Cubby is an open-source "blob" storage, management, and publishing tool. It's end-to-end encrypted, built for command-line users, and has a wide range of use cases, including:
- Storing config files, cryptographic secrets, or passwords, which can sync to many machines
- Storing notes and to-do lists
- Sharing data, with individuals or publicly
- Blogging / publishing using Markdown
nvim-cubby is a Neovim plugin that allows users to interact with Cubby directly from within Neovim.
Cubby blobs are usually accessed by colon-delimited prefix keys, like blog:hello-cubby (or blo:hel to use prefixes). To edit a Cubby blob, simply run the command :CubbyGet <key> in Neovim. This will open the body of the blob in a new buffer. If you don't remember a key for the blob in question, you can use the list function to select it.
You can edit the blob, and then commit your changes by running :CubbySave. If you don't want to save your changes, simply discard the blob (i.e. :q! or <leader>x or similar).
To view a cubby list, use the :CubbyList command. This will open a cubby list in a new, read-only buffer.
You can use this buffer to quickly jump into any of your blobs. Simply go to the line number of the blob you want to open and run :CubbyGo. nvim-cubby will obtain the blob's unique ID and open it in a new buffer.
Similarly, you can delete a blob you select from the listing by running :CubbyRm. This will mark the blob as deleted and you won't see it anymore, although it can still be resurrected from the backup json.
To quickly create a new blob, you can use :CubbyPut <key> [<type>]. For example, :CubbyPut home:some-notes markdown or :CubbyPut home:hello-world (the type is optional).
Note that many of the advanced options in cubby put are not available -- if you want to use more of the available options, you can always invoke the cubby CLI, e.g. :!cubby put .... The :CubbyPut command is intended more as a quick shortcut.
Set plugin settings using :CubbySet <config key> <value>. Available settings include:
OpenWith(default:enew): specifies thevimcommand to use when opening a new buffer for Cubby output (e.g. with:CubbyListor:CubbyGet). Example::CubbySet OpenWith vnewwould cause the plugin to open Cubby content in a vertical split buffer. By default, it opens a new full-screen buffer.CryptoPass(default: none): overrides the configured Cubby passphrase used to encrypt and decrypt blobs. Use this if you want to interact with a blob using a different encryption key than you have configured normally (i.e. by environment variables or in yourcubby-client.yaml.
You can add a key mapping to load :CubbyList and to open blobs from the listing with :CubbyGo. For example, in NvChad, you add this to your ~/.config/nvim/lua/custom/mappings.lua:
["<leader>cb"] = { "<cmd> CubbyList <CR>", "Show Cubby listing", opts = { nowait = true } },
["<leader>cg"] = { "<cmd> CubbyGo <CR>", "Get blob in Cubby listing", opts = { nowait = true } },
But there are a bunch of ways to do this based on your particular setup and I won't bore you with the details for each.
Some users of Cubby -- particularly engineers at security-conscious technology firms -- are fully aware that they have spyware scanning their filesystem at all times; in such a situation, infosec demands assuming that any file on the filesystem is an open conversation between the user, the computer, and the employer. If you don't want your employer to see it, it can't be a file, even for a fleeting moment.
One of the benefits of nvim-cubby is that the Cubby blob data is never stored in a file -- only in RAM. It would take a system beyond the sophistication most firms will deploy to compromise this setup. Just be sure, if you're in this situation, to not store the encryption passphrase used in plaintext anywhere -- instead, set it in your current shell using environment variables (although be sure your shell history is not enabled).
"Only the paranoid survive." -Andy Grove