Show HN: Split Vim Markdown Preview – Terminal-Based Markdown Preview for Vim

4 points

a year ago

I built this lightweight Vim plugin for developers who want to preview markdown without leaving their terminal environment. It uses https://github.com/charmbracelet/glow to render beautiful markdown directly in a Vim split window.

  Key features:
  - Toggle preview with \mp - no need to leave Vim
  - Beautiful terminal-based rendering with syntax highlighting
  - Handles code blocks (200+ languages), tables, math equations, and task lists
  - Split window layout keeps your workflow intact by toggling with \mp

  Why I built this: I love using vim to quickly edit files, write down thoughts, and update notes. Building terminal tools can sometimes be big time commitments that take me away from other work. Claude Code helped me to quickly vibe code this integration to improve my workflow.

When I looked at other markdown plugins for vim, they required preview plugins requiring Node servers and browser switching, which breaks concentration when writing documentation. This keeps everything in the terminal where Vim users prefer to work, so they can stay in flow while building.

The repo includes a demo GIF showing the plugin in action so you can see how it looks before installing. Installation is straightforward - just install glow and drop the plugin file in your Vim directory.