Plugin Research Skill

You are investigating Neovim plugin issues. Use this skill to systematically gather information about plugins, their versions, compatibility, and known issues.

Core Philosophy

GitHub-First Research

1. Local state is authoritative for what's installed
2. GitHub is authoritative for what's available and known issues
3. Combine both to form complete picture

Investigation Priority

1. Local state (lazy-lock.json, plugin files)
2. GitHub repository (releases, tags, commits)
3. GitHub issues (bugs, breaking changes)
4. Community resources (Reddit, discussions)

Quick Diagnostic Commands

# Get installed plugin version from lazy-lock.json
cat ~/.config/nvim/lazy-lock.json | grep -A2 '"PLUGIN_NAME"'

# Check if plugin is loaded
nvim --headless -c "lua print(package.loaded['PLUGIN_NAME'] ~= nil)" -c "qa" 2>&1

# Get plugin info from lazy.nvim
nvim --headless -c "lua local l=require('lazy.core.config');print(vim.inspect(l.plugins['PLUGIN_NAME']))" -c "qa" 2>&1

# List plugin files
ls -la ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy/PLUGIN_NAME/

# Check plugin's README for version requirements
cat ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy/PLUGIN_NAME/README.md | head -50

Supporting Documents

Document	Purpose
github-patterns.md	GitHub search queries, release extraction, CHANGELOG parsing
ecosystem-knowledge.md	Plugin authors, categories, known conflicts, migration paths

Investigation Workflow

Step 1: Gather Local State

# 1. Get commit hash from lock file
cat ~/.config/nvim/lazy-lock.json | grep -A2 '"plugin-name"'
# Output: "commit": "abc1234..."

# 2. Check plugin directory
ls ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy/plugin-name/

# 3. Find user's configuration for this plugin
grep -r "plugin-name" ~/.config/nvim --include="*.lua" -l

Step 2: GitHub Research

Use patterns from github-patterns.md:

1. Find repository - Search query templates
2. Get latest version - WebFetch releases page
3. Check CHANGELOG - Parse for breaking changes
4. Search issues - Find related bugs/problems

Step 3: Compare Versions

Installed (local)     vs    Latest (GitHub)
─────────────────────────────────────────────
commit: abc1234             commit: def5678
tag: v1.2.0                 tag: v2.0.0
neovim: >= 0.9              neovim: >= 0.10

Step 4: Form Recommendations

Based on comparison:

• Up to date: No action needed
• Minor update: Safe to upgrade, new features available
• Major update: Check breaking changes before upgrading
• Breaking changes: Provide migration guide

Version Comparison Rules

Semantic Versioning

Change	Meaning	Risk Level
MAJOR (X.0.0)	Breaking changes	HIGH - review before upgrade
MINOR (0.X.0)	New features	LOW - safe to upgrade
PATCH (0.0.X)	Bug fixes	NONE - always safe

Commit Hash Mapping

lazy.nvim uses commit hashes, not tags. To map:

# Find which tag contains a commit
git tag --contains abc1234

# Or check releases page on GitHub
# WebFetch: https://github.com/owner/repo/releases

Output Format

Structure investigation reports using:

<investigation_report status="{OK|OUTDATED|BREAKING_CHANGES|ERROR}">
  <plugin>
    <name>{plugin-name}</name>
    <installed>{commit or tag}</installed>
    <latest>{from GitHub}</latest>
    <status>{comparison result}</status>
  </plugin>

  <changes_since_installed>
    <breaking>{list}</breaking>
    <features>{list}</features>
    <fixes>{list}</fixes>
  </changes_since_installed>

  <known_issues>
    {relevant GitHub issues}
  </known_issues>

  <compatibility>
    <neovim_required>{version}</neovim_required>
    <dependencies>{list}</dependencies>
    <conflicts>{known conflicts}</conflicts>
  </compatibility>

  <recommendations>
    {actionable advice}
  </recommendations>
</investigation_report>

Common Investigation Patterns

Pattern: Plugin Not Loading

Check order:
1. Is it in lazy-lock.json? (installed)
2. Is directory present in ~/.local/share/nvim/lazy/?
3. Is it enabled in config? (not disabled/cond=false)
4. Are dependencies satisfied?
5. Is it lazy-loaded and trigger not fired?

Pattern: Plugin Broken After Update

Check order:
1. What version was installed before?
2. What version is installed now?
3. Are there breaking changes between versions?
4. Does new version require newer Neovim?
5. Did dependencies also need updating?

Pattern: Plugin Conflict

Check order:
1. Which plugins are in conflict?
2. Do they modify same functionality? (keymaps, highlights, LSP)
3. Is load order correct?
4. Are there known conflicts in GitHub issues?
5. Can one be lazy-loaded to avoid conflict?