nix-config/home/base/core/editors/helix

Helix (primary) — Kakoune-style usage

Neovim is powerful and has a very active community. This config still enables Neovim as a backup editor (vim-style muscle memory, :help, and occasional plugin workflows).

Helix is the primary TUI editor here: opinionated, batteries-included (LSP, tree-sitter, picker, multi-cursor, surround), and a smaller moving part than a large Neovim plugin stack.

Tips

1. This flake sets $EDITOR / $VISUAL to hx by default. For security-sensitive edits (privileged files, unfamiliar binaries, secrets), prefer nvim --clean — $SUDO_EDITOR uses it so sudoedit stays minimal; invoke it yourself in other trust-boundary cases.
2. Helix is selection-first (like Kakoune): extend a selection, then run an action (d, c, y, …). A lone cursor is a zero-width selection.
3. Read the official docs before reinventing workflows:
   1. https://docs.helix-editor.com/ — documentation home (links to usage, keymap, configuration).
   2. https://docs.helix-editor.com/usage.html — modes, buffers, motions overview.
   3. https://docs.helix-editor.com/keymap.html — full default keybindings.
   4. https://docs.helix-editor.com/commands.html — typable commands (: prompt).
   5. https://docs.helix-editor.com/configuration.html — config.toml, themes, remaps.
   6. https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/wiki — install tips, language servers, FAQ.
4. Prefer Zellij for shells and panes; use Helix for buffers and text.
5. On large codebases, navigation is often by picker (Space f, symbols, workspace search) or by LSP (g goto mode), complementing motion-based editing.
6. After git operations (checkout, merge, pull, rebase) or whenever many files changed on disk, run :reload-all (alias :rla) so every open buffer is refreshed from disk in one step — much faster than revisiting each file or restarting Helix.

Tutorial

Run :tutor inside Helix, or hx --tutor from the shell (tutor source).

Helix cheatsheet (common keys)

Full reference: https://docs.helix-editor.com/keymap.html
Typable commands: https://docs.helix-editor.com/commands.html

Terminal related

Zellij shortcuts used often (same idea as in the Neovim notes):

Action	Zellij shortcut
Floating terminal	Ctrl + p + w
Horizontal split terminal	Ctrl + p + d
Vertical split terminal	Ctrl + p + n

In Helix, | / ! and variants pipe or insert shell output on selections (see Changes).

This flake’s Helix Home Manager module keeps almost all default keys; the only remap is Ctrl+Shift+o → jump backward, because Zellij uses Ctrl+o for Session (see home/base/core/editors/helix/default.nix). For other Zellij clashes, use locked mode (Ctrl+g), : commands, or the built-in Space menu.

Command mode (:)

https://docs.helix-editor.com/commands.html

Action	Command examples
Write / write all	:w / :wa
Quit view / quit all	:q / :qa — add ! to discard changes
Write and quit	:wq, :x
Write all and quit all	:wqa, :xa
Open file	:open path, :e path
Next / previous buffer	:bn / :bp (also gn / gp in normal)
Close buffer	:bc (add ! to force)
Reload from disk	:reload (current buffer); :reload-all / :rla (all buffers)
Change directory / pwd	:cd / :pwd
Split open file	:vs path, :hs path

Movement (normal mode)

Action	Keys / notes
Arrow keys	h j k l
Words	w b e — W B E for WORD-style
Find char / till char	f F t T (not limited to current line)
Line / file	Home / End; gg start or goto line; G line
Half / full page	Ctrl-u / Ctrl-d; Ctrl-b / Ctrl-f
Jumplist	Ctrl-o back, Ctrl-i forward; Ctrl-s save spot

Selection & changes

Action	Keys / notes
Extend selections	v select mode; motions extend instead of moving
Line selection	x extend line; X line bounds
Select all / regex	%; s regex in selections; S split on regex
Undo / redo	u / U
Delete / change / yank	d / c / y — acts on selection
Paste	p / P; registers " …
Insert	i a I A o O
Indent / format	> / <; = format (LSP)
Case	~ toggle; lower/upper case via grave / Alt-grave (see keymap)
Join lines	J; Alt-J join keeping space

Search

Action	Keys
Search / reverse	/ / ?
Next / prev match	n / N
Selection as pattern	* (word bounds); Alt-* raw selection

Use extend mode (v) with n / N to add matches to multi-cursors (keymap).

Replace / multi-occur edits

Helix has no vim-style :%s with preview. Typical patterns:

• Select matches with s or search, then c to change all selections at once.
• Workspace-wide search: Space / (global search picker).
• Heavy refactors: external tools or another pane (see Differences below).

Goto mode (g then …)

Action	Keys (after g)
File start / end	g / e
Line start / end	h / l
File / URL	f
First non-whitespace	s
Definition / refs	d / r (LSP)
Type / impl	y / i (LSP)
Next / prev buffer	n / p

Also: gd / gD definition/declaration-style jumps where bound.

Match mode (m …)

Surround and textobjects: see https://docs.helix-editor.com/surround.html and https://docs.helix-editor.com/textobjects.html. Matching bracket: mm (tree-sitter).

Window mode (Ctrl-w then …)

Action	Keys
Next window	w
Vertical split	v
Horizontal split	s
Focus splits	h j k l
Close / only	q / o

Space mode (Space then …)

Action	Keys
File picker (roots)	f
File picker (cwd)	F
Buffer picker	b
Global search	/
Command palette	?
Hover docs (LSP)	k
Symbols / workspace	s / S
Diagnostics	d / D
Clipboard yank/paste	y / p variants

Picker movement: https://docs.helix-editor.com/pickers.html.

Minor modes from normal

Mode	Key
Command	:
View scroll	z / Z
Goto	g
Match	m
Window	Ctrl-w

Some bindings need an LSP or tree-sitter grammar; see notes on the keymap page.

Differences between Neovim and Helix

1. Selecting first, then action.
   1. Helix: delete 2 words: move/select with w … then d. You see the selection before the action.
   2. Neovim: delete 2 words: d then 2w. No visual feedback before the action runs.
2. Helix — modern built-in features: LSP, tree-sitter, fuzzy finder, multi-cursors, surround, and more.
   1. The same is available in Neovim, but usually via plugins you choose and maintain.
3. Helix is built in Rust from scratch: smaller codebase, modern defaults. No VimScript, no Lua in user config.
   1. Neovim carries Vim heritage (VimScript) and Lua-heavy customization.
4. Neovim has a huge plugin ecosystem.
   1. Helix is newer; a stable plugin system is still evolving: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/8675
5. Neovim has an integrated terminal (similar in spirit to VS Code’s).
   1. Helix does not ship one; use Zellij / tmux / terminal features instead.
   2. https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/issues/1976#issuecomment-1091074719
   3. https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/4649
6. Helix has no built-in tree panel; pair with Yazi, ranger, or Broot and open files from there.
   1. A tree view may arrive with plugins later; many users rely on the file picker instead.
7. Global substitution is weaker in Helix; run replacements in another pane (Zellij) or an external tool when needed.
   1. https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/issues/196
   2. Neovim’s :s with preview remains strong for interactive refactors; external tools (e.g. https://github.com/ms-jpq/sad) can fill gaps in Helix-centric flows.
8. Complexity vs batteries-included tradeoffs: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/discussions/6356

Using Helix (and Neovim when useful) inside Yazi and Zellij keeps editing, files, and panes explicit and scriptable — different from a single IDE window, but very composable.

Helix nudges you away from reproducing VS Code/JetBrains inside one process; Neovim remains there when you want that depth.