vimee
Headless Vim Engine for the Web
Pure functions. Zero dependencies. Any framework.
What is vimee?
A headless Vim engine that runs anywhere JavaScript does.
Pure Functions
Give it a keystroke and state, get back new state and actions. No side effects, no DOM, no surprises.
Zero Dependencies
Pure TypeScript. No runtime baggage. The core engine is just 2.8kB gzipped.
Any Framework
React, Vue, Svelte, vanilla JS — bindings are thin wrappers over the pure engine.
Live Demo
A real Vim editor. Right here in the browser.
Features
Everything you expect from Vim, in a pure JavaScript engine.
Six Editing Modes
Normal, Insert, Visual, Visual-Line, Visual-Block, and Command-Line — all faithfully implemented.
Rich Motions
h j k l w b e 0 $ ^ gg G f F t T — navigate with the full Vim vocabulary.
Operators & Counts
d y c > < combined with motions, text objects, and counts. 3dd, 2dw, ci" — it just works.
Text Objects
iw aw i" a" i( a( i[ a[ i{ a{ — select and operate on semantic chunks of text.
Search & Replace
/pattern n N for searching, :s/old/new/g for replacing. Full regex support.
Macros & Marks
q{a-z} to record, @{a-z} to play. m{a-z} to mark, '{a-z} to jump. Automate everything.
Architecture
One pure function. No side effects. No surprises.
Input
keystroke state Processor
processKeystroke() Output
newState VimAction[] VimAction types
No DOM Access
The engine never touches the DOM.
No Side Effects
Pure in, pure out. Every time.
Fully Testable
Unit test every keystroke.
Framework Agnostic
Works everywhere JS runs.
Packages
A modular ecosystem. Use only what you need.
@vimee/core
Headless Vim engine. Zero dependencies, framework agnostic. The pure-function core that powers everything.
npm install @vimee/core @vimee/react
React hooks for Vim. useVim() returns content, cursor, mode, and a key handler. Thin reactive wrapper.
npm install @vimee/react @vimee/shiki-editor
Drop-in code editor with Shiki syntax highlighting. One component, full Vim experience.
npm install @vimee/shiki-editor @vimee/plugin-textarea
Vim mode for any textarea. attach() and go. Works with vanilla JS, shadcn/ui, or anything.
npm install @vimee/plugin-textarea Quick Start
Install. Import. Done. Just a few lines.
npm install @vimee/core @vimee/react @vimee/shiki-editor shikiThat's it. A full Vim editor in a few lines.