CursorHoldI

CursorHoldI is an autocommand event in Vim and Neovim that fires while a user is in Insert mode after a period of inactivity. It is the Insert-mode counterpart to the CursorHold event, which triggers when the cursor is idle in Normal mode. Both events are tied to the updatetime setting and are commonly used to run lightweight actions during idle time, such as showing hints, performing background checks, or triggering integrations like language servers.

The timing for CursorHoldI is determined by the updatetime option. The default updatetime is typically 4000 milliseconds (4 seconds), but users can adjust it to a shorter interval to get faster responses. Lower values increase the frequency of idle-triggered actions and can impact editor responsiveness, so they are chosen based on user preference and performance considerations.

Common uses include invoking functions or commands after a period of inactivity in Insert mode. For example, one might display inline diagnostics, fetch or refresh contextual information, or trigger asynchronous code analysis. Autocommands for CursorHoldI are often paired with other autocommands or lazy-loading features to minimize disruption during active typing.

Examples:

- Vimscript: autocmd CursorHoldI * echom 'CursorHoldI fired in Insert mode'

- Neovim Lua: autocmd CursorHoldI * lua vim.lsp.buf.hover()

Notes: CursorHoldI relies on updatetime and may behave differently across Vim and Neovim builds. It is useful for lightweight idle-time actions but should be used judiciously to avoid unnecessary work during typing. See also CursorHold and the updatetime option.