kilo.nvim

Neovim plugin that integrates the Kilo TUI into your editor: a toggleable terminal split plus one-keystroke file mentions that attach context straight to the prompt.

kilo.nvim does few things but it does them well. It only takes care of the communication between Neovim and Kilo. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel by re-implementing Kilo features within Neovim or vice-versa.

Features

• Toggle a terminal split running kilo in your current working directory
• Move the split between the bottom and the right side, and then back
• Send the current line or a visual selection to Kilo as a file mention
• Implements the editor-integration protocol
• Hardened against real-world terminal edge cases
• A real :checkhealth kilo provider
• :KiloToggle, :KiloToggleSide and :[range]KiloSend for command-driven use

Requirements

• Neovim 0.11+
• kilo on PATH
• openssl on PATH (optional): required for the editor integration channel. Without it, mentions fall back to typed text. :checkhealth kilo reports this.

Install

lazy.nvim

{
  "Kilo-Org/kilo.nvim",
  config = function()
    ---@type kilo.Opts
    vim.g.kilo_opts = {
      -- Your configuration, if any
    }
  end,
}

vim.pack

vim.pack.add({ src = "https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilo.nvim" })

Type checking with lazydev.nvim

---@type kilo.Opts annotations only resolve if your Lua LSP knows where to find kilo.nvim's type definitions. If you use lazydev.nvim, add a library entry for it:

{
  "folke/lazydev.nvim",
  opts = {
    library = {
      { path = "kilo.nvim", words = { "kilo" } },
    },
  },
},

Without this, editing vim.g.kilo_opts still works at runtime, but lua_ls reports "Undefined type or alias kilo.Opts" as a diagnostic.

Configuration

The snippet below shows the default values.

---@type kilo.Opts
vim.g.kilo_opts = {
  -- Split height when the split is at the bottom: a ratio of the window
  -- (0 < h <= 1) or a row count (h > 1).
  height = 0.30,
  -- Split width when the split is on the side: a ratio of the window
  -- (0 < w <= 1) or a column count (w > 1).
  width = 0.40,
  -- Side for a new split: "bottom" or "right".
  side = "right",
  -- Keymaps to register. Set to false to register none. Set an individual
  -- key to false to disable only that one.
  keys = {
    toggle = "<leader>k.", -- toggle the Kilo terminal
    range = "<leader>kr", -- send the visual selection
    line = "<leader>kl", -- send the current line
    side = "<leader>ks", -- move the split between the bottom and the right
  },
}

Options are read from vim.g.kilo_opts at call time. Keymaps are registered once on VimEnter, so the table can be set in either lazy.nvim's init = or config = function.

Usage

Action	Default keymap	Command
Toggle the Kilo terminal	<leader>k.	:KiloToggle
Move the split between bottom and right	<leader>ks	:KiloToggleSide
Send the current line	<leader>kl	:KiloSend
Send the visual selection	<leader>kr	:KiloSend (with a range)
Send lines 5-9		:5,9KiloSend

Other usage tips, not specific to kilo.nvim:

• If mouse support is enabled in your Neovim config, you can use it to drag the separator and resize the Kilo split
• You can also click on the Kilo split or any other to focus them
• Use Ctrl+j to insert a newline in the prompt box
• Use Ctrl+c (once!) to clear the prompt box
• Use Ctrl+d within the Kilo split to exit Kilo and close the split

API

require("kilo") exposes:

• toggle(): toggle the Kilo terminal split
• toggle_side(): move the split between the bottom and the right
• send_line(): send the current line to Kilo
• send_selection(): send the current visual selection to Kilo

Editor integration

When the Kilo terminal starts, kilo.nvim listens on a local WebSocket. If Kilo connects back (over KILO_EDITOR_SSE_PORT), file mentions are delivered over that channel and appear attached to the prompt. If no Kilo is connected, mentions are typed into the terminal as @path#L-L, which Kilo's file autocomplete parses.

Health

Run :checkhealth kilo to verify the kilo binary, openssl, the Neovim version, and the editor-integration state.