# lambdalisue/vim-fern

🌿 General purpose asynchronous tree viewer written in Pure Vim script

Repository: https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/vim-fern
Language: Vim Script
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: async, vim, neovim, filer, tree, viewer, drawer, windows, linux, mac, cross-platform, file-explorer
Last push: 2026-07-26T13:34:23+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 91/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 94, release rhythm 83, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2845, "days_push": 38, "days_rel": 38, "gap_med": 44, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1356, forks 52 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:29.246247+00:00)

## What it is
Fern is a general-purpose asynchronous tree viewer and file explorer plugin written in pure Vim script, supporting both Vim and Neovim without external dependencies. It can be used as a split-window filer (netrw style) or a project drawer (NERDTree style), with an ecosystem of plugins for icons and git status.

## Use cases
- browse and manage files in a vim file explorer
- replace netrw with an async tree viewer
- use a NERDTree-style project drawer in neovim
- open a file tree sidebar in vim
- navigate project directories from the editor
- view git status in a vim file tree

## When to choose
- you use Vim 8.2+ or Neovim and want a fast, dependency-free file tree
- you want both drawer and split-window filer modes
- you want an extensible plugin ecosystem (nerdfont, git status renderers)

## When to avoid
- you use an editor other than Vim/Neovim
- you prefer a built-in or GUI file manager outside the editor
- you need a VS Code-style explorer with rich UI beyond terminal trees

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: file-system, developer-tools, terminal-ui
- domain: developer-tools, text-editors, files
- platform: cross-platform, windows
- tags: vim-plugin, file-explorer, tree-viewer, async, filer, project-drawer, netrw-alternative, nerdtree-alternative, vim, neovim, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- lambdalisue/vim-fern (main) score 91

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:29.246247+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 2026-08-30T04:41:54.948393+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lambdalisue/vim-fern (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:29.246247+00:00, sha 26065320ae2d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.