Command mode

Command mode runs commands that aren't bound to a key. Press : in Normal mode to open the : prompt, type a name, and press Enter. Esc dismisses it without running anything.

Every command in this manual is one of two kinds, each reachable only its own way:

• Typed commands: everything on this page. Reached only from the : prompt. Each takes a text argument, a !, both or neither, as its entry shows, and refuses one it doesn't take.
• Editor commands: everything in the Editor Commands reference. Reached only from a key or a plugin (including your init.scm), never by name at the : prompt.

Most typed commands have a short alias; the tables list both. Command names ignore case.

A name ends at the first character that is not a letter, digit, - or _, so put a space before an argument: :e 1.txt, not :e1.txt. :b2 is the one exception: :b followed only by digits switches to that buffer.

Press Tab at any point to complete names and, where it makes sense, arguments. When several candidates match, the first Tab completes the text they share and opens the candidate list; another Tab picks the first candidate and Shift-Tab the last. :set global command-completion=first-candidate makes the first Tab fill in the first candidate at once instead.

For running HUME from a shell instead, see Command-line Flags.

Quitting and saving

Command	Effect
:q, :quit	Close the focused pane, or its tab, or the buffer; quit HUME when there is nothing left to return to. See Quitting
:q!	Same, discarding unsaved changes
:qa, :quit-all	Quit everything. Refuses if any buffer has unsaved changes, and jumps to the first one
:qa!	Quit everything, discarding unsaved changes
:w, :write	Save
:w <path>	Save as
:w!	Save, retrying with a permission change if the first attempt is refused; also overwrites a file changed on disk since it was last read or saved
:wa, :write-all	Save every modified buffer
:wa!	Save every modified buffer as :w! does, including those whose file changed on disk
:wq, :write-quit	Save, then close as :q does
:wq!	Save as :w! does, then close as :wq does
:save-session	Save the session now, even if HUME started with files; quitting then saves it again. Needs session-persist. See Saved sessions

Relative paths given to :w resolve against HUME's working directory (:pwd).

Files

Command	Effect
:e <path>, :edit <path>	Open a file. <path> may end in :line or :line:col to jump there, e.g. :e file.txt:42:5
:e	Reload the current file. Refuses if there are unsaved changes
:e!	Reload, discarding unsaved changes
:checktime	Check every open buffer against its file on disk now, instead of waiting for the next automatic check (switching back to HUME, switching to the buffer)

In arguments, % expands to the current file's path and # to the alternate buffer's, but only as a word of its own: :w %.bak won't expand. # needs a buffer with a file name. :b resolves # itself, so :b # also works for buffers without one.

See Files & Buffers for what happens when a file changes on disk.

Buffers

Command	Effect
:ls, :list-buffers	List open buffers in the bottom drawer
:b <name>, :buffer <name>	Switch buffer. Accepts a name, a unique filename prefix, a full path, a number from :ls, or # for the previous buffer (:b# and :b # both work)
:bn, :bnext	Next buffer
:bp, :bprev	Previous buffer
:n, :new	Open a new empty scratch buffer in the current pane
:bd, :buffer-delete	Close the buffer. Refuses if there are unsaved changes; closing the last one leaves a scratch buffer
:bd!	Close the buffer, discarding unsaved changes

To switch buffers from a key, bind the editor commands goto-prev-buffer, goto-next-buffer and goto-alternate-buffer in init.scm; core:vim-keybind binds goto-alternate-buffer to Ctrl-6. buffer-new opens a new scratch buffer, as :new does.

(bind-key! 'normal "ctrl-h" "goto-prev-buffer")
(bind-key! 'normal "ctrl-l" "goto-next-buffer")

Panes

Command	Effect
:sp [path], :split [path]	Split the focused pane, stacking the new pane below. The new pane shows the current buffer, or opens path
:vsp [path], :vsplit [path]	Split the focused pane side by side, the same way

Splitting a pane that is already too small is refused with a message. Focusing, closing and rotating panes use the Ctrl-p prefix; see Default Keys. See Splits and panes for how panes behave.

Tabs

Command	Effect
:tabe [path], :tabnew [path]	Open a new tab. Its pane shows the current buffer, or opens path
:tabc, :tabclose	Close the current tab and its panes; its buffers stay open. Refused for the only tab, or while a shell command started with | from one of its panes is running; :tabclose! stops the command and closes the tab
:tabn, :tabnext	Switch to the next tab, wrapping around
:tabp, :tabprev	Switch to the previous tab, wrapping around

Ctrl-p t/Ctrl-p T also cycle tabs. See Tabs for how tabs behave.

Editing

Command	Effect
:sort	Sort adjacent rows by their selected text
:sort -r, :sort --reverse	Sort in reverse
:sort -i, :sort --insensitive	Sort case-insensitively. Flags combine: :sort -ri
:earlier [n|5m]	Step back n revisions (:earlier, :earlier 3), or back to how the buffer looked an age ago (:earlier 5m)
:later [n|5m]	Step forward again after :earlier, same argument forms

:sort groups your selections into runs of adjacent rows and sorts each run on its own. Each row's key is the text you selected on it, not necessarily the whole line:

• Select whole lines to sort a file (% selects the whole buffer).
• Select a single column across a block of lines to sort by that column.

A run sorts numerically only if every row's key looks like a number: one row with non-numeric text drops the whole run back to plain text order. Two selections on the same row combine into one key rather than counting as separate rows, so :sort can't sort several items within one line.

A single selection that spans several rows keeps its place in the buffer: the rows underneath it reorder, but the selection still covers the same stretch of text afterward.

:earlier and :later step through the undo history: back, then forward again along the path redo follows. A bare number counts revisions; a number with an s/m/h/d suffix names an age (:earlier 90s, :later 2h). Going past either end stops at the oldest or newest revision with a message.

Select the count on each row, then run :sort
mia   34
zoe   19
kai   52

Result
zoe   19
mia   34
kai   52

Settings

Command	Effect
:set global <option>=<value>	Set an option everywhere
:set buffer <option>=<value>	Set an option for this buffer only
:set pane <option>=<value>	Set an option for this pane only (wrap-mode only)
:get global <option>	Show an option's global value
:get buffer <option>	Show the value an option has in this buffer
:get pane <option>	Show the value an option has in this pane (wrap-mode only)

See Settings for every option.

Display

Command	Effect
:theme <name>	Load a theme; with no argument, show the current one
:theme-debug	Show the resolved styles for the main UI scopes
:wrap, :toggle-soft-wrap	Toggle line wrapping in this pane. See wrap styles
:mes, :messages	Show the message log in a read-only buffer

Navigation

Command	Effect
:cd [path], :change-directory [path]	Change the working directory; with no path, to your home directory
:pwd, :print-working-directory	Print the working directory
:goto <n>	Jump to line <n>. :42 is shorthand. Records a jump, so Ctrl-o comes back

Config and plugins

Command	Effect
:plugins, :plugin-status	Show each plugin entry's state (declared, loaded or failed), what is still waiting to trigger it, and any plugin that is not installed (absent)
:reload-config	Re-run init.scm from scratch
:ver, :version	Show the editor version
:tutor	Open the interactive tutorial

Core plugins add typed commands of their own once you load them:

• core:plum: the :plum-* commands, which install and manage plugins, grammars and themes.
• core:lsp: :lsp-status, :lsp-stop, :lsp-restart, :diagnostics, :format-source and :toggle-inlay-hints.
• core:lsp-install: :lsp-install, :lsp-uninstall and :lsp-catalog.
• core:git-diff: :toggle-git-signs and :toggle-inline-diff.
• core:undotree: :undotree.
• core:steel-server: :steel-server-install.

None of these plugins is loaded until you ask for it in init.scm. See Core Plugins.

Finding a command

There is no listing command. Press :, then Tab: completion shows every registered typed name and alias, including those of plugins that haven't started yet. It never shows editor commands; see Editor Commands for those.