Vim Editor Mode - Claude Code

Vim editor mode turns the Claude Code prompt into a modal editor with familiar normal and insert mode bindings.

What it does

Enable vim mode and your prompt supports h j k l motion, w b e word jumps, dd line delete, yy yank, p paste, and insert mode via i, a, or o. Escape returns to normal mode. It works on single-line and multiline drafts alike, so you can compose long prompts the same way you'd compose code.

When to use it

• You already live in vim or neovim and want consistent motions.
• You draft long, complex prompts that benefit from modal editing.
• You find yourself reaching for arrow keys too often.
• You want . repeats and u undo in the prompt buffer.

Gotchas

• Some readline shortcuts are disabled while vim mode is active. Check the keybindings doc for the full swap.
• Visual mode selections don't integrate with system clipboard on every terminal.
• If you toggle vim mode mid-session, the current draft keeps its previous mode behavior until you press a motion.

Official docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/interactive-mode.md#vim-editor-mode