CodeMirror Kakoune

A modular suite bringing Kakoune's selection-first modal editing paradigm to CodeMirror 6, CodeMirror 5, Obsidian, and web browsers.

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Ecosystem & Packages

Package / App	Version / Target	Description	Links
kakoune-core-js		Framework-agnostic Kakoune engine (EditorHost, KakouneKeyProcessor, parseKakrc, portable commands)	npm · JSR
codemirror-kakoune		CodeMirror 6 extension with modal editing, prompt controllers, and multiple selection rendering	npm · JSR
codemirror-kakoune-cm5		CodeMirror 5 adapter adhering to CM5's native keyMap architecture	npm · JSR
obsidian-kakoune	Obsidian Plugin	Desktop Obsidian plugin providing native modal editing for markdown notes	README
browser-kakoune	Browser Extension (MV3)	WebExtension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave) bringing Kakoune modal editing to <textarea>, CM5, and CM6	README
playground	Vite App (CM6)	Interactive web playground testing CodeMirror 6 with Kakoune bindings	Live Demo
playground-cm5	Vite App (CM5)	Interactive web playground testing CodeMirror 5 with Kakoune bindings	Live Demo

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Quick Start

CodeMirror 6

npm install codemirror-kakoune @codemirror/state @codemirror/view

import { basicSetup, EditorView } from "codemirror";
import { EditorState } from "@codemirror/state";
import { kakoune } from "codemirror-kakoune";

const view = new EditorView({
  state: EditorState.create({
    doc: "Hello, Kakoune!",
    extensions: [
      basicSetup,
      kakoune({
        initialMode: "select", // "select" (normal) or "insert"
        onWhichKey: (pending, items) => {
          // Optional hook for which-key UI
        }
      })
    ]
  }),
  parent: document.querySelector("#editor")
});

CodeMirror 5

npm install codemirror-kakoune-cm5 codemirror@^5.65.0

import CodeMirror from "codemirror";
import { kakoune } from "codemirror-kakoune-cm5";

const editor = CodeMirror(document.querySelector("#editor"));
kakoune(editor);

Browser Extension (browser-kakoune)

Build and load the extension into any Chromium or Firefox browser:

pnpm --filter browser-kakoune build
# Load unpacked from apps/browser-extension/dist

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Keybindings Specification Reference

Category	Keys	Action Description
Motions	h / j / k / l	Move cursor left / down / up / right
	H / J / K / L	Extend selection left / down / up / right
	w / b / e	Select word forward / backward / to word end
	W / B / E	Extend word forward / backward / to word end
	0 / $	Move to line start / line end
	g h / g l	Move to line start / line end
	<A-h> / <A-l>	Extend selection to line start / line end
	g k / g j / g g	Jump to document start / document end
	G / G h / G l ...	Extend to line (with count) / document bounds
Multi-Selection	C / <A-C>	Duplicate selection on line below / above (multi-cursor)
	<A-s>	Split active selections on newlines
	<Space>	Keep only primary selection (clear secondary)
	<A-Space>	Remove primary selection, keep secondary
	) / (	Cycle primary selection forward / backward
	<A-)> / <A-(>	Rotate selections text content forward / backward
Lines & Selections	x	Select whole line (including newline)
	%	Select entire buffer
	<A-j>	Join selected lines (replaces newline/indent with space)
	<A-J>	Join selected lines and select inserted spaces
	_	Trim whitespace from selection boundaries
	;	Reduce selections to cursor (anchor = head)
	<A-;>	Flip selection direction (swap anchor and head)
	<A-:>	Ensure selection is forward direction (anchor <= head)
Editing	i / a	Enter insert mode before / after selections
	I / A	Enter insert mode at line start / line end
	o / O	Open line below / above and enter insert mode
	<A-o> / <A-O>	Insert empty line below / above without entering insert
	d / c	Delete selection / Change selection
	~ / ` / <A->`	Convert uppercase / lowercase / swap case
	r	Replace character under selections with next keystroke
Registers & History	y	Yank selections into register
	p / P	Paste register after / before selections
	u / U	Undo / Redo last edit change
	<A-u> / <A-U>	Undo / Redo selection history change
	"	Select named register for next command
	q / Q	Play macro / Record macro
Search & Regex	/ / ?	Search forward / backward
	n / N	Next / previous search match
	*	Set search pattern from current selection
	s	Open prompt to select regex matches within selection
	S	Open prompt to split selections on regex matches

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Custom kakrc Scripting Support

kakoune-core-js includes a built-in kakrc parser (parseKakrc) and key processor remapping engine supporting:

# Custom key mappings
map global normal <space> ,
map global insert jk <esc>

# User-defined modes
declare-user-mode mytools
map global normal <a-m> ':enter-user-mode mytools<ret>'
map global mytools d 'xyd'

# Registers & options
set-register a 'custom macro'
set-option global tabstop 4

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Development & Monorepo Workflows

# Install all dependencies
pnpm install

# Run tests across all packages
pnpm test

# Typecheck workspace
pnpm typecheck

# Build all libraries and apps
pnpm build

# Run interactive CM6 playground dev server
pnpm dev

# Build browser extension
pnpm build:extension

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References & Credits

This project builds upon ideas and patterns from:

• mawww/kakoune - The Kakoune editor by Maxime Coste
• replit/codemirror-vim - CodeMirror Vim keymap
• 71/dance - Kakoune-inspired modal editing for VS Code