# Helix: what changed from 24 to 25

- Product: Helix (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix)
- Vendor: Helix
- Range: changelog entries numbered after 24.07 up to and including 25.07.1, stable releases only
- Entries below: 4 releases (newest first)
- Resolved: 24 is 24.07 and 25 is 25.07.1, the newest stable release of each major we track
- Carrying security changes: 0 · CVEs mentioned: 0 · Mentioning breaking changes: 2 · Removing or deprecating something: 1
- Page: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix/compare/24...25

What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog.

Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'.

## What changed (63 changes, grouped by kind)

### Added

#### 25.07 (2025-07-15)

- Add a directory picker for exploring directories
- Allow cycling through multiple LSP hover responses with A-n and A-p
- Add support for incomplete LSP completions
- Add support for EditorConfig
- Add support for LSP document colors
- Support expansions in external formatter arguments
- Add support for the DAP startDebugging reverse request
- Add copy_between_registers command for interactive copying between registers
- Add extend_to_file_start and extend_to_file_end select-mode commands
- Add :! alias for :sh and :| alias for :pipe
- Add goto_column and extend_to_column commands
- Add --insensitive and -i flags to the :sort command
- Add rotate_selections_first and rotate_selections_last commands
- Add --no-format flag for all :write commands

#### 25.01.1 (2025-01-19)

- Add CodeQL language support
- Add Gren language support

#### 25.01 (2025-01-03)

- Add `editor.lsp.display-progress-messages` key to enable progress messages
- Refactor Pickers to use a table layout and allow filtering by column
- Reimplement `global_search` to allow changing the query dynamically
- Add an alternative inline display for LSP diagnostics
- Support defining keybindings as macros
- Continue line comments in `o`/`O` and on `<ret>` in insert mode
- Allow configuring and switching clipboard providers at runtime
- Add support for path completion
- Support bindings with the Super (Cmd/Win/Meta) modifier
- Support rendering and jumping between tabstops in snippet completions
- Allow theming directory completions
- Add commands to move within snake_case or camelCase words
- Add `search_selection_detect_word_boundaries` command which takes the `*` key in normal and select mode
- Add `:edit` and `:e` aliases for `:open`
- Add `:mv` alias for `:move`

### Changed

#### 25.07.1 (2025-07-18)

- Lower the GLIBC requirements of the release artifacts published to GitHub

#### 25.07 (2025-07-15)

- Rewrite command line parsing to support flags and expansions
- Change quoting and space handling in command line parsing, which may break existing keymaps using typable commands
- Switch syntax highlighter to the tree-house crate
- Highlight locals like parameter highlights even when the definition is not in view
- Inject markdown syntax highlighting into rust doc comments

#### 25.01.1 (2025-01-19)

- Run external formatters from the document's directory
- Update onelight theme
- Add cursorline color to iceberg themes
- Update special, ui.text.directory and ui.virtual.wrap in dark_plus theme
- Highlight : in Rust as a delimiter
- Update Swift highlights
- Highlight JSX attributes as @attribute
- Improve markdown heading highlights
- Add comment tokens configuration for JSONC
- --version now prints a leading zero for single-digit months

#### 25.01 (2025-01-03)

- The `editor.lsp.display-messages` key now controls messages sent with the LSP `window/showMessage` notification rather than progress messages
- Trim trailing newline from pipe command outputs when the input doesn't have a trailing newline
- Return document display name instead of absolute path from the `%` special register
- Track view position on a per-view instead of per-document basis
- Improve scrolloff calculation to leave a gap in the middle
- Add statusline errors when nothing is selected with `s`, `K`, `A-K`

### Fixed

#### 25.07 (2025-07-15)

- Fix multiple syntax highlighter bugs

#### 25.01.1 (2025-01-19)

- Fix blank buffer picker preview on doc with no views
- Fix join_selections behavior on tabs
- Fix recognition for color LSP completion hex codes for some language servers
- Fix offsets to selections updated by open_below/open_above in multi-cursor scenarios
- Fix offsets to selections updated by insert_newline when trimming whitespace in multi-cursor scenarios
- Fix panic in path completion from resolving variables like ${HOME:-$HOME}
- Prevent line comment continuation when using change_selection on a line above a comment
- Fix Teal LSP name

### Removed

#### 25.07 (2025-07-15)

- Remove the :rsort command in favor of the :sort --reverse flag

## Release notes

### 25.07.1

- Date: 2025-07-18
- Version: 25.07.1
- Original notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.07.1
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix/releases/25.07.1

- **changed** — Lower the GLIBC requirements of the release artifacts published to GitHub

This is a patch release which lowers the GLIBC requirements of the release artifacts published to GitHub ([#13983](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13983))

### 25.07

- Date: 2025-07-15
- Version: 25.07
- Original notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.07
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix/releases/25.07

- **changed** — Rewrite command line parsing to support flags and expansions
- **changed** — Change quoting and space handling in command line parsing, which may break existing keymaps using typable commands
- **removed** — Remove the :rsort command in favor of the :sort --reverse flag
- **added** — Add a directory picker for exploring directories
- **added** — Allow cycling through multiple LSP hover responses with A-n and A-p
- **added** — Add support for incomplete LSP completions
- **added** — Add support for EditorConfig
- **added** — Add support for LSP document colors
- **added** — Support expansions in external formatter arguments
- **changed** — Switch syntax highlighter to the tree-house crate
- **fixed** — Fix multiple syntax highlighter bugs
- **changed** — Highlight locals like parameter highlights even when the definition is not in view
- **changed** — Inject markdown syntax highlighting into rust doc comments
- **added** — Add support for the DAP startDebugging reverse request
- **added** — Add copy_between_registers command for interactive copying between registers
- **added** — Add extend_to_file_start and extend_to_file_end select-mode commands
- **added** — Add :! alias for :sh and :| alias for :pipe
- **added** — Add goto_column and extend_to_column commands
- **added** — Add --insensitive and -i flags to the :sort command
- **added** — Add rotate_selections_first and rotate_selections_last commands
- **added** — Add --no-format flag for all :write commands

As always, a big thank you to all of the contributors! This release saw changes from 195 contributors.

Breaking changes:

* The parsing of the command line has been rewritten and now supports flags and expansions ([#12527](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12527), [#13018](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13018), [9574e55](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/9574e55), [2d4c2a1](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/2d4c2a1), [#13192](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13192), [67f1fe2](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/67f1fe2), [#13466](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13466), [#13467](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13467), [#13840](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13840))
    * Quoting and spaces are now handled differently. This can break existing keymaps which use typable commands, in particular `:sh`, `:set-option` or `:toggle-option`.
    * The `:rsort` command has been removed. Use the reverse flag instead: `:sort --reverse`

Features:

* Add a picker which explores directories ([#11285](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11285), [d4aed40](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/d4aed40))
* Allow cycling through multiple LSP Hover responses with `A-n`/`A-p` ([#10122](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/10122), [2367b20](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/2367b20))
* Add support for incomplete LSP completions ([5c1f3f8](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/5c1f3f8))
* Add support for EditorConfig ([#13056](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13056), [#13443](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13443))
* Add support for LSP document colors ([#12308](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12308), [d43de14](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/d43de14), [47cdd23](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/47cdd23), [ba54b6a](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/ba54b6a), [#13188](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13188))
* Support expansions in external formatter arguments ([#13429](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13429))
* Switch out the highlighter for the `tree-house` crate ([#12972](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12972), [09bc67a](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/09bc67a), [a7c3a43](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/a7c3a43), [3ceae88](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/3ceae88), [05ae617](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/05ae617), [5a1dcc2](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/5a1dcc2), [ebf96bd](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/ebf96bd), [#13644](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13644), [b1f4717](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/b1f4717), [7410fe3](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/7410fe3), [633c5fb](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/633c5fb), [362e97e](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/362e97e), [#13828](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13828), [6fd1efd](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/6fd1efd))
    * This fixes a number of highlighter bugs.
    * Locals like parameter highlights are now highlighted even when the definition is not in view.
    * Markdown is now injected into rust doc comments (`///` and `//!`).
* Add support for the DAP `startDebugging` reverse request ([#13403](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13403))

Commands:

* Add `copy_between_registers` for interactive copying between two registers ([066e938](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/066e938))
* Add `extend_to_file_{start,end}`, select-mode variants of `goto_file_{start,end}` ([#11767](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11767))
* Add `:!` alias for `:sh` and `:|` for `:pipe` ([#13263](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13263))
* Add `goto_column` and `extend_to_column` ([#13440](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/13440))
* Add an `--insensitive`/`-i` flag to the `:sort` comma

_[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.07]_

### 25.01.1

- Date: 2025-01-19
- Version: 25.01.1
- Original notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.01.1
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix/releases/25.01.1

- **changed** — Run external formatters from the document's directory
- **fixed** — Fix blank buffer picker preview on doc with no views
- **fixed** — Fix join_selections behavior on tabs
- **fixed** — Fix recognition for color LSP completion hex codes for some language servers
- **fixed** — Fix offsets to selections updated by open_below/open_above in multi-cursor scenarios
- **fixed** — Fix offsets to selections updated by insert_newline when trimming whitespace in multi-cursor scenarios
- **fixed** — Fix panic in path completion from resolving variables like ${HOME:-$HOME}
- **fixed** — Prevent line comment continuation when using change_selection on a line above a comment
- **changed** — Update onelight theme
- **changed** — Add cursorline color to iceberg themes
- **changed** — Update special, ui.text.directory and ui.virtual.wrap in dark_plus theme
- **added** — Add CodeQL language support
- **added** — Add Gren language support
- **fixed** — Fix Teal LSP name
- **changed** — Highlight : in Rust as a delimiter
- **changed** — Update Swift highlights
- **changed** — Highlight JSX attributes as @attribute
- **changed** — Improve markdown heading highlights
- **changed** — Add comment tokens configuration for JSONC
- **changed** — --version now prints a leading zero for single-digit months

25.01.1 is a patch release focusing on fixing bugs and panics from changes in 25.01.

Usability improvements:

* Run external formatters from the document's directory ([#12315](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12315))

Fixes:

* Fix blank buffer picker preview on doc with no views ([917174e](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/917174e))
* Fix `join_selections` behavior on tabs ([#12452](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12452))
* Fix recognition for color LSP completion hex codes for some language servers ([#12501](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12501))
* Fix offsets to selections updated by `open_below`/`open_above` (`o`/`O`) in multi-cursor scenarios ([#12465](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12465))
* Fix offsets to selections updated by `insert_newline` when trimming whitespace in multi-cursor scenarios ([4bd17e5](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/4bd17e5))
* Fix panic in path completion from resolving variables like `${HOME:-$HOME}` ([#12556](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12556))
* Prevent line comment continuation when using `change_selection` (`c`) on a line above a comment ([#12575](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12575))

Themes:

* Update `onelight` ([#12399](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12399))
* Add cursorline color to iceberg themes ([#12404](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12404))
* Update `special`, `ui.text.directory` and `ui.virtual.wrap` in `dark_plus` ([#12530](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12530))

New languages:

* CodeQL ([#12470](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12470))
* Gren ([#12525](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12525))

Updated languages and queries:

* Fix Teal LSP name ([#12395](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12395))
* Highlight `:` in Rust as a delimiter ([#12408](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12408))
* Update Swift highlights ([#12409](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12409))
* Highlight JSX attributes as `@attribute` ([#12416](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12416))
* Improve markdown heading highlights ([#12417](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12417))
* Add comment tokens configuration for JSONC ([b26903c](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/b26903c))
* Highlight the never type `!` as a type in Rust ([#12485](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12485))
* Expand builtin function highlights for ECMA languages, Rust and Haskell ([#12488](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12488))
* Recognize `.clang-tidy` as YAML ([#12498](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12498))
* Update MATLAB grammar and indent queries ([#12518](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12518))
* Recognize `rockspec` as Lua ([#12516](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12516))
* Add `///` to Dart comment tokens configuration ([99d33c7](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/99d33c7))
* Update Solidity grammar and queries ([#12457](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12457))
* Update Spade grammar and queries ([#12583](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12583))
* Re-enable Hare fetching and building by default ([#11507](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11507))

Packaging:

* `--version` now prints a leading zero for single-digit months, for example `25.01` (03f35af)
* Pin the Ubuntu GitHub Actions runners used for releases to `ubuntu-22.04` ([#12464](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12464))
* Produce a Debian package (`.deb` file) in the release GitHub Actions workflow ([#12453](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12453))

### 25.01

- Date: 2025-01-03
- Version: 25.01
- Original notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.01
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/helix/releases/25.01

- **changed** — The `editor.lsp.display-messages` key now controls messages sent with the LSP `window/showMessage` notification rather than progress messages
- **added** — Add `editor.lsp.display-progress-messages` key to enable progress messages
- **added** — Refactor Pickers to use a table layout and allow filtering by column
- **added** — Reimplement `global_search` to allow changing the query dynamically
- **added** — Add an alternative inline display for LSP diagnostics
- **added** — Support defining keybindings as macros
- **added** — Continue line comments in `o`/`O` and on `<ret>` in insert mode
- **added** — Allow configuring and switching clipboard providers at runtime
- **added** — Add support for path completion
- **added** — Support bindings with the Super (Cmd/Win/Meta) modifier
- **added** — Support rendering and jumping between tabstops in snippet completions
- **added** — Allow theming directory completions
- **added** — Add commands to move within snake_case or camelCase words
- **added** — Add `search_selection_detect_word_boundaries` command which takes the `*` key in normal and select mode
- **added** — Add `:edit` and `:e` aliases for `:open`
- **added** — Add `:mv` alias for `:move`
- **changed** — Trim trailing newline from pipe command outputs when the input doesn't have a trailing newline
- **changed** — Return document display name instead of absolute path from the `%` special register
- **changed** — Track view position on a per-view instead of per-document basis
- **changed** — Improve scrolloff calculation to leave a gap in the middle
- **changed** — Add statusline errors when nothing is selected with `s`, `K`, `A-K`

As always, a big thank you to all of the contributors! This release saw changes from 171 contributors.

Breaking changes:

* The `editor.lsp.display-messages` key now controls messages sent with the LSP `window/showMessage` notification rather than progress messages. If you want to enable progress messages you should now enable the `editor.lsp.display-progress-messages` key instead. ([#5535](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/5535))

Features:

* Big refactor for `Picker`s ([#9647](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/9647), [#11209](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11209), [#11216](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11216), [#11211](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11211), [#11343](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11343), [#11406](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11406))
    * Use a table layout and allow filtering by column
    * Reimplement `global_search` to allow changing the query dynamically
* Add an alternative "inline" display for LSP diagnostics ([#6417](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/6417), [#11815](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11815))
* Support defining keybindings as macros ([#4709](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/4709))
* Continue line comments in `o`/`O` and on `<ret>` in insert mode ([#10996](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/10996), [#12213](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12213), [#12215](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12215))
* Allow configuring and switching clipboard providers at runtime ([#10839](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/10839), [b855cd0](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/b855cd0), [467fad5](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/467fad5), [191b0f0](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/191b0f0))
* Add support for path completion ([#2608](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/2608))
* Support bindings with the Super (Cmd/Win/Meta) modifier ([#6592](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/6592))
* Support rendering and jumping between tabstops in snippet completions ([#9801](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/9801))
* Allow theming directory completions ([#12205](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12205), [#12295](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12295))

Commands:

* Add commands to move within snake_case or camelCase words ([#8147](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/8147))
* Add `search_selection_detect_word_boundaries` ([#12126](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/12126))
    * This command takes the `*` key in normal and select mode, replacing `search_selection` which was moved to `A-*`.

Usability improvements:

* Add `:edit` and `:e` aliases for `:open` ([#11186](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11186), [#11196](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11196))
* Trim trailing newline from pipe command outputs when the input doesn't have a trailing newline ([#11183](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11183), [4f63a46](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/commit/4f63a46))
* Add `:mv` alias for `:move` ([#11256](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11256))
* Return document display name instead of absolute path from the `%` special register ([#11275](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11275))
* Track view position on a per-view instead of per-document basis ([#10559](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/10559))
* Improve scrolloff calculation to leave a gap in the middle ([#11323](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11323))
* Show a popup for stderr printed by failed `:sh` commands ([#11239](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11239))
* Add statusline errors when nothing is selected with `s`, `K`, `A-K` ([#11370](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11370))
* Add `.svn` as a workspace root marker ([#11429](https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/pull/11429))
* Trim the end of `:sh` outputs ([#11161](https://github.com/helix-edi

_[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/tag/25.01]_