explaingit

cknadler/vim-anywhere

Analysis updated 2026-07-03

★ 3,753ShellAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

Vim-anywhere is a tiny shell script that opens a Vim window from any application via a keyboard shortcut, then pastes everything you typed back to your clipboard so you can use Vim editing everywhere.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((vim-anywhere))
    What it does
      Global Vim shortcut
      Clipboard paste-back
      Session history
    Platforms
      macOS with MacVim
      Linux with gVim
      Gnome and i3
    Use Cases
      Writing emails in Vim
      Web form editing
      Slack messages
    Tech Stack
      Shell
      Vim
      MacVim
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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Press a keyboard shortcut while composing an email in any app, write it in Vim, close the window, and paste the text directly into the email.

USE CASE 2

Draft a long Slack message using Vim motion keys and editing shortcuts, then paste it into the Slack message box without touching the mouse.

USE CASE 3

Fill in complex text fields on websites using Vim instead of the browser's basic text input.

USE CASE 4

Reopen a recent writing session from vim-anywhere's temporary history to continue editing text you started earlier.

What is it built with?

ShellVimMacVimgVim

How does it compare?

cknadler/vim-anywhereyonggekkk/x-ui-ygwslutilities/wslu
Stars3,7533,7443,743
LanguageShellShellShell
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity1/53/52/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires MacVim on macOS or gVim plus a Gnome desktop or i3 window manager on Linux.

Use, modify, and distribute freely for any purpose including commercial projects, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

Vim-anywhere is a small shell script that lets you use the Vim text editor to write text in any application on your computer, not just in a terminal. Vim is a keyboard-driven editor beloved by many programmers, but it only works inside its own window. Vim-anywhere bridges that gap. When you trigger a keyboard shortcut (Control+Command+V on macOS, or Control+Alt+V on Linux), vim-anywhere opens a Vim window. You type whatever you want inside it, using all the normal Vim keystrokes you know. When you close the Vim window, everything you typed is automatically copied to your clipboard and your original application comes back into focus. You then just paste normally. This makes it practical to write emails, fill in web forms, draft Slack messages, or enter text anywhere on your computer using Vim editing, without needing to copy-paste manually each time. The README describes the manual version of this workflow as the author's usual process, and this tool automates it. Installation runs through a single curl command. On macOS it requires MacVim, on Linux it requires gVim and a Gnome-based desktop or the i3 window manager. The tool also saves a temporary history of every session in a system temp folder, so you can reopen recent buffers if needed. The history clears when you restart your machine. The project is open source under the MIT license and accepts contributions.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I installed vim-anywhere on macOS with MacVim. Walk me through triggering it from Chrome so I can write a GitHub issue body in Vim and paste it back into the browser.
Prompt 2
How do I change the vim-anywhere keyboard shortcut from Control+Alt+V to a different combination on Linux with i3?
Prompt 3
Write a vimrc snippet that automatically enters insert mode and sets the file type to markdown whenever vim-anywhere opens a new buffer.
Prompt 4
How does vim-anywhere store its session history, and what shell command lets me list or reopen recent buffers?

Frequently asked questions

What is vim-anywhere?

Vim-anywhere is a tiny shell script that opens a Vim window from any application via a keyboard shortcut, then pastes everything you typed back to your clipboard so you can use Vim editing everywhere.

What language is vim-anywhere written in?

Mainly Shell. The stack also includes Shell, Vim, MacVim.

What license does vim-anywhere use?

Use, modify, and distribute freely for any purpose including commercial projects, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is vim-anywhere to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is vim-anywhere for?

Mainly developer.

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