>_VIM-ZSH — ZSHRS IN VIM AND NEOVIM
Load it with pathogen, get full zshrs support in Vim / Neovim. zshrs is the Rust rewrite of zsh — the first compiled Unix shell. vim-zsh registers the zshrs filetype for zsh files, dotfiles, and zsh shebangs, highlights with a standalone zshrs grammar generated from zshrs --dump-reflection (137 builtins, 113 extensions, 245 special vars, 24+10 keywords), indents with a shell-block-aware indenter, wires up zshrs -n as an ALE linter, and registers zshrs --lsp for vim-lsp and coc.nvim. The filetype is zshrs (not zsh), so Vim's bundled zsh highlighter is never clobbered.
Install
The zshrs binary must be on $PATH for linting and LSP (build zshrs). Then drop the plugin into your runtimepath:
# pathogen
cd ~/.vim/bundle
git clone https://github.com/MenkeTechnologies/vim-zsh
# then, inside vim: :Helptags
# vim-plug (add to ~/.vimrc / init.vim)
Plug 'MenkeTechnologies/vim-zsh'
# native packages (Vim 8+ / Neovim)
git clone https://github.com/MenkeTechnologies/vim-zsh \
~/.vim/pack/plugins/start/vim-zsh
Open any .zsh file and it lights up — no further configuration. Help: :help vim-zsh.
What you get
Filetype detection
zsh files (*.zsh …), dotfiles (.zshrc …), and extensionless scripts with a #!/usr/bin/env zsh shebang all become filetype=zshrs.
Syntax highlighting
A standalone zshrs grammar — 137 builtins, 113 extensions, 245 special vars, keywords, sigil variables, strings, here-docs, and command substitution — generated from zshrs --dump-reflection, not a perl / zsh reskin.
Indentation
A standalone shell-block-aware indenter — indents after a line that opens a block / paren / bracket or a do / then / in, dedents done / fi / esac / closing delimiters.
Linting (ALE)
Runs zshrs -n over the buffer and surfaces zsh: parse error … diagnostics inline. Skips silently if ALE is absent.
Language server
Registers zshrs --lsp for vim-lsp, allowlisted for zshrs + zsh. coc.nvim snippet in the README.
Zero config
No settings required. Two opt-outs: g:vim_zsh_no_ale and g:vim_zsh_no_lsp to skip either integration.
Token categories
The grammar is generated from the zshrs binary's own reflection tables (zshrs --dump-reflection) — the .builtins, .extensions, and .special_vars tables — plus the static shell keyword grammar:
| Group | Tokens (sample) |
|---|---|
| Declarations (10) | declare export float integer let local readonly set shift typeset |
| Control flow (24) | if elif else fi for foreach while until do done case esac function select repeat return |
| Builtins (137) | bindkey cd echo print read setopt unsetopt zmodload zle zstyle autoload bg fg jobs |
| Extensions (113) | async await barrier arch base64 fold — zshrs-specific, own highlight |
| Special variables (245) | PATH HOME PWD ZSH_VERSION RANDOM LINENO SECONDS HISTFILE |
| Sigil variables | $name ${...} $1 $# $@ $? $! $$ $* $- |
Single / double quoted strings with $var / ${...} interpolation and escapes, backtick and $(...) command substitution, here-docs (<<EOF / <<- / <<'EOF'), numbers, comments, and the shebang are handled too. Everything links to standard highlight groups, so every colorscheme covers it without bespoke tuning.
Layout
vim-zsh/ ├── ftdetect/zshrs.vim # *.zsh + dotfiles + zsh shebang -> filetype=zshrs ├── syntax/zshrs.vim # standalone zshrs grammar (generated; 137 builtins, 113 extensions, 245 special vars) ├── ftplugin/zshrs.vim # commentstring '# %s', comments, formatoptions ├── indent/zshrs.vim # standalone shell-block-aware indenter ├── plugin/zshrs.vim # ALE linter + vim-lsp + coc wiring └── doc/zshrs.txt # :help vim-zsh
Standard Vim runtime layout, so pathogen / vim-plug / native packages add it to runtimepath with no special handling. Licensed MIT.
Compatibility
| Editor / plugin | Status |
|---|---|
| Vim 8+ | Filetype, syntax, indent, ftplugin |
| Neovim | Same runtime files |
| ALE | zshrs -n linter |
| vim-lsp | zshrs --lsp server |
| coc.nvim | languageserver config in README |