Shougo/defx.nvim

Health v2 · maintenance only

Flags: no_releases

Adoption not part of the score

1157 stars · 82 forks observed · 2026-08-28

What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-30, confidence not recorded

Defx.nvim is a file explorer (filer) plugin for Neovim and Vim 8, implemented in Python 3, replacing the deprecated vimfiler plugin. It offers column-based UI, source features, extended rename, and marking, and is now in maintenance mode with only bug fixes.

Use cases

• browse and navigate files inside neovim
• file tree explorer for vim
• rename and manage files from within vim
• replace vimfiler with a modern vim file manager
• open and edit files in a sidebar-like filer in neovim

When to choose

• you use Neovim 0.4+ or Vim 8.2 with Python 3 and want a powerful, customizable file explorer
• you liked vimfiler or denite-style filers and want a maintained replacement
• you want column-based display, marking, and extended rename features

When to avoid

• you want actively developed software - the author recommends ddu.vim with ddu-ui-filer instead
• you cannot install Python 3.6+ support (pynvim) or the nvim-yarp shim for Vim 8
• you prefer a zero-dependency pure-VimL file explorer like netrw or nvim-tree

Facets

plugin · maturity maintenance

file-system developer-tools terminal-ui developer-tools text-editors files windows editor-plugin python vim-plugin neovim file-explorer file-manager vim8 linux macos

Member repositories

For agents

markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="Shougo/defx.nvim")