Help

User-facing reference for lattice features, organized by topic. The goal here is what :help does in vim and C-h i does in emacs: every feature has a deep-dive doc you can read end-to-end when you need to understand it, and skim when you just need a keystroke.

This is user documentation, not internal notes. For the design spec see ../dev/architecture/design.md; for current build status see ../dev/operations/implementation.md.

In-editor lookup is :help [topic] -- with no arg it opens this index page; with a topic name it opens the matching doc rendered through the same markdown-highlighting path :describe-command uses. <Tab> after :help lists registered topics. The bodies are embedded into the binary at build time, so no filesystem dependency is needed at runtime; the registry is also pluggable (future LSP-driven and plugin-supplied topics flow through the same surface).

Conventions

  • Keystrokes use vim notation: j, <C-d>, <Esc>, gg, dap.
  • Ex-commands use the :cmd form.
  • Tables list keystrokes with their behavior. Sections build from the simple case to the edge cases.
  • Every doc has a "Quick reference" section near the top for the keystroke-lookup case and a deeper "Semantics" / "Edge cases" section for the read-it-once case.
  • Code samples use fenced blocks with the relevant language tag.

Topics

TopicFileStatus
Getting started (the ten-minute orientation: the modal loop, open/save, the command line, splits, next steps)getting-started.md✅
Modal editing (Normal / Insert / Visual / Op-pending / Command / Search / Replace + the vim grammar)modal-editing.md✅
Modes (major + minor; :<mode-name> toggle; LSP umbrella + sub-modes; display modes; convergence with :set)modes.md✅
The command line (:, /, ? — the rich minibuffer: buffer-backed readline editing, <C-x><C-e> expand, history picker, live decorations, incsearch)command-line.md✅
Search and substitute (/ / ? / :s / live preview / regex syntax / backrefs)covered in command-line + ex-commands🟡
Ex-commands (:w, :e, :s, :g, :d, arg schemas, completion, ranges, aliases)ex-commands.md✅
Buffers and panes (registry, splits, file tree, navigation, theme)buffers.md✅
File tree & Oil (browse / edit the filesystem; oil-style writable directory listing; icons + colors)filetree-oil.md✅
Multibuffer views (excerpts composed into one editable buffer; the substrate behind search + project diff)multibuffer.md✅
Project search (:search, streaming results multibuffer, <CR> jump-to-source, gr refresh)project-search.md✅
Compilation mode (:compile / :recompile / :make any CLI tool, live *compilation* stream + headerline, <CR> jump, <C-c> kill, :problems)compilation.md✅
The error list (:next-error / :cnext, ]qq/[qq, :error-list, :problems — quickfix filled by :compile)error-list.md✅
Narrow mode (zn operator, :narrow / :widen, edit-in-view → source, stacked one-hop, znaf in view)narrow-mode.md✅
Diff & merge (:diffthis / :diffsplit, ]c / [c, do / dp, sign column, two- + three-way)diff.md✅
Display & layout (soft-wrap, tab width, scroll-off, whitespace markers)display.md✅
Modeline (per-pane status row: zones, the modal tag + showmode echo, ui.modeline.* layout config)modeline.md✅
Themes & colours (:colorscheme + the live-preview picker, the builtin theme catalog, :customize, register_theme)themes.md✅
Folding (manual + indent + markdown + tree-sitter, operator interaction, navigation, auto-open)folding.md✅
Insert completion (sources, popup keymap, ranking, ghost text, snippets)completion.md✅
Picker & marginalia (:picker <source> fuzzy finder — files/grep/buffers/lines/outline/…; typed annotation columns; syntax-highlighted previews; frecency ranking)picker.md✅
Options and configuration (:set, layered resolver, TOML, groups, live :options reference)options.md✅
LSP (servers, capabilities, attach lifecycle, every :lsp-* command in context)lsp.md✅
lsp-mode (the umbrella minor + 9 sub-modes that gate per-feature LSP traffic)lsp-mode.md✅
emacs-keys-mode (the <C-x> leader: emacs-style buffer / file / window chords layered over vim)emacs-keys-mode.md✅
Claude Code (the :claude agent IDE peer: claude CLI attaches over WebSocket/MCP, runs in a terminal buffer, edits via reviewable side-by-side diffs; wire shapes provisional)claude-code.md✅
opencode (the :opencode agent: runs opencode's native TUI in a terminal buffer with opencode-mode; :opencode-acp is the buffer-native alternative with lattice-owned diff review)opencode.md✅
Languages (bundled set, coverage roadmap, add new language tree-sitter or otherwise)languages.md✅
Search and substitute (/ / ? / :s / live preview / regex syntax / backrefs)covered in command-line + ex-commands🟡
Registers, marks, macroscovered in modal-editing🟡
Help system (:describe-*, :apropos, :keymap, <C-h> map, mode-prefix syntax for :describe-key)help.md✅
Plugins (WASM Component Model, capabilities, fuel, crash isolation, API introspection)plugins.md✅
Core plugins (ship with lattice, prebuilt, on by default; auto-pair; <id>.enabled gates)core-plugins.md✅
Configuring with init.rs (Rust/WASM config: event handlers, custom commands / motions / text-objects, keybinds, options; :reload-config)init.md✅
Performance posture (latency budgets, what's safe in a hot loop)planned⛔
Tutor (the gamified :tutor lesson sequence — lives/score/HUD; 7 lessons: motions → grammar → visual → modes/help → splits/diff/LSP → advanced editing → customization)tutor.md · lessons✅

Topics with _planned_ aren't drafted yet — open an issue or send a PR if you want one prioritized.

When to read which

  • You want to do X right now: jump to the topic and search for the keystroke.
  • You want to understand how X composes with Y: read the topic's "Edge cases" / "Interaction" sections.
  • You want to know if a feature exists yet: ../dev/operations/implementation.md is the ledger.
  • You want to know why it works the way it does: ../dev/architecture/design.md is the spec.