bug: No easy way to add packs supplied with NeoVim, e.g. cfilter

[andrewferrier]

Did you check docs and existing issues?

• I have read all the lazy docs
• I have searched the existing issues of lazy
• I have searched the exsiting issues of the plugin I have a problem with

Neovim version (nvim -v)

0.8.1

Operating system/version

Arch Linux

Describe the bug

This is perhaps an error in my understanding, but it seems that because lazy.nvim wipes the packpath variable, there is no way to use the packadd command to use packages supplied with NeoVim. NeoVim these days supplies several 'plugins' as packages:

% ls ~/.local/share/nvenv/versions/0.8.1/share/nvim/runtime/pack/dist/opt/                                                            ~
cfilter/  justify/  matchit/  shellmenu/  swapmouse/  termdebug/  vimball/

Until I switched to NeoVim, I could use cfilter simply with vim.cmd.packadd('cfilter'), but once using lazy.nvim, that doesn't seem to be a choice any more.

For the record, for now I have worked around this with:

vim.cmd(
    "source "
        .. vim.env.VIMRUNTIME
        .. "/pack/dist/opt/cfilter/plugin/cfilter.vim"
)

I understand that it's your intention to have lazy.nvim control the startup process for performance reasons, but at the minimum I would suggest that this is an aspect where the workaround(s) (if one is needed and I've not misunderstood something) maybe need to be a little clearer. I read README.md and wasn't really clear on whether there was an "official" approach here.

Thanks for all your hard work on this fantastic new plugin manager!

Steps To Reproduce

1. lazy.nvim config:

require("lazy").setup("lazy-plugin-spec", {
    lockfile = vim.fn.stdpath("state") .. "/lazy-lock.json",
    performance = {
        rtp = {
            disabled_plugins = {
                "2html",
                "gzip",
                "remote_plugins",
                "tarPlugin",
                "zipPlugin",

                -- These lines are needed to avoid opening directories from command line in
                -- netrw: https://github.com/elihunter173/dirbuf.nvim#notes
                "netrw",
                "netrwPlugin",
            },
        },
    },
    change_detection = {
        enabled = false,
        notify = false,
    },
})

2. Try to run vim.cmd.packadd('cfilter') (or VimL equivalent)

3. Get an error: E919: Directory not found in 'packpath': "pack/*/opt/cfilter"
   E919: Directory not found in 'packpath': "pack/*/opt/cfilter"

Expected Behavior

cfilter package can be added.

Repro

-- DO NOT change the paths and don't remove the colorscheme
local root = vim.fn.fnamemodify("./.repro", ":p")

-- set stdpaths to use .repro
for _, name in ipairs({ "config", "data", "state", "cache" }) do
  vim.env[("XDG_%s_HOME"):format(name:upper())] = root .. "/" .. name
end

-- bootstrap lazy
local lazypath = root .. "/plugins/lazy.nvim"
if not vim.loop.fs_stat(lazypath) then
  vim.fn.system({
    "git",
    "clone",
    "--filter=blob:none",
    "--single-branch",
    "https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim.git",
    lazypath,
  })
end
vim.opt.runtimepath:prepend(lazypath)

-- install plugins
local plugins = {
  "folke/tokyonight.nvim",
  -- add any other plugins here
}
require("lazy").setup(plugins, {
  root = root .. "/plugins",
})

vim.cmd.colorscheme("tokyonight")
-- add anything else here

vim.cmd.packadd('cfilter')

[folke]

Just dont reset packpath then? Check the docs

[andrewferrier]

OK, so I do find it in the docs, and you're right, that does work. Sorry for missing it. I think that's not totally obvious default behavior though, essentially I think what's happening here is that we're prioritizing speed over correctness. Disabling NeoVim plugins out-of-the-box seems to me to violate the principle of least surprise. That's my take anyway - your call obviously. Thanks for the help.

[Chaitanyabsprip]

can we not just add cfilter to rtp in our configuration? I am facing the same issue, not being able to do packadd cfilter even after adding the directory to rtp.

[max397574]

I think there should be no need to do packadd cfilter
adding it to runtimepath should be enough so you can use it

[Chaitanyabsprip]

so I added the folder path to config.performance.rtp.paths and it worked! thanks.

[folke]

You are right, that I should at least keep the vim runtime as part of the package path.

Just made that change.

This has zero performance impact to lazy, since lazy doesn't use packadd anyway.

[andrewferrier]

@folke nice, good fix, this works! Thanks.