🧩 yank-path.nvim

Minimal plugin to copy (yank) different variants of the current file path - inspired by Neo-tree's Y menu, but without needing Neo-tree.

yank-path-demo.mov

This plugin gives you a simple picker (using vim.ui.select, so telescope/dressing/etc. improve it automatically) to copy:

1. BASENAME: tmux-keybindings
2. EXTENSION: conf
3. FILENAME: tmux-keybindings.conf
4. PATH: /home/paulk/dotfiles/tmux/tmux-keybindings.conf
5. PATH (CWD): tmux/tmux-keybindings.conf
6. PATH (HOME): ~/dotfiles/tmux/tmux-keybindings.conf
7. URI: file:///home/paulk/dotfiles/tmux/tmux-keybindings.conf

✨ Features

• Yank basename, extension, filename, fullpath, cwd-relative, home-relative, or URI
• Uses vim.ui.select → works great with:
  • dressing.nvim
  • Telescope UI select
  • fzf-lua / fzy overrides
• Writes to both:
  • + system clipboard
  • " unnamed register
• Comes with default keymap (Y) and :YankPath command (and more non-UI direct commands)
• No dependencies, tiny, pure Lua

📦 Installation

lazy.nvim

{
  "ywpkwon/yank-path.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("yank-path").setup()
  end,
}

packer.nvim

use {
  "ywpkwon/yank-path.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("yank-path").setup()
  end,
}

🚀 Usage

🔹 The primary way to use this plugin is through the interactive picker:

• Keymap: Y (unless disabled, see below)
• Command: :YankPath

This opens a menu (powered by vim.ui.select) where you can choose which path variant to yank.

🔹 Direct, Non-UI Yank Commands

In addition to the picker, the plugin also provides non-interactive commands that immediately yank a specific path variant without showing a menu. These are perfect if you want to create custom keybindings.

Command	Description
:YankPath	UI picker (interactive selection)
:YankPathBase	Yank basename (filename without extension)
:YankPathExtension	Yank file extension
:YankPathFilename	Yank filename (with extension)
:YankPathFull	Yank full absolute path
:YankPathCwd	Yank path relative to current working dir
:YankPathHome	Yank path with $HOME replaced by ~
:YankPathUri	Yank file URI (file://...)

All commands (or keybindings) work in:

• regular file buffers
• Oil.nvim buffers (if use_oil = true)
• any custom source added via register_provider()

Click to expand example keymaps

🎹 Example Keymaps (optional)

No default keymaps are provided for these direct commands other than the :YankPath (Y).
Here are some example mappings you can add to your own config:

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ypb", "<cmd>YankPathBase<CR>",      { desc = "Yank basename" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ype", "<cmd>YankPathExtension<CR>", { desc = "Yank extension" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ypf", "<cmd>YankPathFilename<CR>",  { desc = "Yank filename" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ypp", "<cmd>YankPathFull<CR>",      { desc = "Yank full path" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ypc", "<cmd>YankPathCwd<CR>",       { desc = "Yank CWD path" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>yph", "<cmd>YankPathHome<CR>",      { desc = "Yank HOME path" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ypu", "<cmd>YankPathUri<CR>",       { desc = "Yank file URI" })

🧭 Tip: Works Great with Oil.nvim

If you’re inside an Oil.nvim directory view, the yank commands operate on the file under cursor, even if it’s not opened in a buffer.
This makes it very convenient to copy any file’s path without leaving the explorer.

🔧 Configuration

yank-path.nvim is configured via the setup() function where all fields are optional.

require("yank-path").setup({
  prompt = "Yank which path?",
  default_mapping = true,
  use_oil = true,   -- enable built-in Oil.nvim integration
})

Click to expand configuration options

prompt

Customize the text at the top of the picker window: (for example, "copy" or "")

require("yank-path").setup({
  prompt = "copy", -- or "" for a clean look
})

---

default_mapping

By default, yank-path.nvim binds Y → :YankPath in the Normal mode. If you prefer a custom keymap (or no keymap at all), you can disable the default mapping:

require("yank-path").setup({
  default_mapping = false,
})

Then you can define your own:

vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>yp", "<cmd>YankPath<CR>", { desc = "Yank file path" })

---

use_oil — Built-in Oil.nvim support

Oil.nvim works automatically. For some reasons, to disable the integration:

require("yank-path").setup({
  use_oil = false,
})

---

register_provider() — Custom file explorer integrations

yank-path.nvim supports integration with any file explorer (Snacks, neo-tree, custom UIs) via small user-provided hooks.

require("yank-path").register_provider(function()
  local ok, snacks = pcall(require, "snacks")
  if not ok then return nil end

  -- PSEUDOCODE (depends on Snacks API):
  -- local entry = snacks.explorer.get_cursor_entry()
  -- if entry and entry.path then
  --   return entry.path
  -- end

  return nil
end)

Provider priority:

1. Built-in Oil provider (if use_oil = true)
2. User-registered providers
3. Fallback: current buffer path

🙏 Acknowledgements

This plugin was inspired by great ideas from the following projects:

• neo-tree.nvim
  The Y yank-path popup in Neo-tree motivated this plugin's core behavior.

• oil.nvim
  A fantastic filesystem UI for Neovim.
  This plugin includes built-in compatibility to yank paths directly from Oil buffers.

Huge thanks to the authors and contributors of these projects for their amazing work.

📝 Note from the Author

This plugin started as a small personal tool to replicate the path-yanking behavior I liked from Neo-tree, but without requiring a full file explorer.

I'm still relatively new to Neovim plugin development, so while I may not always be able to expand or maintain the project actively, I'm happy if others find it useful. Suggestions and contributions are always welcome!

🤝 Contributing

Bug reports, improvements, and PRs are welcome! If you'd like to contribute support for another file explorer, please use register_provider() (see documentation above).

📜 License

MIT

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⭐️ Supporting the Project

If this little plugin made your workflow happier, feel free to ⭐️ the repo — it means a lot :)