⚡vim-flash

Like flash.nvim on IdeaVim

Standalone Jump	f, t, F, T, ;, ,
Treesitter	Remote

Usage

Search for the plugin name vim-flash in the plugin marketplace, then install it.

Add the following code to your .ideavimrc file.

" Search for string in visible area and jumpnmaps<Action>(flash.search)xmaps<Action>(flash.search)" enhance vim f (find for char in characters to the right of the current cursor)nmapf<Action>(flash.find)xmapf<Action>(flash.find)" enhance vim F (find for char in characters to the left of the current cursor)nmapF<Action>(flash.find_backward)xmapF<Action>(flash.find_backward)" enhance vim t (till for char in characters to the right of the current cursor)nmapt<Action>(flash.till)xmapt<Action>(flash.till)" enhance vim T (till for char in characters to the left of the current cursor)nmapT<Action>(flash.till_backward)xmapT<Action>(flash.till_backward)" enhance vim ; (Repeat the last f/F/t/T search)nmap;<Action>(flash.repeat)xmap;<Action>(flash.repeat)" enhance vim , (Repeat the last f/F/t/T search backward)nmap,<Action>(flash.repeat_backward)xmap,<Action>(flash.repeat_backward)" syntax node expansion (flash.nvim treesitter equivalent)nmapS<Action>(flash.treesitter)xmapS<Action>(flash.treesitter)" remote operator (after pressing an operator like d, use r to pick target line remotely)omapr<Action>(flash.remote)

Then you can use s and type the word you want to search for. The word will be highlighted in the editor.

You can also use f to find a character to the right of the current cursor position, highlight all matches to the right, and press f again to jump to the next occurrence of that character. If you want to find a character to the left, use F. Similar enhancements are provided for other commands like t, T, ;, and ,.

Treesitter Select (syntax node expansion)

If you map S to <Action>(flash.treesitter), pressing S will:

1. Immediately select the innermost PSI / syntax node under the cursor (identifier, parentheses group, braces block, etc.).
2. Display letter labels (a-z) for each parent syntax range outward from the cursor.
3. Press the label key to expand/replace the current selection with that node's full range (the same letter is shown at both the start and end of the range).
4. Press Esc / Backspace to cancel.

Notes:

• Limited to 26 nested ranges (a-z).
• Uses IntelliJ PSI hierarchy (not an external tree-sitter parser) but mimics the flash.nvim treesitter UX.
• If only one range remains after filtering, it is auto-selected.
• Works in both Normal and Visual modes: in Visual mode it replaces the selection with the chosen range.

Remote Flash (operator-pending remote action)

Map r in operator-pending (IdeaVim omap) to <Action>(flash.remote). Example: d r (type d then r):

1. Press an operator like d to enter operator-pending mode.
2. Press r to start remote flash search (same UI as search mode).
3. Type characters to filter and press a label to pick a target line.
4. The operation is executed at the target line, then your original cursor position is restored.

Supported operators:

• d r - Delete the target line
• y r - Yank (copy) the target line
• c r - Change the target line
• > r - Indent the target line
• < r - Unindent the target line
• = r - Auto-format the target line

Current limitations:

• Operates within the current editor (no multi-window yet).
• Pattern search is limited to the visible area like normal search mode.

Planned improvements:

• Multi-line / range remote operations.

Configuration

Find Settings -> Others Settings -> vim-flash to configure the plugin.

• flash.search
  • Characters: This This is the sequence of letters used in order of proximity from nearest to farthest between the match and the current cursor.
  • Label Color: The first input box is the color of label text, and the second input box is the color of label background.
  • Label hit Color: The first input box is the color of label hit text, and the second input box is the color of label hit background.
  • Match Color: The first input box is the color of match text, and the second input box is the color of match background.
  • Match nearest color: The first input box is the color of match nearest text, and the second input box is the color of match nearest background.
  • Label Position: This is the position of the label. Default is false which meas it will be displayed after the match. If set to true, it will be displayed before the match.
  • Auto Jump: If this is set to true, them the plugin will automatically jump when there is only one match.
  • Enter confirms nearest: Pressing Enter during flash search jumps to the nearest match. Disable this if you bind flash.search itself to <cr>.
• flash.[find,find_backward,till,till_backward,repeat,repeat_backward]
  • Scroll Off: This is the number of lines to keep above and below the cursor when jumping to a match. Default is 4.
  • Timeout cancel (ms): Controls how long (in milliseconds) Vim-style flash.* actions stay active while waiting for the next key. -1 disables the timeout (default). Setting it to a positive value like 1500 automatically exits the mode (equivalent to pressing Esc) if no key is pressed within that time after a jump.

Installation

• Using the IDE built-in plugin system:

  Settings/Preferences > Plugins > Marketplace > Search for "vim-flash" > Install

• Manually:

  Download the latest release and install it manually using Settings/Preferences > Plugins > ⚙️ > Install plugin from disk...

Remote Development

vim-flash is an editor UI plugin: it reads the active editor, intercepts typed keys, and draws labels in the editor component. In JetBrains Remote Development, these parts need to run in JetBrains Client.

• Prefer installing vim-flash from JetBrains Marketplace so Remote Development plugin sync can install it on the Client side.
• Keep the .ideavimrc mappings available in the remote session, for example nmap s <Action>(flash.search).
• If you install from a local ZIP/JAR, JetBrains plugin sync may not copy it between Host and Client automatically; install it on the side where the editor UI runs.

Planned Features

• From GitHub issues and PRs

References

• flash.nvim
• KJump