`start` plugins loaded before `.vimrc`

Neovim v0.9.4
macOS 14.1.1
See also: mrcjkb/rustaceanvim#77 (reply in thread)

It appears that start plugins are loaded/sourced before the .vimrc, even though the readme says otherwise:

Plugins installed under pack/*/start/ are automatically added to the 'runtimepath' after .vimrc is sourced.

To reproduce:

Install a start plugin that has a ftplugin/vim.vim file, containing:

if g:foo_bar
    echom "foo_bar is set"
endif

Set g:foo_bar = true in .vimrc
Open a vim file: vim test.vim

Expected: Vim prints foo_bar is set
Actual: Nothing.

If I manually add a plugin to the default packpath (without minpac), I cannot reproduce the issue. So I don't think it's a Neovim bug.

I've also been able to reproduce this behaviour with the Neovim derivation in nixpkgs, and will investigate further on that end.
It wraps Neovim with --cmd "set packpath^=" and ---cmd "set rtp^=" - I believe it may be related to that.
Does minpac do something similar?

Does minpac do something similar?

minpac/autoload/minpac/impl.vim

Lines 358 to 361 in 79f60e0

    
                   if has('nvim') && isdirectory(l:dir . '/rplugin') 
        
                     " Required for :UpdateRemotePlugins. 
        
                     call s:add_rtp(l:dir) 
        
                   endif

If a plugin has rplugin directory, minpac add it to rtp to support :UpdateRemotePlugins command.

Does minpac do something similar?

minpac/autoload/minpac/impl.vim

Lines 358 to 361 in 79f60e0

if has('nvim') && isdirectory(l:dir . '/rplugin')

" Required for :UpdateRemotePlugins.

call s:add_rtp(l:dir)

endif

If a plugin has rplugin directory, minpac add it to rtp to support :UpdateRemotePlugins command.

🤔 that's not the case for the affected plugin.

Sorry for late.
Could you show the result of :scriptnames? Is the plugin loaded before your vimrc?
Could you also show your vimrc? minimal reproducible example should be better.

No problem 😃

I don't actually use minpac.
This was reported to me by a user of one of the plugins I maintain, who uses minpac (@adaszko).

I was able to reproduce the same behaviour using the the Nix neovim package, which also uses packpath to manage plugins. But I wasn't able to reproduce it with plain (neo)vim without a plugin manager, and by cloning plugins into a start directory manually.

That's why I opened the issue here.
I am very tight on free time right now, and @adaszko was able to work around the issue by moving it to opt and using packadd!.

So it will probably be some time before I get around to setting up an example with minpac.

I've played around with this and come to the conclusion that (at least for my nix setup), this is caused by a call to syntax on or syntax enable in init.vim

See this repo which reproduces it.

I could not reproduce it with vim. Only neovim. So I think this issue can be closed.

	if has('nvim') && isdirectory(l:dir . '/rplugin')
	" Required for :UpdateRemotePlugins.
	call s:add_rtp(l:dir)
	endif