Requirements
Blak targets Neovim 0.12+ and is built on the native LSP API. The installer checks this version and Git before creating the checkout.
Hard requirements
Section titled “Hard requirements”| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| Neovim 0.12+ | Native vim.lsp.config() and vim.lsp.enable() |
| Git | Cloning the repo and managing plugins |
Strongly recommended
Section titled “Strongly recommended”| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
ripgrep (rg) |
Backing grep for the picker |
| fd | Faster file discovery than the built-in walk |
| tree-sitter CLI | Build parsers locally — Blak can install this via Mason on first run |
| A Nerd Font | Icons in the dashboard, sidebar, and optional statusline |
Blak can start without these, but search providers may lose functionality, parser installation needs the CLI and a C compiler, and icon glyphs may appear as missing characters without a Nerd Font. Use :BlakDoctor to inspect the core tools.
Optional
Section titled “Optional”| Tool | When |
|---|---|
| lazygit | :BlakExtras enable git.lazygit |
| node / npm | TypeScript extras and language servers, including lang.typescript-tsgo |
| rustup | :BlakExtras enable lang.rust |
| go | :BlakExtras enable lang.go |
| Claude Code CLI | :BlakExtras enable ai.claudecode |
| AI CLI tools | :BlakExtras enable ai.sidekick with Codex, Claude, Gemini, OpenCode, or another Sidekick-supported CLI |
External tools required by an extra are listed in its source under lua/blak/extras/<group>/<name>.lua. Run :BlakDoctor after enabling extras — it checks core binaries and configured linters. Check the extra’s documentation for other external requirements.
Platform notes
Section titled “Platform notes”Blak is developed on macOS and tested on Linux via the CI smoke job. It does not currently test on Windows. If you run it on Windows and find rough edges, an issue with reproduction steps is welcome.