Version History

What changed in NeoVim 0.9 through 0.12. Focused on features that matter for daily use, not exhaustive changelogs.

0.9 - Foundation for Modern NeoVim

Released mid-2023. This version laid the groundwork for many features that became standard.

Headline features:

• vim.loader - Bytecode-caching module loader, enabled by default. Makes startup measurably faster by caching compiled Lua.
• vim.iter - Iterator combinators (filter, map, fold, totable). Functional programming patterns for Lua tables and iterators.
• vim.snippet - Built-in snippet expansion engine. No plugin needed for basic snippet support.
• Semantic token highlighting - LSP servers can provide token-level highlighting that supplements tree-sitter.
• EditorConfig support - Reads .editorconfig files natively. No plugin needed.
• exrc / vim.secure - Secure project-local config files. NeoVim prompts before sourcing untrusted local configs.
• Lua-based filetype detection - vim.filetype.match() replaces the old Vimscript filetype detection. Faster and extensible.
• statuscolumn - Fully customizable status column (line numbers, signs, folds) via a format string.
• :Inspect - Shows highlight groups, tree-sitter captures, and semantic tokens under cursor.

0.10 - Visual Polish and LSP Maturity

Released mid-2024. Focused on defaults, visual improvements, and LSP features.

Defaults:

• New default colorscheme - Replaced the old blue colorscheme with a modern one that works in both light and dark modes.
• termguicolors auto-enabled - True color support turned on by default when the terminal supports it.
• Default diagnostic keymaps - [d / ]d for navigating diagnostics, <C-W>d for diagnostic float.
• K maps to hover - In LSP-attached buffers, K shows hover documentation.

LSP:

• Inlay hints - vim.lsp.inlay_hint.enable() shows inline type annotations.
• Pull diagnostics - Servers can request diagnostic refresh instead of push-only.
• Type hierarchy - Navigate type inheritance.
• Dynamic registration - Servers can add/remove capabilities after initialization.

Editor:

• Inline virtual text - Virtual text can appear within a line, not just at the end.
• Multi-line extmark ranges - Decorations can span multiple lines.
• vim.system() - Clean async process execution (replaced vim.fn.jobstart for most use cases).
• vim.lpeg / vim.re - Bundled PEG parsing library.
• TOhtml rewrite - :TOhtml rewritten in Lua, much faster.

0.11 - Declarative LSP and Smart Defaults

Released early 2025. The biggest LSP overhaul since the client was introduced.

LSP (game-changing):

• vim.lsp.config() / vim.lsp.enable() - Declarative LSP configuration. Define server configs, enable them, done. Replaces nvim-lspconfig for most setups.
• Config files on runtimepath - lsp/<name>.lua files are auto-discovered. No plugin needed for basic LSP.
• LSP folding - Servers can provide fold ranges via textDocument/foldingRange.
• Fuzzy completion matching - Built-in completion uses fuzzy matching.

Default keymaps (all LSP-attached):

• grn - rename
• gra - code action
• grr - references
• gri - implementation
• grt - type definition
• grx - codelens run
• gO - document symbols
• <C-S> - signature help (insert mode)

Vim-unimpaired style defaults:

• [q / ]q - quickfix navigation
• [l / ]l - location list
• [t / ]t - tag stack
• [a / ]a - argument list
• [b / ]b - buffer list

Other:

• virtual_lines diagnostic handler - Show diagnostics as virtual lines below the code (not just virtual text).
• Tab/S-Tab for snippets - Built-in snippet jumping with Tab.
• vim.fs.rm() / vim.fs.abspath() / vim.fs.relpath() - New filesystem utilities.
• OSC 52 clipboard - Default clipboard integration over SSH using terminal escape codes.

Gotcha: 0.11 disabled the virtual_text diagnostic handler by default. If you relied on inline diagnostic text, re-enable it: vim.diagnostic.config({ virtual_text = true }).

0.12 - Package Manager and Inline Completion (Dev)

Currently in development. The most significant additions.

Built-in package manager:

• vim.pack - Git-based package manager. vim.pack.add("user/repo") installs plugins. Lockfile support. No external plugin manager needed for basic setups.

LSP additions:

• Inline completion - vim.lsp.inline_completion for Copilot-style ghost text suggestions.
• :lsp command - CLI interface for LSP operations (:lsp start, :lsp stop, :lsp restart).
• Document color - Automatic color value highlighting in buffers.
• Linked editing range - Edit matching HTML tags or variable names simultaneously.
• On-type formatting - Auto-format as you type (e.g., adding semicolons, fixing indentation).
• Code lenses as virtual lines - Lenses render inline instead of above the line.

Editor:

• vim.net.request() - Built-in HTTP client. No curl shelling needed.
• vim.pos / vim.range - Position and range utilities.
• 'autocomplete' option - New option to control completion behavior.
• Zig build option - Build NeoVim with Zig as an alternative to CMake.
• Markdown tree-sitter highlighting default - Markdown uses tree-sitter by default.
• Statusline shows diagnostics/progress - Default statusline includes LSP information.
• exrc from parent directories - Project-local config files are found in parent directories too.
• :iput - Insert mode put command.
• :uniq - Remove duplicate lines.
• Prompt-buffer multiline - Command line supports multiline editing.

Upgrade Impact Summary