[mini.completion] Retrigger file path completion

[diego-velez]

Contributing guidelines

• I have read CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

Module(s)

mini.completion

Question

Is there a way to retrigger file path completion? (<C-x><C-f>)

When I'm completing file paths, I usually want to keep autocomplete open until I reach a file. So currently, I have to keep triggering the autocompletion with <C-x><C-f> after every completion selection of a folder.

I think a better workflow would be to automatically retrigger (file path) autocompletion, and require users to manually close.

[loichyan]

Check out phoenix.nvim, it starts an in-process LSP server (as mini.snippets would do) for buffer & path completions.

Oops, I mistakenly read your title as "register file path completion." 😂 Sorry for bothering! But I tried that plugin, and you can always trigger path completion using force_twostep (<C-Space> by default).

[diego-velez]

No worries. Yeah, you can retrigger but I'm trying to find a way so that it is automatic. Instead of specifying I want the completion, I'd rather specify I don't want the completion in this scenario.

[loichyan]

Did you mean something like this?

Screen_Recording_20250910_100553_Termux.mp4

This is when phoenix.nvim is enabled. As long as the leading path is valid, the completion will automatically show up.

[echasnovski]

I don't think in its current form this is a 'mini.completion' question, unless you have <C-x><C-f> set up as fallback completion (which would be somewhat of a waste, really).

But the general idea from @loichyan is the best approach though when it comes to 'mini.completion': somehow create an in-process LSP server that would 1) provide path completion and 2) have path separator be a dedicated completion trigger. This way 'mini.completion' will be automatically triggered until user presses path separators.

If 'nvimdev/phoenix.nvim' works, then it is probably a good way to achieve that.

[loichyan]

@echasnovski's answer just inspired me that auto retriggering could be done through an autocommand :D

vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("InsertCharPre", {
  callback = function()
    -- It's better to use a more robust logic to check
    -- whether the leaing path-like string is a real path,
    -- for example, check if it exits on the disk.
    if vim.v.char ~= "/" then return end

    -- Avoid duplicate `/`
    local line, cur = vim.api.nvim_get_current_line(), vim.api.nvim_win_get_cursor(0)
    local prev_char = line:sub(cur[2], cur[2])
    if prev_char == "/" then vim.v.char = "" end

    -- Force path completion
    local keys = vim.api.nvim_replace_termcodes("<C-x><C-f>", true, true, true)
    vim.api.nvim_feedkeys(keys, "n", false)
  end,
})

[diego-velez]

I got it working like this:

  local function simulate_keypress(key)
    local termcodes = vim.api.nvim_replace_termcodes(key, true, false, true)
    vim.api.nvim_feedkeys(termcodes, 'm', false)
  end

  vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('CompleteDone', {
    callback = function()
      if vim.v.event.complete_type == 'files' and vim.v.event.reason == 'accept' then
        simulate_keypress '<c-x>'
        simulate_keypress '<c-f>'
      end
    end,
  })

[echasnovski]

Yep, that's another way to achieve this.

One thin I like to do is to remove the extra vim.api.nvim_replace_termcodes and/or vim.keycode calls from the code and use raw values instead (maybe with a small comment). So two simulate_keypress '<c-x>' and simulate_keypress '<c-f>' can be a single vim.api.nvim_feedkeys('\24\6', 'm', false)