Helix Code Editor

Helix (hx) is a modal text editor written in Rust, inspired by Kakoune and Vim, featuring built-in Tree-sitter syntax highlighting, multi-selection editing, and a modern terminal user interface. Created in 2020, with over 35,000 stars as of 2026, Helix aims to provide a Kakoune-like editing experience with better defaults and no configuration required. Key features include: multi-selection (multiple cursors and selections simultaneously, with selection-first editing paradigm where text is selected before applying operations, enabling powerful bulk editing without macros or plugins), Tree-sitter integration (built-in incremental parsing for syntax highlighting, text objects, code folding, indentation, and bracket matching across over 200 languages without external parsers), language server support (built-in LSP client providing completion, goto definition, hover documentation, diagnostics, code actions, rename refactoring, and formatting for all LSP-compatible languages), modal editing (normal, insert, select, and command modes with Vim-like keybindings but selection-first paradigm), built-in features (no plugin system needed as syntax highlighting, auto-indent, bracket matching, and code intelligence work out of the box), command palette (fuzzy-searchable command palette accessible via space key for discovering and executing commands), file picker (fuzzy file finder for quick project navigation), search and replace (global search with regex support and interactive replacement), themes (over 100 built-in color themes with custom theme support via TOML), key remapping (configurable keybindings via config.toml), split views (horizontal and vertical split panes for editing multiple files), and terminal rendering (hardware-accelerated text rendering with undercurl, underdash, and color blending support).