leaderf

LeaderF is a fast fuzzy finder plugin for Vim and Neovim that centralizes navigation tasks by presenting an incremental list of candidates for common actions such as opening files, switching buffers, jumping to tags, or browsing recent history. It is designed to be responsive even in large projects, helping users locate targets quickly as they type.

The plugin emphasizes speed through asynchronous searching and by leveraging external search tools when available. It can integrate with backends such as ripgrep, ag, or fd to accelerate content and file searches, while still functioning with Vim’s built-in capabilities if those tools are not present. LeaderF supports multiple search modes and a live preview pane, giving users context about the selected item before opening it. It is compatible with both Vim and Neovim and can adapt to different UI environments, including support for a floating window in Neovim.

Usage is centered around invoking LeaderF to start an interactive prompt. Users typically call it with a general command to enter a global search mode, or with mode-specific variants to focus on files, buffers, tags, lines, or commands. As the user types, the results refine in real time, and selecting an entry jumps to the corresponding location in the project.

Configuration is achieved through global variables, allowing users to customize the backend, layout, and behavior. LeaderF is commonly compared with other fuzzy finders such as fzf, ctrlp.vim, and Telescope, and it remains popular for its speed, flexibility, and Vim/Neovim integration.

See also: fuzzy finder, fzf, ctrlp.vim, Telescope.