Code Clojure in NeoVim (with LazyVim and Conjure)

Want to develop Clojure with a modern, interactive REPL experience right in NeoVim? This guide will walk you through setting up Conjure with LazyVim for a smooth Clojure development workflow.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following installed:

1. Java - A modern Java version (I recommend Temurin 23)
2. Clojure - Get it from clojure.org
3. LazyVim - If you haven’t set this up yet, check out LazyVim’s installation guide

Configure nREPL

First, configure nREPL in your project. Add this to your ~/.clojure/deps.edn file to make nREPL available globally:

{:aliases
 {:nREPL
  {:extra-deps {nrepl/nrepl {:mvn/version "1.4.0"}}}}}

Version 1.4.0 is the latest stable release at the time of writing.

For more configuration options, check the nREPL documentation.

Configure LazyVim

LazyVim makes this super easy! Simply enable the Clojure/Conjure extras:

1. Open LazyVim and run :LazyExtras
2. Search for and enable the lang.clojure extra
3. Restart NeoVim to apply the changes

This will automatically install Conjure and configure it for Clojure development.

Start Coding

Now you’re ready to code! Here’s the workflow:

1. Start the nREPL Server

In a separate terminal at your project root, start the nREPL server:

clj -M:nREPL -m nrepl.cmdline

You should see output showing the server started on a specific port (but you don’t need to worry about it).

2. Open Your Project in NeoVim

nvim .

When you open a .clj file, Conjure will automatically detect and connect to your running nREPL server.

3. Learn Conjure’s Keybindings

Conjure comes with an interactive tutorial! Run this command in NeoVim:

:ConjureSchool

This will teach you all the essential keybindings for evaluating code, managing the REPL, and more.

Quick Tips

• Evaluate current form: Place your cursor inside a form and use <localleader>ee
• Evaluate file: <localleader>ef to evaluate the entire file
• View documentation: K while hovering over a function
• Open REPL log: <localleader>ls to see evaluation results

Happy Clojure coding! 🎉