Completion Sources

nvim-cmp and blink.cmp integration with mentions, slash commands, and shortcuts

Overview

Avante.nvim integrates with both nvim-cmp and blink.cmp to provide intelligent completions for mentions, slash commands, and shortcuts within the Avante chat interface.

nvim-cmp Integration

Avante works with nvim-cmp out of the box. Simply ensure nvim-cmp is installed as a dependency:

{
  "yetone/avante.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "hrsh7th/nvim-cmp", -- autocompletion for avante commands and mentions
    -- ... other dependencies
  },
}

blink.cmp Integration

For users of blink.cmp (a faster nvim-cmp alternative), Avante provides compatibility through blink.compat.

When using blink.cmp, choose a selector other than native as it currently has known issues.

LazyVim Users

If you’re using LazyVim, copy the full blink.cmp config from the website or extend the options:

{
  "saghen/blink.cmp",
  opts = {
    sources = {
      compat = {
        "avante_commands",
        "avante_mentions",
        "avante_files",
      },
    },
  },
}

Manual Configuration

For other setups, add custom providers:

{
  "saghen/blink.cmp",
  opts = {
    sources = {
      default = {
        -- ... other sources
        "avante_commands",
        "avante_mentions",
        "avante_shortcuts",
        "avante_files",
      },
      providers = {
        avante_commands = {
          name = "avante_commands",
          module = "blink.compat.source",
          score_offset = 90, -- show at a higher priority than lsp
          opts = {},
        },
        avante_files = {
          name = "avante_files",
          module = "blink.compat.source",
          score_offset = 100,
          opts = {},
        },
        avante_mentions = {
          name = "avante_mentions",
          module = "blink.compat.source",
          score_offset = 1000, -- highest priority
          opts = {},
        },
        avante_shortcuts = {
          name = "avante_shortcuts",
          module = "blink.compat.source",
          score_offset = 1000,
          opts = {},
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Alternative: blink-cmp-avante

You can also use the dedicated Kaiser-Yang/blink-cmp-avante plugin.

Completion Sources

Mentions (@ trigger)

Mentions allow you to quickly reference features or add context to your chat:

@codebase · mention

Enable project context and repository mapping via RAG service

Usage: Ask questions about your entire codebase

Example: @codebase How does authentication work in this project?

Requires: RAG service to be enabled

@diagnostics · mention

Enable diagnostics information from LSP

Usage: Include current errors/warnings in the context

Example: @diagnostics Help me fix these type errors

@file · mention

Open file selector to add files to chat context

Usage: Add specific files for the AI to reference

Example: @file (then select files from the picker)

@quickfix · mention

Add files from quickfix list to chat context

Usage: Include files with errors or search results

Example: @quickfix Review these failing tests

@buffers · mention

Add all open buffers to chat context

Usage: Give the AI context about all currently open files

Example: @buffers Refactor these related components

Slash Commands (/ trigger)

Built-in commands for common operations:

/help · command

Show help message with available commands

Usage: Get information about Avante features and commands

/init · command

Initialize AGENTS.md based on current project

Usage: Set up project-specific AI instructions

/clear · command

Clear chat history for the current session

Usage: Start fresh without previous context

/new · command

Start a new chat session

Usage: Begin a separate conversation thread

/compact · command

Compact history messages to save tokens

Usage: Reduce context size while preserving important information

/lines · command

Ask about specific line ranges

Syntax: /lines <start>-<end> <question>

Example: /lines 10-50 What does this function do?

/commit · command

Generate commit message for staged changes

Usage: Create conventional commit messages automatically

Shortcuts (# trigger)

Shortcuts provide quick access to predefined prompt templates:

require('avante').setup({
  shortcuts = {
    {
      name = "refactor",
      description = "Refactor code with best practices",
      details = "Automatically refactor code to improve readability, maintainability, and follow best practices while preserving functionality",
      prompt = "Please refactor this code following best practices, improving readability and maintainability while preserving functionality.",
    },
    {
      name = "test",
      description = "Generate unit tests",
      details = "Create comprehensive unit tests covering edge cases, error scenarios, and various input conditions",
      prompt = "Please generate comprehensive unit tests for this code, covering edge cases and error scenarios.",
    },
    {
      name = "explain",
      description = "Explain code functionality",
      prompt = "Please explain what this code does in detail, including its purpose, logic, and any important patterns or considerations.",
    },
    {
      name = "optimize",
      description = "Optimize code performance",
      prompt = "Please analyze this code for performance improvements and suggest optimizations while maintaining functionality.",
    },
    {
      name = "document",
      description = "Add documentation",
      prompt = "Please add comprehensive documentation to this code, including docstrings, comments, and usage examples.",
    },
  },
})

Using Shortcuts

Type # in the chat input to see available shortcuts:

• #refactor → Expands to the refactor prompt
• #test → Expands to the test generation prompt
• #explain → Expands to the explanation prompt

Custom Shortcuts

Create project-specific shortcuts:

shortcuts = {
  {
    name = "api",
    description = "Generate API endpoint",
    prompt = "Create a RESTful API endpoint following our project conventions with proper error handling, validation, and documentation.",
  },
  {
    name = "component",
    description = "Generate React component",  
    prompt = "Create a React component using TypeScript, hooks, and our component pattern with proper props typing and documentation.",
  },
}

File Selector Configuration

Configure which file picker to use with @file:

require('avante').setup({
  selector = {
    provider = "telescope", -- "native" | "fzf_lua" | "mini_pick" | "snacks" | "telescope"
    provider_opts = {}, -- Options for the picker
  },
})

Available Selectors

Telescope

selector = {
  provider = "telescope",
}

Requires: nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim

fzf-lua

selector = {
  provider = "fzf_lua",
}

Requires: ibhagwan/fzf-lua

mini.pick

selector = {
  provider = "mini_pick",
}

Requires: nvim-mini/mini.pick

snacks

selector = {
  provider = "snacks",
}

Requires: folke/snacks.nvim

Native

selector = {
  provider = "native", -- Built-in selector
}

No additional dependencies required.

Custom Selector Provider

Create a custom file selector:

selector = {
  ---@param selector avante.ui.Selector
  provider = function(selector)
    local items = selector.items ---@type avante.ui.SelectorItem[]
    local title = selector.title ---@type string
    local on_select = selector.on_select ---@type fun(selected_item_ids: string[]|nil): nil

    -- Your custom picker logic here
    -- Call on_select(selected_ids) when done
  end,
}

Switching Selector Provider

You can switch the selector provider at runtime:

:AvanteSwitchSelectorProvider telescope

Available options: native, telescope, fzf_lua, mini_pick, snacks

Exclude Auto-Select

Prevent certain buffer types from being auto-selected:

require('avante').setup({
  selector = {
    exclude_auto_select = { "NvimTree", "neo-tree" },
  },
})

Complete Example

Here’s a complete configuration with all completion sources:

require('avante').setup({
  -- File selector
  selector = {
    provider = "telescope",
    exclude_auto_select = { "NvimTree" },
  },
  
  -- Shortcuts
  shortcuts = {
    {
      name = "refactor",
      description = "Refactor code with best practices",
      prompt = "Please refactor this code following best practices.",
    },
    {
      name = "test",
      description = "Generate unit tests",
      prompt = "Please generate comprehensive unit tests for this code.",
    },
  },
  
  -- Enable RAG for @codebase
  rag_service = {
    enabled = true,
    -- ... RAG configuration
  },
})

Tips and Tricks

Quick File Adding

Use @file to quickly add specific files to context without leaving the chat.

Codebase Queries

Enable RAG and use @codebase for intelligent whole-project queries.

Custom Shortcuts

Create shortcuts for common project-specific prompts to save typing.

Diagnostics Context

Use @diagnostics when asking the AI to fix errors or warnings.

Related Documentation

RAG Service

Enable semantic codebase search

Slash Commands

Complete slash command reference

blink.cmp Guide

Detailed blink.cmp setup