.4 — Move legacy files into archive
- [x] Move legacy init files and plugin directories into `legacy/` (do not delete)

## Phase 1.5 — Document archived contents
- [x] Optionally add `legacy/README.md` noting what was archived

## Phase 1.6 — Preserve selected directories
- [x] Keep `undodir`, `spell`, `view`, `UltiSnips`, `templates` as-is for now (review later)

## Phase 2 — Bootstrap

## Phase 2.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [x] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 2.2 — Scaffold Lua config skeleton
- [x] Scaffold Lua config skeleton (`init.lua`, `lua/settings.lua`, `lua/keymaps.lua`, `lua/autocmds.lua`, `lua/utils.lua`, `lua/plugins/`)

## Phase 2.3 — Bootstrap lazy.nvim
- [x] Bootstrap `lazy.nvim` plugin manager

## Phase 2.4 — Disable unused providers
- [x] Disable unused providers (ruby, perl, node)

## Phase 2.5 — Ensure lazy boots without specs
- [x] Ensure lazy boots without specs (add empty `lua/plugins/init.lua`)

## Phase 3 — Core Editing & LSP

## Phase 3.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [x] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase
- [x] Decision: PHP LSP = `intelephense`
- [x] Decision: Enable Markdown LSP = `marksman`
- [x] Decision: Use legacy `listchars` and `showbreak` values
- [x] Decision: Support per‑project config for `intelephense.includePaths`
- [x] Decision: No direnv fallback for local config

## Phase 3.2 — Non-plugin settings to Lua
- [x] Port non-plugin settings to Lua (options, listchars, showbreak, spelllang=en_gb)

## Phase 3.3 — Core completion stack
- [x] Add core completion stack: `nvim-cmp`, `cmp-nvim-lsp`, `cmp-buffer`, `cmp-path`, `LuaSnip`

## Phase 3.4 — Project‑local configuration (native exrc)
- [x] Confirm scope and priorities for this subphase
- [x] Decision: Use native `exrc` + `secure` instead of neoconf (neoconf incompatible with Neovim 0.11+ vim.lsp.config API)
- [x] Enable `exrc` and `secure` in settings.lua
- [x] Implement `.nvim.lua` loader in LSP config using `on_new_config` hook
- [x] Wire `intelephense.environment.includePaths` via `.nvim.lua`
- [x] Create validation workspaces: `WORKSPACE_TEST/` and `EXTERNAL_TEST/` with sample PHP files
- [x] Migrate to `vim.lsp.config()` and `vim.lsp.enable()` (Neovim 0.11+ native API)
- [x] Verify project settings load correctly from actual root_dir
- [x] Clean up debug notifications and temporary code

## Phase 3.7 — Clean LSP config
- [x] Remove debug/helper logic from LSP config
- [x] Migrate from deprecated `require('lspconfig')[server].setup()` to `vim.lsp.config()` + `vim.lsp.enable()`
- [x] Use `on_new_config` hook for project-local settings loading (loads from actual root_dir, not cwd)

## Phase 3.8 — Validate project-local LSP settings
- [x] Create test workspaces with `.nvim.lua` files
- [x] Validate settings load from actual root_dir via `on_new_config` hook
- [x] Verify `gd` works for external library references via `intelephense.environment.includePaths`
- [x] Clean up debug code and notifications

## Phase 3.9 — Native exrc + vim.lsp.config migration (RESOLVED)
- [x] Discovered neoconf incompatible with Neovim 0.11+ (GitHub issue #116, unresolved since May 2024)
- [x] Migrated to native `exrc` + `secure` approach (zero dependencies, aligned with minimal philosophy)
- [x] Implemented `.nvim.lua` loader using `on_new_config` hook (loads from actual root_dir)
- [x] Migrated from deprecated `require('lspconfig')` framework to `vim.lsp.config()` + `vim.lsp.enable()`
- [x] Root detection handled by nvim-lspconfig's native configs (no custom root_dir needed)
- [x] Validated `gd` works for external library symbols via `intelephense.environment.includePaths`
- [x] Settings schema: `.nvim.lua` returns `{ lsp = { [server_name] = { settings = {...} } } }`
- [x] Security: `secure` mode prompts user to trust `.nvim.lua` files before execution
- [x] Kept `single_file_support = false` for `intelephense`
- [x] Fixed duplicate `gd` results issue

## Phase 3.5 — LSP minimal defaults
- [x] Add `nvim-lspconfig` with minimal defaults (no over-configuration)
- [x] Add minimal LSP on-attach keymaps (gd, gr, K, gD, gI)
- [x] Add global LSP keymaps with fallback in `lua/keymaps.lua`
- [x] Intelephense: set `single_file_support=false`, root detection via nvim-lspconfig defaults
- [x] Project settings loaded via `on_new_config` hook from `.nvim.lua` files

## Phase 3.6 — LSP server management (Mason)
- [x] Confirm scope and priorities for this subphase
- [x] Add `williamboman/mason.nvim` and `williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim`
- [x] Ensure servers installed: `lua_ls`, `tsserver`, `html`, `cssls`, `jsonls`, `bashls`, `marksman`, `intelephense`
- [x] Keep our custom per-server setup; use Mason only for installation

## Phase 4 — Navigation

## Phase 4.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 4.2 — Neo-tree setup
- [ ] Add `neo-tree.nvim` with per-tab roots, sidebar toggle, floating view, and preview keymap (no buffer pollution)

## Phase 4.3 — Telescope setup
- [ ] Add `telescope.nvim` (+ optional `telescope-fzf-native.nvim`) and basic pickers

## Phase 5 — Treesitter

## Phase 5.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 5.2 — Base Treesitter
- [ ] Add `nvim-treesitter` with incremental selection, highlighting

## Phase 5.3 — Treesitter textobjects
- [ ] Add `nvim-treesitter-textobjects`

## Phase 5.4 — Treesitter autotag
- [ ] Add `nvim-ts-autotag`

## Phase 6 — UX / Editing

## Phase 6.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 6.2 — Comment.nvim
- [ ] Add `numToStr/Comment.nvim`

## Phase 6.3 — Surround
- [ ] Add `kylechui/nvim-surround`

## Phase 6.4 — Autopairs
- [ ] Add `windwp/nvim-autopairs`

## Phase 6.5 — Indent guides
- [ ] Add `lukas-reineke/indent-blankline.nvim`

## Phase 6.6 — Motion (leap/flash)
- [ ] Add `ggandor/leap.nvim` or `folke/flash.nvim`

## Phase 6.7 — Folding (UFO)
- [ ] Add `kevinhwang91/nvim-ufo` for folding

## Phase 6.8 — Optional: Undotree
- [ ] (Optional) Add `mbbill/undotree`

## Phase 7 — Git, Markdown, Copilot, Formatting

## Phase 7.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 7.2 — Git
- [ ] Add `lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim`

## Phase 7.3 — Markdown
- [ ] Add `render-markdown.nvim`

## Phase 7.4 — Copilot
- [ ] Add `zbirenbaum/copilot.lua` + `copilot-cmp`

## Phase 7.5 — Formatting
- [ ] Add `nvimtools/none-ls.nvim` with minimal formatters/linters

## Phase 8 — Migrate Kept Behaviours

## Phase 8.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 8.2 — Abbreviations
- [ ] Abbreviations: `adn→and`, `waht→what`, `tehn→then`, `functin→function`, `positin→position`

## Phase 8.3 — Templates
- [ ] Templates: auto-populate new `.sh` from template

## Phase 8.4 — Whitespace highlighting
- [ ] Whitespace highlighting (modern approach)

## Phase 8.5 — Persistent folds
- [ ] Persistent folds (via UFO)

## Phase 9 — Cleanup & Validation

## Phase 9.1 — Confirm scope and priorities
- [ ] Confirm scope and priorities for this phase

## Phase 9.2 — Retire legacy files
- [ ] Retire legacy Vimscript files (keep for reference until verified)

## Phase 9.3 — Startup performance
- [ ] Validate startup performance (no errors, fast launch)

## Phase 9.4 — Tab workflow validation
- [ ] Validate tab-per-context workflow with Neo-tree

## Phase 9.5 — Navigation validation
- [ ] Validate Telescope navigation + LSP jumps

## Phase 9.6 — Language tooling validation
- [ ] Validate HTML/PHP/JS/Markdown tooling

---

Notes:
- Keep plugin specs minimal; configure in their own `lua/plugins/*.lua` files.
- Avoid adding plugins not listed in the guide unless explicitly requested.
- Prefer simple defaults; only add settings that clearly improve workflow.
- Plugin approval policy: unlisted plugins may be proposed, but must be explicitly confirmed before installation.

Known Issues / Follow-ups:
- lua-language-server (lua_ls) from Mason failed to start due to missing shared library `libbfd-2.38-system.so`. Options:
  - Install lua-language-server via system package manager compatible with your distro.
  - Provide the required `libbfd` or adjust symlink to match expected soname.
  - Skip lua_ls for now; validation done with other servers (jsonls, intelephense).
- LSP root detection: In some cases, the parent repository is picked as the root (e.g., when a workspace lives inside another repo). Workaround: create an empty `.git` directory (or a marker like `.nvimroot`) in the intended workspace root to pin the project root for LSPs.

Decisions & Changes:
- **Neoconf dropped**: folke/neoconf.nvim incompatible with Neovim 0.11+ vim.lsp.config API (GitHub issue #116, open since May 2024, no resolution). Migrated to native `exrc` + `secure` approach.
- **vim.lsp.config migration**: Migrated from deprecated `require('lspconfig')[server].setup()` to `vim.lsp.config()` + `vim.lsp.enable()` (Neovim 0.11+ native API).
- **Project config format**: `.nvim.lua` files return `{ lsp = { [server_name] = { settings = {...} } } }`.
- **Security model**: `secure` mode prompts user to trust `.nvim.lua` files before execution (one-time per file hash).
- **Settings loading**: `on_new_config` hook loads project settings from actual `root_dir` (not cwd), ensuring correct behavior across different workspace structures.