slidev.nvim

Neovim plugin for Slidev - a presentation slides tool for developers.

This plugin allows you to use Slidev CLI features directly from Neovim, enabling you to create presentations without switching to other editors like VSCode.

Features

• Launch dev server with live preview
• Export to multiple formats (PDF, PNG, PPTX, Markdown)
• Production build (SPA)
• Markdown formatting
• Auto cleanup on buffer close
• Cross-platform support (macOS, Linux, Windows)

Requirements

• Neovim 0.7+
• Node.js and npm (required for Slidev CLI)
• Slidev CLI (recommended: global installation)

Installing Slidev CLI

# Global installation (recommended)
npm install -g @slidev/cli

# Or local installation per project
npm install -D @slidev/cli

# Can also use npx without installation

For Export Functionality

PDF/PNG/PPTX export requires Playwright:

# For global Slidev installation
npm install -g playwright-chromium

# For local installation
npm install -D playwright-chromium

Alternative: Browser Export

1. Start server with :SlidevPreview
2. Navigate to http://localhost:3030/export in browser
3. Use browser's print function to save as PDF

The plugin detects Slidev CLI in the following priority:

1. Command specified in config
2. Global installation (detected from PATH)
3. Local installation (node_modules/.bin/slidev)
4. Auto-run with npx (@slidev/cli@latest)

Installation

lazy.nvim

{
  'mei28/slidev.nvim',
  config = function()
    require('slidev').setup({
      -- Optional configuration (default values)
      port = 3030,
      auto_open_browser = true,
      debug = false,
    })
  end,
}

packer.nvim

use {
  'mei28/slidev.nvim',
  config = function()
    require('slidev').setup()
  end
}

vim-plug

Plug 'mei28/slidev.nvim'

lua << EOF
require('slidev').setup()
EOF

Usage

Commands

Command	Description
:SlidevPreview	Start dev server and open in browser
:SlidevWatch	Alias for SlidevPreview
:SlidevStop	Stop server for current buffer
:SlidevStopAll	Stop all servers
:SlidevExport [format]	Export (default: pdf)
:SlidevBuild	Build for production
:SlidevFormat	Format markdown
:SlidevStatus	Show detailed server status (all buffers)

Basic Workflow

1. Open a Slidev markdown file:

   :e slides.md

2. Start preview:

   :SlidevPreview

3. Edit with live reload

4. Export:

   :SlidevExport pdf
   " Output: <filename>-export.pdf (same directory as source file)

Configuration

require('slidev').setup({
  -- Path to Slidev CLI command (nil for auto-detect)
  slidev_command = nil,

  -- Default port for dev server
  port = 3030,

  -- Enable automatic browser opening
  auto_open_browser = true,

  -- Browser to use (nil for system default)
  browser = nil,

  -- Enable debug logging
  debug = false,

  -- Remote access configuration
  remote = nil,  -- nil or password string

  -- Theme specification
  theme = nil,
})

Lua API

local slidev = require('slidev')

-- Preview
slidev.preview()

-- Preview with custom port
slidev.preview({ port = 8080 })

-- Stop server
slidev.stop()

-- Stop all servers
slidev.stop_all()

-- Export
slidev.export('pdf')
slidev.export('png', { dark = true, range = '1-5' })

-- Custom output path
slidev.export('pdf', { output = '/path/to/output.pdf' })
slidev.export('pdf', { output = 'my-slides.pdf' })  -- relative path

-- Build
slidev.build()
slidev.build({ out = 'build', download = true })

-- Custom output directory
slidev.build({ output = '/path/to/dist' })
slidev.build({ output = 'public' })  -- relative path

-- Format
slidev.format()

-- Check server status
if slidev.is_running() then
  print('Server is running')
end

How It Works

slidev.nvim is implemented with an architecture inspired by marp.nvim:

1. CLI Detection: Prioritizes local node_modules/.bin/slidev, falls back to npx @slidev/cli@latest
2. Process Management: Launches Slidev CLI processes using vim.fn.jobstart()
3. Auto Cleanup: Automatically stops servers when buffers are closed
4. Browser Integration: Cross-platform browser launching

Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

1. Verify Slidev CLI is installed:

   npx @slidev/cli@latest --version

2. Enable debug mode:

   require('slidev').setup({ debug = true })

3. Check Neovim messages:

   :messages

Port Already in Use

Specify a different port:

:lua require('slidev').preview({ port = 8080 })

Or change default port in config:

require('slidev').setup({ port = 8080 })

Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests are welcome.

License

MIT

Acknowledgments

This plugin was inspired by marp.nvim.