2026-02-08
Vim isn't dead. It's just been waiting for the right moment to evolve. 🦞
Last week, I submitted PR #14154 to the Ollama project, a new ollama launch vim command that brings AI-assisted coding directly to the terminal. If you're a vim die-hard like me, this matters. Here's why.
The editor wars have raged for decades, but one truth remains: vim users are stubborn. We refuse to leave the terminal. We memorize key combinations like religious texts. And now, we don't have to abandon our beloved editor to get AI assistance.
Most AI coding tools force you into browser-based interfaces or bloated IDEs. That's fine for some workflows, but vim users operate differently. We're fast, we're keyboard-driven and we value minimal resource usage. Adding AI shouldn't mean sacrificing the efficiency that makes vim special.
ollama launch vim Actually DoesThe command isn't just a wrapper, it's a complete integration:
Zero .vimrc Modification
Instead of editing your vim configuration, the command auto-installs the gergap/vim-ollama plugin to ~/.vim/pack/ollama/start/ and sources separate config files. Your .vimrc stays untouched. This matters when you manage dotfiles across machines or share configurations with teams.
Auto-Pull Missing Models
If you try using a model that isn't downloaded, ollama launch vim pulls it automatically with progress bars. No manual ollama pull llama3.2 commands needed. The integration handles the infrastructure so you can focus on coding.
Sensible Defaults, Configurable Options
The default setup works out of the box using Ollama's standard local configuration. But power users can customize model selection, host endpoints and key mappings through ~/.vim/config/ollama.vim.
Context Menu Integration Right-click (or use your leader key bindings) to get AI suggestions inline. No popup windows stealing focus, just vim being vim, now with an AI copilot.
Why vim first? Because proving the pattern on a minimal, terminal-based editor validates the approach for everything else.
Vim's plugin architecture is straightforward. It doesn't have the complexity of VS Code's extension marketplace or IntelliJ's plugin ecosystem. If the integration works cleanly in vim, where users are already comfortable editing configuration files, then expanding to Neovim, VS Code, Emacs and JetBrains products follows naturally.
The PR includes comprehensive unit tests covering plugin installation, configuration generation and command execution. This testing foundation ensures that when we add ollama launch vscode or ollama launch nvim, the core logic stays reliable.
Plugin Installation: Uses vim 8's native package management (pack/ollama/start/) for compatibility across vim installations without requiring Pathogen or Vundle.
Configuration Isolation: Settings live in ~/.vim/config/ollama.vim, sourced automatically but never written to .vimrc. This separation allows version control of your main config while still getting AI features.
Model Management: The command checks model availability before launching vim, downloads if needed and reports progress without blocking the terminal.
Error Handling: Network failures, missing permissions, or plugin conflicts produce clear error messages rather than silent failures.
This PR establishes the pattern. Future integrations will follow the same structure:
Each implementation validates assumptions from the previous one. Vim's simplicity ensures the foundation is solid.
I've been coding in vim for [number] years. Adding AI assistance isn't about replacing human judgment, it's about removing friction. Autocomplete suggestions, inline documentation and quick refactoring hints don't make you a worse developer; they let you stay in flow state longer.
The vim community often resists change. That's good, it's how vim stayed relevant through decades of IDE evolution. But this change is worth making. You keep your keybindings, your macros, your .vimrc. You just get an assistant that understands context.
Once PR #14154 merges:
```bash
ollama launch vim
vim myproject.py ```
That's it. No configuration files to edit, no plugin managers to configure. The integration handles setup, pulls models and opens vim ready for AI assistance.
Vim isn't dying. It's evolving. And with ollama launch vim, it evolves on your terms, minimal, configurable and staying exactly where it belongs: in your terminal, ready when you need it.
The full PR is available at github.com/ollama/ollama/pull/14154 for review. If you're a vim user curious about AI coding tools but unwilling to abandon your editor, this is exactly what you've been waiting for.
Questions? Comments? Reach out via the contact info below. 🦞