active-files.nvim

Neovim plugin that allows switching between recently used files — similar to Switcher in JetBrains or Active Files in Visual Studio.

Table of Contents

• The problem
• The solution
• Repository structure
• Functionalities
• Installation
  • Vim-Plug
  • Packer
• Commands
• Setup

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The problem ⚠️

In modern IDEs like Visual Studio and JetBrains products, there's always a fast way to jump between recently opened files. In Neovim, this often requires fuzzy finders or full buffer lists, which don’t reflect recency in a consistent way and may include irrelevant or closed buffers.

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The solution 🏆

active-files.nvim provides a clean, dedicated UI to quickly access the last N files you've worked on — sorted by recency of usage. With a popup window, non-intrusive indexing, and direct file switching, this gives you a workflow familiar to JetBrains and VS users — but native to Neovim.

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Repository structure 📂

active-files.nvim/
├── LICENSE
├── lua
│   └── active-files
│       ├── commands.lua    # Exposed commands
│       ├── init.lua        # Plugin entry point
│       ├── ui.lua          # UI and switching logic
│       └── util.lua        # Utility helpers
└── README.md

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Functionalities ⛏️

• Automatically tracks most recently opened files
• Floating window UI inspired by JetBrains and Visual Studio
• Jump to file by number key (1–9)
• Displays filenames with relative paths
• Configurable number of active files --planned
• Configurable active files sorting criteria -- planned

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Installation ⭐

Requires Neovim v0.9+. No external dependencies required.

Vim-Plug

Plug 'jkeresman01/active-files.nvim'

Packer

use 'jkeresman01/active-files.nvim'

---

Commands 🔧

These are the available user commands:

Command	Description
:ShowActiveFiles	Show floating popup with active files
:SelectActiveFile	Select a file from the floating window (internal)
:SwitchToActiveFile n	Immediately switch to file at index n

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Setup 🛠️

Set the keybindings to match your workflow here is one example:

require("active-files").setup()

vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-s>", "<CMD>ShowActiveFiles<CR>", { desc = "Show active files" })

-- Optional 
for i = 1, 9 do
  vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>" .. i, function()
    vim.cmd("SwitchToActiveFile " .. i)
  end, { noremap = true, silent = true, desc = "Switch to active file " .. i })
end

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("FileType", {
  pattern = "active-files",
  callback = function(args)
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<CR>", "<CMD>SelectActiveFile<CR>", { buffer = args.buf, silent = true })
  end,
})

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Keybinding	Mode	Description
<C-s>	n	Show the active files floating popup
<leader>1–9	n	Jump directly to the N-th most recent file
<CR>	n	Inside popup: open the selected file