Telescope
A fuzzy finder for Neovim that searches files, text, buffers and more in a popup list.nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim
- Stars
- 19.8k
- Forks
- 966
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Lua
- Last update
- 10 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Telescope is a plugin for Neovim, a text editor, that lets you search and pick from lists such as files, open buffers, help tags and search results. You type a few characters, the list narrows as you type, and a preview of the highlighted item appears alongside it. It is built in Lua and designed so you can customize its pickers, sorters and previewers.
- Open a file by typing part of its name with the find_files picker
- Search text across a project with live_grep, which requires ripgrep
- Switch between open buffers using the buffers picker
- Search Neovim help documentation with the help_tags picker
Great for
- Neovim users who want fast fuzzy search for files and text
- People who already use Lua-based Neovim configuration
- Users who want to customize search behavior per picker
- Developers who work across large codebases and need quick file or grep lookup
Not ideal for
- People who do not use Neovim, since it is a Neovim plugin and does not run as a standalone app
- Users on Neovim versions older than the minimum listed in the README, because only the latest stable and HEAD versions are supported
- Anyone who wants a point-and-click interface, since it is driven by keyboard commands and key mappings
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Neovim 0.11.7 or newer built with LuaJIT · plenary.nvim · ripgrep (required for live_grep and grep_string)
Install with lazy.nvim (add to your plugin spec)
{ 'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim', version = '*', dependencies = { 'nvim-lua/plenary.nvim', { 'nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim', build = 'make' } } } - 2
Run it
- Install Telescope with your plugin manager, such as lazy.nvim
- Restart Neovim and run :checkhealth telescope to confirm setup
- Run :Telescope find_files to test that it works
- Optionally map keys like <leader>ff to builtin.find_files as shown in the README
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Add a native sorter such as telescope-fzf-native.nvim for faster sorting, as the README suggests
- Install fd for faster file finding and ripgrep for live_grep
- Set global options in require('telescope').setup{} and per-picker options when calling pickers
- Use the which_key action and the ? key to discover mappings for the current picker
- Explore extensions and the project wiki for configuration recipes
Downloads
Strengths
- Highly extendable and customizable, with global and per-picker settings
- Includes a large set of built-in pickers, sorters and previewers
- Supports optional native sorters that the README says significantly improve sorting performance
Trade-offs
- Some features depend on external tools such as ripgrep and fd, which you must install separately
- Only the latest Neovim stable release and HEAD are tested and supported, so older setups may break
- Configuration involves Lua code and reading Neovim help, which can be a learning curve for newcomers
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| telescope.nvim (this) | 19.8k | Library | intermediate | 10 days ago | Neovim users who want fast fuzzy search for files and text |
| fzf.vim | 10.3k | Library | beginner | 1 months ago | Vim or Neovim users who already use fzf and want ready-made search commands |
| fff | 11.2k | Library | intermediate | 5 days ago | Developers building an AI coding agent or editor that needs fast file search |
| coc.nvim | 25.1k | App | intermediate | 10 days ago | Vim or Neovim users who want autocompletion and language features similar to VS Code |
| fzf | 83.9k | Dev tool | beginner | 8 days ago | Command-line users who often search file names or command history |
| hammerspoon | 16.4k | App | intermediate | 4 months ago | Mac users comfortable writing small scripts who want custom keyboard shortcuts or window behavior |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.