# wbthomason/packer.nvim

A use-package inspired plugin manager for Neovim. Uses native packages, supports Luarocks dependencies, written in Lua, allows for expressive config

Repository: https://github.com/wbthomason/packer.nvim
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/packernvim
Language: Lua
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: neovim, nvim, lua, plugin-manager, neovim-plugin, packer, package-manager
Last push: 2024-03-05T19:20:31+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3209, "days_push": 911, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 8096, forks 267 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:12.677917+00:00)

## What it is
packer.nvim is a use-package-inspired plugin manager for Neovim, written in Lua, supporting declarative specs, Luarocks dependencies, and compiled lazy-loading. It is now unmaintained, with lazy.nvim and pckr.nvim recommended as replacements.

## Use cases
- manage neovim plugins declaratively in lua
- lazy-load vim plugins to speed up startup
- install luarocks dependencies for neovim plugins
- specify plugin git branches tags and revisions
- run post-install hooks for neovim plugins

## When to choose
- you maintain an existing neovim config already built on packer
- you need its specific lazy-loading compilation behavior in a legacy setup

## When to avoid
- starting a new neovim configuration - use lazy.nvim instead
- you want a maintained plugin manager with active bug fixes
- you need support for newer neovim-only features going forward

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: abandoned
- function: package-manager, plugin-system, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, text-editors
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: neovim, lua, plugin-manager, lazy-loading, luarocks, unmaintained, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- wbthomason/packer.nvim (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:12.677917+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:30:42.779870+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/wbthomason/packer.nvim (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:12.677917+00:00, sha 51778c7cb0b3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.