jsregex.nvim

A Neovim plugin that lets you search using JavaScript/PCRE regex syntax — patterns are translated to Vim regex and executed as a native / search, so n, N, hlsearch, and all built-in search features work out of the box.

Features

• Write regex in JavaScript/PCRE syntax instead of Vim's
• Patterns are translated to Vim regex and fed to the native / search
• n / N navigation works automatically (no custom keymaps)
• hlsearch highlighting works automatically
• No external dependencies (no rg, grep, or any other tool)
• Interactive prompt via vim.ui.input

How It Works

Instead of calling external tools like rg or grep, this plugin translates your JavaScript-style regex into Vim's regex syntax using \v (very magic) mode and then sets the search register (@/). This means Neovim handles the actual searching, highlighting, and navigation natively.

Supported Translations

JavaScript/PCRE	Vim (very magic)
(group)	(group) (same in \v)
a+, a?, a{2,3}	Same in \v
*?, +?, ?? (lazy)	{-}, {-1,}, {-0,1}
{n,m}? (lazy)	{-n,m}
a|b	a|b (same in \v)
(?:non-capture)	%(non-capture)
(?=lookahead)	(lookahead)@=
(?!neg lookahead)	(neg lookahead)@!
(?<=lookbehind)	(lookbehind)@<=
(?<!neg lookbehind)	(neg lookbehind)@<!
(?<name>named)	(named) (name stripped)
\b (word boundary)	(\<|\>)
\d, \w, \s	Same
[a-z]	Same

Installation

Using lazy.nvim

{
  "jsregex.nvim",
  dir = "~/projects/jsregex.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("jsregex").setup()
  end,
}

Using packer.nvim

use {
  "~/projects/jsregex.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("jsregex").setup()
  end
}

Using vim-plug

Plug '~/projects/jsregex.nvim'

Then in your init.lua:

require("jsregex").setup()

Usage

Commands

• :JSRegexSearch - Prompts for a JS/PCRE regex pattern and searches the buffer
• :JSRegexClear - Clears the search highlight and search register

Lua API

local jsregex = require("jsregex")

-- Search with a specific pattern
jsregex.find_matches("\\w+")

-- Prompt user for pattern interactively
jsregex.search()

-- Clear search
jsregex.clear()

-- Translate a pattern without searching (useful for debugging)
local vim_regex = jsregex.js_to_vim_regex("(?<=@)\\w+")
-- Returns: \v(\@<=)\w+  (or similar)

Keybindings (Optional)

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>rs", "<cmd>JSRegexSearch<cr>", { desc = "JS regex search" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>rc", "<cmd>JSRegexClear<cr>", { desc = "Clear regex search" })

After Searching

Once you run :JSRegexSearch and enter a pattern:

• All matches are highlighted (via hlsearch)
• Press n to jump to the next match
• Press N to jump to the previous match
• Use :JSRegexClear or :nohlsearch to clear

These are all standard Neovim behaviors — no custom keymaps are involved.

Pattern Examples

Use JavaScript/PCRE regex syntax directly:

• \w+ - Match one or more word characters
• function - Match the literal word "function"
• \d{3} - Match exactly 3 digits
• ^\s*$ - Match empty lines
• https?:// - Match http or https URLs
• (['"])(.*?)\1 - Match quoted strings with backreferences
• (?:non)?capturing - Non-capturing groups
• (?<=@)\w+ - Positive lookbehind (match word after @)
• (?=\s) - Positive lookahead (match position before whitespace)

Limitations

The following PCRE features do not have Vim equivalents and are not supported:

• Possessive quantifiers (a++, a?+)
• Atomic groups ((?>...))
• Conditional patterns ((?(condition)yes|no))
• \p{...} Unicode property classes
• Recursive patterns
• \K (keep out)

Most everyday JavaScript regex patterns work correctly.

Development

1. Edit files in ~/projects/jsregex.nvim/
2. Reload Neovim or run :source %
3. Test with :JSRegexSearch

You can also test translations directly:

:lua print(require("jsregex").js_to_vim_regex("(?<=@)\\w+"))

Running Tests

Tests use busted, a Lua unit testing framework.

1. Install busted via LuaRocks:

   luarocks install busted

2. Run the tests from the project root:

   busted tests/

License

MIT