pj.nvim

A Neovim plugin for quickly finding and navigating to projects using pj.

Features

🚀 Fast project discovery using the pj binary
🎨 Multiple picker UIs: Snacks, Telescope, fzf-lua, tv (television), mini.pick
🔍 Fuzzy search through your projects
📁 Instantly switch to project directories
💾 Leverages pj's intelligent caching
🎯 Icon support with Nerd Fonts
⌨️ Consistent keybindings across all pickers
🪟 Split, vsplit, and tab support
🗂️ Tab-local directory changing (matches Snacks behavior)
💼 Optional session manager integration (auto-session, persistence.nvim)
🔧 Extensible architecture for adding more pickers
📦 Automatic pj binary installation - Downloads the correct binary for your platform
🔄 Automatic updates - Keeps the pj binary up to date automatically

Requirements

Core:

Neovim >= 0.9.0
curl - For automatic binary download (optional if pj is installed manually)

pj Binary: The pj binary is automatically downloaded on first use. No manual installation required! The plugin detects your platform (macOS, Linux, or Windows) and architecture (Intel or ARM) and downloads the appropriate binary.

Important: If you have pj installed globally (in your PATH), it will be used instead of the auto-downloaded version. The plugin prefers system binaries by default (configurable via prefer_system option).

If you prefer to install pj manually, see Manual pj Installation.

Picker UI (choose one or more):

Snacks.nvim - For snacks picker (default)
Telescope.nvim - For telescope picker
fzf-lua - For fzf_lua picker
television - For tv picker
mini.pick or mini.nvim - For mini.pick picker

Optional:

Nerd Fonts - For icon display
auto-session - For session management
persistence.nvim - Alternative session manager

Installation

With Snacks (default picker)

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "folke/snacks.nvim",
  },
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {},
}

With Telescope

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim",
  },
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {
    picker = { type = "telescope" },
  },
}

With fzf-lua

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "ibhagwan/fzf-lua",
  },
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {
    picker = { type = "fzf_lua" },
  },
}

With television

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {
    picker = { type = "tv" },
  },
}

Note: The tv picker requires the television binary to be installed. It does not require tv.nvim.

With mini.pick

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "nvim-mini/mini.pick", -- or "nvim-mini/mini.nvim"
  },
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {
    picker = { type = "mini.pick" },
  },
}

With All Pickers (for flexibility)

-- Using lazy.nvim
{
  "josephschmitt/pj.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "folke/snacks.nvim",
    "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim",
    "ibhagwan/fzf-lua",
    "nvim-mini/mini.pick",
  },
  cmd = { "Pj", "PjCd" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", desc = "Find Projects" },
  },
  opts = {
    -- You can switch between pickers anytime by changing the type
    picker = { type = "snacks" }, -- or "telescope", "fzf_lua", "tv", or "mini.pick"
  },
}

Configuration

Default Configuration

require("pj").setup({
  -- pj binary settings
  pj = {
    cmd = "auto",                  -- "auto" (default), "pj", or "/path/to/pj"
    args = {},                     -- Additional arguments to pass to pj
    icons = true,                  -- Use icons in the picker
    cache = true,                  -- Use pj's built-in cache
    -- Auto-download settings (used when cmd = "auto")
    auto = {
      prefer_system = true,        -- Use system binary if available (default: true)
      check_updates = true,        -- Check for newer versions periodically
      auto_update = true,          -- Automatically install updates when found
      update_interval = 7,         -- Days between update checks
      github_repo = "josephschmitt/pj", -- GitHub repo for releases
    },
  },

  -- Picker settings
  picker = {
    type = "snacks",               -- Picker type: "snacks", "telescope", "fzf_lua", "tv", or "mini.pick"

    -- fzf-lua specific settings
    fzf_lua = {
      winopts = {
        height = 0.85,
        width = 0.80,
      },
      preview = {
        enabled = false,           -- Enable preview window
        cmd = "ls -la",            -- Command to show preview
      },
    },

    -- telescope specific settings
    telescope = {
      theme = nil,                 -- "dropdown", "ivy", "cursor", or nil for default
      layout_config = {
        width = 0.8,
        height = 0.9,
      },
      previewer = false,           -- Enable file previewer
    },

    -- tv (television) specific settings
    tv = {
      tv_binary = "tv",            -- Path to tv binary
      preview = {
        enabled = false,           -- Enable preview window
        cmd = "ls -la {}",         -- Preview command (use {} as placeholder)
        size = 50,                 -- Preview window size percentage
      },
    },
  },

  -- Behavior settings
  behavior = {
    cd_on_select = true,           -- Change directory when selecting a project
    cd_scope = "tab",              -- "tab" (tcd) or "global" (cd)
    close_on_select = true,        -- Close picker after selection
    notify_on_error = true,        -- Show error notifications
    session_manager = nil,         -- nil, "auto-session", or "persistence"
  },

  -- Keymaps (within the picker)
  keymaps = {
    open = "<CR>",                 -- Open project
    split = "<C-x>",               -- Open in horizontal split
    vsplit = "<C-v>",              -- Open in vertical split
    tab = "<C-t>",                 -- Open in new tab
    depth_increase = "<C-l>",      -- Increase search depth
    depth_decrease = "<C-h>",      -- Decrease search depth
  },

  -- Depth settings for project tree display
  depth = {
    initial = nil,                 -- Starting depth (nil = use pj's default of 3)
    min = 1,                       -- Minimum depth
    max = 10,                      -- Maximum depth
  },
})

Session Management Integration

pj.nvim can integrate with session manager plugins to automatically restore your workspace when switching projects. This matches the behavior of Snacks' projects picker.

With auto-session

require("pj").setup({
  behavior = {
    session_manager = "auto-session",
    cd_scope = "tab",  -- Recommended with session managers
  },
})

With persistence.nvim

require("pj").setup({
  behavior = {
    session_manager = "persistence",
    cd_scope = "tab",
  },
})

When a session manager is configured:

Selecting a project will try to restore its session
If no session exists, it just changes the directory
Open buffers are closed/restored based on the session
Your workspace state (windows, buffers, etc.) is preserved per-project

Simple directory change (no sessions)

require("pj").setup({
  behavior = {
    session_manager = nil,  -- Disable session management
    cd_scope = "global",     -- Use global cd instead of tcd
  },
})

This simpler mode just changes the working directory without affecting buffers.

Picker-Specific Configuration

Using Telescope with dropdown theme

require("pj").setup({
  picker = {
    type = "telescope",
    telescope = {
      theme = "dropdown",
      previewer = true,
      layout_config = {
        width = 0.9,
        height = 0.8,
      },
    },
  },
})

Using fzf-lua with preview

require("pj").setup({
  picker = {
    type = "fzf_lua",
    fzf_lua = {
      winopts = {
        height = 0.9,
        width = 0.9,
        preview = {
          layout = "vertical",
          vertical = "up:45%",
        },
      },
      preview = {
        enabled = true,
        cmd = "tree -C -L 2",
      },
    },
  },
})

Using television with preview

require("pj").setup({
  picker = {
    type = "tv",
    tv = {
      preview = {
        enabled = true,
        cmd = "tree -C -L 2 {}",
        size = 70,
      },
    },
  },
})

Using mini.pick with custom window

require("pj").setup({
  picker = {
    type = "mini.pick",
    mini = {
      window = {
        config = {
          width = 80,
          height = 20,
        },
      },
    },
  },
})

Custom pj configuration

require("pj").setup({
  pj = {
    args = { "--path", "~/work", "--path", "~/personal" },
    icons = true,
  },
  picker = {
    type = "telescope", -- Use your preferred picker
  },
})

Disable automatic directory change

require("pj").setup({
  behavior = {
    cd_on_select = false,
  },
})

Use a specific pj binary

-- Use system pj (must be in PATH)
require("pj").setup({
  pj = { cmd = "pj" },
})

-- Or specify exact path
require("pj").setup({
  pj = { cmd = "/usr/local/bin/pj" },
})

Disable auto-download (require manual installation)

require("pj").setup({
  pj = {
    cmd = "pj",  -- Will error if pj is not in PATH
  },
})

Usage

Commands

:Pj - Open the project picker
:Pj depth=N - Open picker at specific depth (e.g., :Pj depth=2)
:PjCd - Open picker (alias for changing directory)
:PjCheckUpdates - Check for pj binary updates
:PjUpdate - Update pj binary to latest version
:PjReinstall - Force reinstall pj binary (for troubleshooting)
:PjUninstall - Remove auto-downloaded pj binary

Keymaps

The plugin doesn't set any global keymaps by default. Add your own:

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>fp", "<cmd>Pj<cr>", { desc = "Find Projects" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>fP", "<cmd>PjCd<cr>", { desc = "Change to Project" })

Lua API

-- Open the picker
require("pj").open()

-- Open with runtime options
require("pj").open({ no_cache = true })

-- Change directory only
require("pj").cd()

How It Works

Project Discovery: The plugin calls the pj binary to discover projects in your configured directories
Caching: pj uses intelligent caching to make subsequent searches nearly instant
Fuzzy Search: Snacks.nvim provides a beautiful picker UI with fuzzy search
Navigation: Selecting a project changes Neovim's working directory to that project

Health Check

Run :checkhealth pj to verify your installation and configuration.

The health check will verify:

pj binary status (auto-download mode, system binary, or custom path)
Platform detection and compatibility
Your configured picker is available (Snacks/Telescope/fzf-lua/tv/mini.pick)
Configuration is valid
Projects can be discovered
Show all available pickers and their status

Troubleshooting

Binary Priority

When pj.cmd = "auto" (the default), the plugin uses binaries in this order:

System binary - If pj is found in your PATH (when prefer_system = true)
Auto-downloaded binary - Falls back to cached binary if no system binary found
Auto-download - Downloads binary on first use if neither exists

This means if you install pj globally later, it will automatically be used instead of the auto-downloaded version.

"pj binary not found"

By default, pj.nvim automatically downloads the pj binary on first use. If auto-download fails:

Check curl is installed - Required for downloading
Check your internet connection
Run :checkhealth pj - Shows detailed status and troubleshooting info

You can also manually trigger a download:

:lua require('pj.binary').ensure_binary()

Manual pj Installation

If you prefer to install pj manually instead of using auto-download:

# Using Go
go install github.com/josephschmitt/pj@latest

# Or download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/josephschmitt/pj/releases

Then configure pj.nvim to use the system binary:

require("pj").setup({
  pj = { cmd = "pj" }  -- Use system binary instead of auto-download
})

Or specify a custom path:

require("pj").setup({
  pj = { cmd = "/path/to/pj" }
})

Picker not found errors

If you get errors about missing picker dependencies:

For Snacks picker:

-- Make sure snacks.nvim is installed
{
  "folke/snacks.nvim",
  -- your snacks config
}

For Telescope picker:

-- Make sure telescope is installed
{
  "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim",
  dependencies = { "nvim-lua/plenary.nvim" }
}

For fzf-lua picker:

-- Make sure fzf-lua is installed
{
  "ibhagwan/fzf-lua",
  dependencies = { "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons" } -- optional for icons
}

For tv picker:

# Install television binary (choose one method)

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install television

# Cargo (Rust)
cargo install television

# Or download from: https://github.com/alexpasmantier/television/releases

For mini.pick picker:

-- Make sure mini.pick is installed
{
  "nvim-mini/mini.pick",
  -- or use the full mini.nvim if you want other mini modules
  -- "nvim-mini/mini.nvim",
}

Switching between pickers

You can easily switch pickers by changing the configuration:

require("pj").setup({
  picker = {
    type = "telescope", -- Change to "snacks", "telescope", "fzf_lua", "tv", or "mini.pick"
  },
})

"No projects found"

Check your pj configuration at ~/.config/pj/config.yaml:

search_paths:
  - ~/projects
  - ~/code
  - ~/development

markers:
  - .git
  - go.mod
  - package.json

Run pj in your terminal to verify it's working correctly.

Icons not showing

Make sure you have a Nerd Font installed and configured in your terminal.

Future Enhancements

Development

Running Tests

The plugin uses mini.test for testing.

# Install test dependencies
make deps

# Run all tests
make test

# Run a specific test file
make test-file FILE=tests/unit/depth_spec.lua

Test Structure

tests/
├── init.lua              # Test runner entry point
├── helpers.lua           # Shared test utilities and mocks
├── minimal_init.lua      # Minimal Neovim config for tests
├── unit/                 # Unit tests
│   ├── config_spec.lua   # Configuration tests
│   ├── depth_spec.lua    # Depth state machine tests
│   ├── finder_spec.lua   # Parser function tests
│   ├── icons_spec.lua    # Icon lookup tests
│   ├── session_spec.lua  # Session/directory switching tests
│   └── utils_spec.lua    # Utility function tests
└── fixtures/             # Test data
    ├── projects.json     # Sample JSON output from pj
    ├── projects.txt      # Sample text output with icons
    └── projects_no_icons.txt

Git Hooks

This project uses lefthook for pre-push hooks to run tests automatically.

# Install lefthook (choose one)
brew install lefthook
# or: npm install -g lefthook
# or: go install github.com/evilmartians/lefthook@latest

# Enable hooks for this repo
lefthook install

Once installed, tests will run automatically before each git push.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Before submitting, please ensure tests pass:

make test

License

MIT

Related Projects

pj - The underlying project finder
Snacks.nvim - The picker UI framework

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 27 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
lua/pj		lua/pj
plugin		plugin
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
lefthook.yml		lefthook.yml

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pj.nvim

Features

Requirements

Installation

With Snacks (default picker)

With Telescope

With fzf-lua

With television

With mini.pick

With All Pickers (for flexibility)

Configuration

Default Configuration

Session Management Integration

With auto-session

With persistence.nvim

Simple directory change (no sessions)

Picker-Specific Configuration

Using Telescope with dropdown theme

Using fzf-lua with preview

Using television with preview

Using mini.pick with custom window

Custom pj configuration

Disable automatic directory change

Use a specific pj binary

Disable auto-download (require manual installation)

Usage

Commands

Keymaps

Lua API

How It Works

Health Check

Troubleshooting

Binary Priority

"pj binary not found"

Manual pj Installation

Picker not found errors

Switching between pickers

"No projects found"

Icons not showing

Future Enhancements

Development

Running Tests

Test Structure

Git Hooks

Contributing

License

Related Projects

About

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