processmonitor.nvim

A Neovim plugin to view and manage processes from within Neovim.

Video with a demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WDSGvltxHo

Features

• View process list output (ps aux) in a Neovim buffer
• View list of open files (lsof) in a Neovim buffer with syntax highlighting
• Kill processes directly from the buffer
• Kill multiple processes using visual selection
• Filter processes by name
• Pin/filter by specific PID (toggle on/off)
• Sort processes by CPU or memory usage
• Auto-reload process list (toggle on/off)
• Refresh process list
• Inspect detailed process information
• Open /proc filesystem for processes (Linux)
• Quick browser access to network ports from process inspector

Installation

Using lazy.nvim

{
  "jugarpeupv/processmonitor.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("ps").setup({
      -- Optional configuration
      ps_cmd = "ps aux",        -- Command to list processes
      kill_cmd = "kill -9",     -- Command to kill processes
    })
  end,
}

Using packer.nvim

use {
  "jugarpeupv/processmonitor.nvim",
  config = function()
    require("ps").setup()
  end,
}

Usage

Commands

Process Management (ps)

Command	Description
:PS	Open a new buffer with process list
:PsRefresh	Refresh the process list
:PsKillLine	Kill the process on the current line
:PsKillAllLines	Kill all processes in the selected range
:PsKillWord	Kill the process with PID under cursor
:PsInspect	Open detailed inspector for current process
:PsOpenProcLine	Open /proc directory for the process
:PsFilter	Set a filter to show only matching processes
:PsThisBuffer	Convert current buffer to ps buffer

Open Files Management (lsof)

Command	Description
:Lsof	Open a new buffer with list of open files
:LsofRefresh	Refresh the lsof output
:LsofFilter	Set a filter to show only matching entries

Default Keymaps

PS Buffer

When in a ps buffer:

Normal Mode

Key	Action
r	Refresh process list
K	Kill process on current line
I	Inspect process (detailed view)
p	Open /proc directory for process
q	Close buffer
f	Filter processes by name
F	Toggle PID filter (pin/unpin current process)
gC	Sort by CPU usage (highest first)
gm	Sort by memory usage (highest first)
gl	Toggle auto-reload (every 2 seconds)
g?	Show help with all keybindings

Visual Mode

Key	Action
K	Kill all processes in selection

LSOF Buffer

When in an lsof buffer:

Normal Mode

Key	Action
r	Refresh lsof output
q	Close buffer
f	Filter lsof output

Process Inspector Buffer

When viewing detailed process information (opened with I or :PsInspect):

Normal Mode

Key	Action
r	Refresh inspector
K	Kill the inspected process
q	Close inspector window
gx	Open port in browser (when cursor is on a network connection line)

The gx keymap is particularly useful when inspecting processes with network connections. Position your cursor on any line showing a network connection (e.g., TCP [::1]:4873 (LISTEN)) and press gx to automatically open http://localhost:<port> in your default browser.

Filtering

Text Filter

You can filter the process list by name or other text:

1. Press f in the ps buffer
2. Enter a search term (e.g., "node" to see all Node.js processes)
3. Press Enter

To clear the filter:

1. Press f
2. Clear the input and press Enter

The filter is case-insensitive and searches across the entire process line.

PID Filter (Pin Feature)

You can filter to show only a specific process by PID:

1. Move cursor to the line with the process you want to pin
2. Press F to toggle the PID filter
3. The view will now show only that specific process
4. Press F again to clear the filter

When a PID filter is active, it will be shown in the status bar at the top of the buffer.

Sorting

You can sort the process list by different criteria:

• Sort by CPU: Press gC to sort processes by CPU usage (highest first)
• Sort by Memory: Press gm to sort processes by memory/RSS usage (highest first)

The sort order persists when you refresh the list with r. To return to the default order, close and reopen the buffer.

Configuration

You can configure processmonitor.nvim by passing options to the setup function:

require("ps").setup({
  ps_cmd = "ps aux",           -- Command to list processes
  kill_cmd = "kill -9",        -- Command to kill processes (SIGKILL)
  regex_rule = [[\w\+\s\+\zs\d\+\ze]], -- Regex to extract PID from line
})

Examples

To use a different kill signal:

require("ps").setup({
  kill_cmd = "kill -15",  -- Use SIGTERM instead of SIGKILL
})

To use a different ps command format:

require("ps").setup({
  ps_cmd = "ps axfu",  -- Show process tree
})

Requirements

• Neovim 0.7+
• ps command (available on most Unix-like systems)
• kill command
• lsof command (for :Lsof functionality)

License

MIT

Credits

Based on ps.vim by katonori, reimplemented in Lua for Neovim with additional features.