@console-inline/service

Runtime helper for console-inline.nvim. Importing this package patches the global console object so every log/info/warn/error call is forwarded to your Neovim instance and displayed inline as virtual text.

Inspired by the workflow popularised by Wallaby.js Console Ninja — think of this as the Neovim-native counterpart.

Stack traces from console.trace are captured as well, giving you inline call stacks alongside traditional log output. Timers started with console.time and completed via console.timeEnd/console.timeLog report their elapsed duration right next to the terminating call. Uncaught runtime errors and unhandled promise rejections are intercepted so they appear inline just like any other log entry. Timers started with console.time and completed via console.timeEnd/console.timeLog report their elapsed duration right next to the terminating call.

Required: make sure the Neovim plugin is installed and its TCP server is running (autostart = true by default). Without the plugin listening on the configured host and port this package will keep retrying and queueing messages.

Installation

npm install @console-inline/service

Use any bundler/runtime that understands ESM (Node 16+, Vite, Next.js, etc.).

Quick start

Node.js / CLI

import "@console-inline/service";

console.log("Hello from Node!");
console.warn({ status: "demo" });
console.trace("Inspect call stack");
console.info("info");
console.error("error");

Browser / React

For browsers, the Neovim plugin auto-starts the bundled relay (:ConsoleInlineRelayBuild / npm run build:relay).

// e.g. in src/main.tsx
import "@console-inline/service";

console.info("Rendered from the browser");
console.warn({ status: "demo" });
console.trace("Inspect call stack");
console.log("log");

In Node runtimes the package connects directly to the Neovim TCP endpoint; browser runtimes rely on the auto-started relay managed by the Neovim plugin. No extra scripts required.

By default the service only patches consoles in development (NODE_ENV !== "production", import.meta.env.DEV, etc.). Set CONSOLE_INLINE_ENABLED=true to keep it on, or CONSOLE_INLINE_DISABLED=true to opt out.

Configuration

Environment variables let you point the relay at a different host/port or tweak behaviour:

| Variable | Default | Description | | -------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | CONSOLE_INLINE_HOST | 127.0.0.1 | Hostname of the Neovim TCP server | | CONSOLE_INLINE_PORT | 36123 | TCP port exposed by console-inline.nvim | | CONSOLE_INLINE_WS_RECONNECT_MS | 1000 | Delay between WebSocket reconnect attempts | | CONSOLE_INLINE_MAX_QUEUE | 200 | Maximum buffered messages while Neovim is offline | | CONSOLE_INLINE_DEBUG | off | Enables verbose logging for troubleshooting |

Set these in your shell (export) or via process.env / import.meta.env before the first import executes.

Troubleshooting

• Ensure Neovim has the plugin loaded and listening (:ConsoleInlineStatus).
• If you change the plugin’s host/port, mirror the same values as environment variables before starting your Node/Vite app.
• Use CONSOLE_INLINE_DEBUG=1 to print connection attempts, retries, and queue drops.

flowchart TD
    A[Start Node/Vite/Browser App] --> B{Connect to Neovim Plugin?}
    B -- Yes --> F[Messages forwarded to Neovim and displayed inline]
    B -- No --> C[Retry and queue messages]
    C --> D[Check Neovim plugin loaded and listening - :ConsoleInlineStatus]
    D --> E[Verify host/port configuration]
    E --> G[Enable debug logging - CONSOLE_INLINE_DEBUG=1]
    G --> B