whatisgithub

What is maximum-awesome?

square/maximum-awesome — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

5,700RubyAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

In one sentence

A one-command installer that sets up a curated Vim and tmux configuration for Mac developers, with plugins for file browsing, fuzzy file search, project-wide text search, and split terminal pane management.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((maximum-awesome))
    Vim plugins
      File browser sidebar
      Fuzzy file finder
      Project-wide search
      Comment toggling
    tmux config
      Split panes vertically
      Split panes horizontal
      Mouse scroll support
      Layout switching
    Installation
      Single install command
      Updates all plugins
      Local override files
    Design philosophy
      Mac OS X only
      Conservative additions
      Broadly useful only
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Set up a productive Vim environment on a Mac in one command with file browsing, fuzzy search, and code navigation.

USE CASE 2

Configure tmux with keyboard shortcuts for splitting terminals into panes and scrolling with the mouse.

USE CASE 3

Add personal Vim or tmux preferences in local override files without touching the shared configuration.

What is it built with?

RubyVimtmuxShell

How does it compare?

square/maximum-awesomemislav/will_paginatecancancommunity/cancancan
Stars5,7005,6965,676
LanguageRubyRubyRuby
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Mac OS X only, install runs a single Ruby script that sets up all Vim plugins and the tmux configuration.

So what is it?

Maximum Awesome is a collection of configuration files for two command-line tools: Vim, a text editor, and tmux, a program that lets you split a terminal window into multiple panes and keep sessions running in the background. The configs were created by engineers at Square and are built for Mac OS X. The Vim configuration bundles a set of plugins that add features on top of the bare editor. There is a file browser sidebar for navigating project directories, a fuzzy file finder for quickly opening files by typing part of their name, and a search tool for finding text across an entire project. Other shortcuts handle common editing tasks like toggling comments on selected lines, aligning text on a character like an equals sign, and jumping to where a function or variable is defined. The tmux configuration sets up keyboard shortcuts for splitting the terminal into vertical or horizontal panes, scrolling with the mouse, and switching between common layout arrangements when three or more panes are open. Both sets of configuration are installed by running a single command. The same command also updates all installed plugins. If you want to adjust any settings without changing the shared configuration, the installer creates local override files in your home directory where you can add your own preferences. The project is described as intentionally conservative about what it includes: contributions are expected to be broadly useful to most users rather than specific to a particular language or personal workflow. Extensions meant for personal use are better kept in the local override files.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install maximum-awesome on a new Mac and what Vim plugins does it set up out of the box?
Prompt 2
What keyboard shortcut does maximum-awesome use to open the fuzzy file finder and how do I use it to jump to a file?
Prompt 3
How do I add my own Vim mappings or settings on top of maximum-awesome without modifying the shared config?
Prompt 4
What tmux shortcuts does maximum-awesome configure for splitting panes horizontally and vertically?

Frequently asked questions

What is maximum-awesome?

A one-command installer that sets up a curated Vim and tmux configuration for Mac developers, with plugins for file browsing, fuzzy file search, project-wide text search, and split terminal pane management.

What language is maximum-awesome written in?

Mainly Ruby. The stack also includes Ruby, Vim, tmux.

How hard is maximum-awesome to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is maximum-awesome for?

Mainly developer.

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