Customization

You can customize VimStar without forking the entire repository. Add whatever plugins and configuration you need and still update VimStar via Space-qu.

There are two places where you can add your customizations:

vimstar-user.lua (easy)
lua/user/plugins/ (advanced)

Start with the easy configuration first.

Easy Configuration

File: ~/.VimStar/lua/vimstar-user.lua

This file loads after core configuration, so settings here override other defaults. Do not edit other files except what is under lua/user; otherwise, edits conflict when you update VimStar from GitHub.

Color Scheme

Comment out the current scheme and uncomment the one you prefer:

-- Comment out current, uncomment desired:
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "carbonfox"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "catppuccin"
vim.cmd.colorscheme "cyberdream"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "edge"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "modus"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "moonfly"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "onedark"  
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "purify"
-- vim.cmd.colorscheme "tokyonight-night"

Wiki Root

vim.g.wiki_root = '~/custom/wiki/path'

Once you customize the wiki’s location, sync those files via Syncthing, Nextcloud, Dropbox, or other software to your phone or other systems where you need your notes.

User Snippets

VimStar bundles snippets in ~/.VimStar/snippets/ (snipmate format, loaded by LuaSnip). Store your own snippets in a separate directory outside VimStar so they survive updates.

Add vim.g.vimstar_user_snippets = "~/my-snippets" to ~/.VimStar/lua/vimstar-user.lua, replacing ~/my-snippets with the path to your snippets directory.
Place *.snippets files in that directory, one per filetype (for example, python.snippets or lua.snippets).

Snippets in your directory take precedence over built-in snippets when triggers collide.

Advanced Configuration

Directory: ~/.VimStar/lua/user/plugins/

Here, you can add your own Neovim plugins that persist through VimStar updates. By default, the install creates a file named init.lua in this folder ready to contain your plugin configurations. Per the Lazy plugin manager, add your plugins in this format:

-- ~/.VimStar/lua/user/plugins/init.lua
return {
  {
    "username/my-plugin",
    config = function()
      require("my-plugin").setup({ option = "value" })
    end,
  },
}

Adding your plugins here keeps them separate from core configuration so you can update via Space-qu. Git ignores the directory, so your customizations don’t conflict with future VimStar updates. Back up or sync your configuration somewhere in case you must reinstall later.

Loading Order

init.lua—Entry point
vim-options.lua—Core settings
Lazy.nvim loads:
- plugins/ directory (core plugins)
- user/plugins/ directory (custom user plugins)
keymaps.lua—Keybindings
vimstar-user.lua—User overrides

Tips

Use :Lazy to reload plugins after changes
Use :lua reload() in Neovim for config reload
Check :scriptnames to see which config files loaded
Use :messages to see plugin errors

Presets

See vimstar-user-template for default user config.

Updates