bob

bob command [version] [arguments]

bob is a cross-platform Neovim version manager that allows easy switching between different Neovim versions from the command line. It can install stable releases, nightly builds, specific versions, or even build from commit hashes.The tool manages multiple Neovim installations, automatically downloading and setting up the appropriate binaries for your platform.

Configuration is read from a JSON or TOML file under the platform config directory (on Linux ~/.config/bob/config.json or config.toml). The $BOB_CONFIG environment variable overrides this location.

install

Install a specific Neovim version

Switch to a version (auto-installs if needed)

Run a specific version with arguments

Remove an installed version

Show installed and active versions

Show available versions for download

Install the version pinned in the config file

Update an installed version (use --all to update every version)

Roll back to a previously installed nightly build

Remove all bob data and installations

Generate a shell completion script

stable

Latest stable release

Latest nightly build

Most recent version

Specific version string

Build from specific commit

Requires internet access for downloading versions. GitHub API rate limits may apply; set GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable to increase limits. The erase command permanently removes all bob data including downloaded versions.

Bob was created by Mordechai Hadad as a modern, cross-platform solution for managing multiple Neovim installations, similar to how nvm manages Node.js versions or pyenv manages Python versions.

nvim(1), nvm(1), rustup(1)

Source code