spf13-vim: A Vim Distribution for Developers Who Want One Config Everywhere

What spf13-vim Actually Bundles

spf13-vim is not a plugin. It is a distribution: a set of Vim plugins plus a .vimrc, packaged so that Vim, Gvim and MacVim behave the same way on Windows, Linux, *nix and macOS. The README frames it as a starting point for anyone intending to use Vim for development, and the repository layout backs that up. The top level holds .vimrc, .vimrc.before, .vimrc.bundles and .vimrc.bundles.default, plus bootstrap.sh and an uninstall.sh.

The problem it addresses is configuration drift. A developer who works on a Linux workstation and a Mac laptop normally maintains two vimrc files and remembers which plugins are installed where. spf13-vim replaces that with one configuration that is cloned and symlinked into place. The README states the distribution is completely customisable through three local files, so the base config stays replaceable while your own edits live elsewhere.

Vundle Replaces the Flat Plugin Directory

The README is explicit about the architectural choice. Traditional Vim plugin structure, it says, throws all files into common directories, which makes updating or disabling plugins a mess. Version 3 uses Vundle instead, so plugins are declared rather than scattered, and the resulting directory is described as well organized, similar to Mac app folders.

The data flow is straightforward. .vimrc.bundles.default lists the plugins the distribution ships with. Your own additions go in .vimrc.bundles.local, which the README describes alongside .vimrc.local and .vimrc.before.local as the three customization points. The before file is loaded ahead of the spf13-vim .vimrc, which matters when you need to set a variable that the main config reads later.

That layering is the part worth judging. It gives you a clean separation between upstream defaults and local changes, and it means a git pull does not overwrite your edits. The cost is indirection: to know what a given plugin does, you read the bundle list, then the plugin's own documentation. Nothing in the README describes a rollback mechanism if an update to a bundled plugin breaks your setup, and the updating section only covers moving forward.

Installing spf13-vim on Linux and macOS

The README gives one command for Linux, *nix and macOS. It requires Git 1.7+ and Vim 7.3+. The script downloads itself, then runs, and the README states it will install spf13-vim and back up your existing Vim configuration.

curl https://j.mp/spf13-vim3 -L > spf13-vim.sh && sh spf13-vim.sh

If your shell is bash-compatible, the README offers a second form that skips the intermediate file:

sh <(curl https://j.mp/spf13-vim3 -L)

After either command, opening Vim should show the spf13-vim configuration rather than your previous setup. The README notes that the plugins need Vim built with Lua, specifically for neocomplete, and links to that plugin's requirements section. If your Vim lacks Lua, expect the completion plugin not to work even though the rest of the distribution installs.

Windows Install Through Chocolatey

On Windows the README points at Chocolatey as the quickest route, since it can pull in Git, Curl and Vim together. The command runs from the command prompt:

choco install spf13-vim

The README adds a warning worth repeating: the spf13-vim package will install Vim as well. If you already have a Vim build you rely on, that is a reason to install the pieces individually instead. The repository also ships spf13-vim-windows-install.cmd and spf13-vim-windows-xp-install.cmd for manual runs, and the README says to run the installer in Administrator Mode if you want the symlinks created successfully.

The manual path is longer. You install Vim, then run :echo $VIMRUNTIME inside it to find the install directory, and add that directory to your environment path so the script can find Vim. Curl is bundled with msysgit but is not callable from the command prompt until you drop a curl.cmd wrapper into the Git cmd directory, which the README links to as a gist.

Customizing Without Forking

The override files are the intended way to make the distribution yours. To change the color scheme, the README appends to .vimrc.local:

echo colorscheme ir_black  >> ~/.vimrc.local

For settings that must apply before the main config loads, the README uses .vimrc.before.local. Its example disables automatic cd into a file's directory, and the README's text is truncated mid-command at the point where it would set the variable name, so check the repository's .vimrc.before file for the exact key rather than guessing.

This design has a clear payoff. Upgrades touch the tracked files, and your local files stay untouched, so a git pull does not create merge conflicts in your personal settings. The limitation is that the override files are plain Vim script executed in sequence. If you set an option in the wrong file, the ordering decides whether it takes effect, and the README does not document the full load order beyond the fact that the before file runs first.

Updating and the Rollback Gap

The README calls rerunning the installer the simplest and safest update path, and states it upgrades completely and non destructively.

curl https://j.mp/spf13-vim3 -L -o - | sh

A manual route is also given. It pulls the repository and then runs a single Vim command that installs missing bundles, removes unused ones and quits:

cd $HOME/to/spf13-vim/
git pull
vim +BundleInstall! +BundleClean +q

The README warns that if the structure of the configuration has changed, you will need to create the appropriate symlinks yourself. What it does not describe is how to go back. There is no documented pinning of plugin versions, no rollback command, and no note on what BundleClean removes when your bundle list changes. For a distribution whose selling point is that you clone and run, that is the sharpest edge: an upstream plugin change arrives on your next update, and your recovery options are whatever Git and Vundle give you outside this documentation.

Where spf13-vim Is the Wrong Choice

Two cases stand out. The first is a developer who already has a vimrc they understand. Adopting spf13-vim means reading someone else's configuration to debug your own editor, and the README's own framing, a starting point, suggests it expects you to grow past the defaults rather than treat them as final.

The second is anyone on a Neovim-first workflow or a heavily customized setup with a plugin manager of their own choosing. The distribution is built around Vundle and around Vim, Gvim and MacVim; the README names those three and does not discuss Neovim. If your editor is not one of those, the installer's symlink layout is doing work you do not need.

Alternatives exist in the same category. Vim distributions such as Janus and Space-vim appear in what people search for alongside this project, and the README itself names Vundle as the plugin manager, which you can adopt on its own without the rest of the distribution. That last option is the real comparison: Vundle plus your own vimrc gives you the organized plugin directory without inheriting a full configuration you did not write.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt spf13-vim if you want a working Vim setup across Windows, Linux and macOS without assembling plugins yourself, and if you are willing to keep a Vundle-based bundle list. Do not adopt it if you already maintain a hand-written vimrc you understand line by line, or if you need a plugin manager with a documented rollback path, since the README covers updating but not reverting. Before installing, verify your Vim has Lua support, because the README ties neocomplete to that requirement, and confirm that Git 1.7+ and Vim 7.3+ are present. The installer backs up your existing configuration, so check the backup location before you run it.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. License: Apache-2.0
3. Project website
4. README
5. spf13/spf13-vim on GitHub