# nvim-cmp — Completion Engine for Neovim Written in Lua

> Auto-completion plugin for Neovim supporting LSP, buffer, path, and snippet sources.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# nvim-cmp — Completion Engine for Neovim Written in Lua

## Quick Use

Install via lazy.nvim: `{ "hrsh7th/nvim-cmp" }` along with source plugins such as `cmp-nvim-lsp`, `cmp-buffer`, `cmp-path`, and a snippet engine like LuaSnip. Call `cmp.setup({})` in your Neovim config to activate.

## Introduction

nvim-cmp is a completion engine for Neovim written entirely in Lua. It provides a flexible, extensible framework for autocompletion that integrates with Neovim's built-in LSP client and supports a wide range of completion sources through a plugin architecture. The repository is hrsh7th/nvim-cmp on GitHub with approximately 9,472 stars.

## What nvim-cmp Does

nvim-cmp collects completion candidates from multiple configurable sources—LSP servers, buffer words, file paths, snippets—and presents them in a unified popup menu. Users can navigate, filter, and confirm completions with customizable key mappings. The plugin handles fuzzy matching, sorting, and deduplication of candidates across sources.

## Architecture Overview

The core engine manages the completion pipeline: triggering, source collection, filtering, sorting, and rendering. Each completion source is a separate plugin that implements a simple interface. The matching system supports fuzzy, substring, and exact modes. A formatting layer lets users customize how each candidate appears in the menu. The snippet integration layer connects with engines like LuaSnip or vsnip for expand-and-jump behavior.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration

nvim-cmp runs locally inside Neovim. Install the core plugin and desired source plugins via your package manager. Configuration is done through `cmp.setup()` in Lua, where you specify sources, mappings, snippet expansion, formatting, and sorting. Separate `cmp.setup.cmdline()` calls configure command-line completion. No external servers or services are required.

## Key Features

- Extensible source plugin system (LSP, buffer, path, snippets, cmdline)
- Fuzzy matching with configurable sorting and filtering
- Custom formatting for completion menu items
- Ghost text preview of selected completions
- Native LSP integration via cmp-nvim-lsp
- Snippet expand-and-jump support through multiple engines
- Command-line completion for search and Ex commands

## Comparison with Similar Tools

Compared to coc.nvim, nvim-cmp is Lua-native and does not require Node.js, resulting in lower overhead. Unlike Neovim's built-in omnifunc, nvim-cmp provides asynchronous multi-source completion with a richer UI. coq_nvim offers a similar Lua-based approach but uses a SQLite backend for matching, while nvim-cmp relies on in-memory filtering. nvim-cmp's modular source system makes it straightforward to add or remove completion providers.

## FAQ

**Q: Does nvim-cmp require an LSP server?**
A: No. LSP is one source among many. You can use buffer, path, or snippet sources without any LSP server configured.

**Q: How do I add snippet support?**
A: Install a snippet engine plugin (e.g., LuaSnip) and its corresponding cmp source (cmp_luasnip), then configure the snippet.expand function in cmp.setup.

**Q: Can I use nvim-cmp for command-line completion?**
A: Yes. Use cmp.setup.cmdline() with the cmp-cmdline source to get completion in Neovim's command line.

## Sources

- GitHub repository: https://github.com/hrsh7th/nvim-cmp
- Wiki and documentation: https://github.com/hrsh7th/nvim-cmp/wiki

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-19121dab
Author: Script Depot