helix-editor/helix

Helix is a terminal-based text editor written in Rust that takes inspiration from two other keyboard-driven editors: Vim and Kakoune. Like Vim, it uses a "modal" editing model, meaning the keyboard serves different purposes depending on what mode you are in. In "normal" mode, key presses move the cursor, select text, and run commands. In "insert" mode, key presses type characters. This design lets experienced users edit code without ever touching a mouse, and with very few keystrokes once the keybindings are learned. Where Helix diverges from Vim is in how it handles text selection. It follows Kakoune's "selection-first" model: you first select what you want to operate on, then you perform an action on the selection. This feels more predictable and reversible than Vim's verb-first approach. Helix also has native support for multiple cursors, you can place several cursors in different parts of a file and type the same thing in all places simultaneously. Two features that distinguish Helix from older modal editors are its built-in Language Server Protocol support and tree-sitter syntax highlighting. Language Server Protocol (LSP) is a standard way for editors to communicate with language-specific tools that provide features like autocompletion, go-to-definition, inline error highlighting, and rename refactoring, without needing to install any plugins. Tree-sitter is a fast, incremental parsing system that gives Helix genuinely accurate syntax highlighting and structure-aware editing (like selecting the nearest function argument) rather than relying on regex-based guessing. Helix requires no plugin installation or configuration to get these features working, they are included and set up automatically for many languages. This makes it a strong choice for developers who want a fast, keyboard-centric editor that just works out of the box. The tech stack is Rust. It runs in any terminal on Linux, macOS, and Windows.