Nix expressions for Vim plugins are stored in [pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins). For the vast majority of plugins, Nix expressions are automatically generated by running [`./update.py`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/update.py). This creates a [generated.nix](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/generated.nix) file based on the plugins listed in [vim-plugin-names](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/vim-plugin-names). Plugins are listed in alphabetical order in `vim-plugin-names` using the format `[github username]/[repository]@[gitref]`. For example https://github.com/scrooloose/nerdtree becomes `scrooloose/nerdtree`.
After running `./update.py`, if nvim-treesitter received an update, also run [`nvim-treesitter/update.py`](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/update.py) to update the tree sitter grammars for `nvim-treesitter`.
Some plugins require overrides in order to function properly. Overrides are placed in [overrides.nix](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/applications/editors/vim/plugins/overrides.nix). Overrides are most often required when a plugin requires some dependencies, or extra steps are required during the build process. For example `deoplete-fish` requires both `deoplete-nvim` and `vim-fish`, and so the following override was added:
dependencies = with super; [ deoplete-nvim vim-fish ];
});
```
Sometimes plugins require an override that must be changed when the plugin is updated. This can cause issues when Vim plugins are auto-updated but the associated override isn't updated. For these plugins, the override should be written so that it specifies all information required to install the plugin, and running `./update.py` doesn't change the derivation for the plugin. Manually updating the override is required to update these types of plugins. An example of such a plugin is `LanguageClient-neovim`.
To add a new plugin, run `./update.py --add "[owner]/[name]"`. **NOTE**: This script automatically commits to your git repository. Be sure to check out a fresh branch before running.
Finally, there are some plugins that are also packaged in nodePackages because they have Javascript-related build steps, such as running webpack. Those plugins are not listed in `vim-plugin-names` or managed by `update.py` at all, and are included separately in `overrides.nix`. Currently, all these plugins are related to the `coc.nvim` ecosystem of the Language Server Protocol integration with Vim/Neovim.
Run the update script with a GitHub API token that has at least `public_repo` access. Running the script without the token is likely to result in rate-limiting (429 errors). For steps on creating an API token, please refer to [GitHub's token documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/github/authenticating-to-github/creating-a-personal-access-token).