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I'm using PuTTY as SSH client and zsh as a shell. When I just connect to a host and don't run nvim, I can see that control-left/right keys work correctly and send a different key from simply pressing an arrow by using ctrl-v:

# pressing ctrl-v left:
^[OD
# pressing ctrl-v ctrl-left:
^[[D

But when i run neovim :terminal, I get the same input no matter if I use control or not:

# pressing ctrl-v left:
^[OD
# pressing ctrl-v ctrl-left:
^[OD

Same thing when I just edit a file: In insert mode, ctrl-v ctrl-left inserts <Left> instead of <C-Left>.

This behavior is not reproduced with vim8, only with neovim.

The only way I managed to make it work correctly is by using tmux with options terminal-overrides "xterm*:kLFT5=\eOD:kRIT5=\eOC:kUP5=\eOA:kDN5=\eOB:smkx@:rmkx@" and default-terminal "screen-256color". However, I want to know how to make neovim correctly recognize ctrl-arrow keys without using tmux.

My values for $TERM are: xterm before starting nvim, xterm-256color inside nvim.

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  • What is the value of environment variable $TERM as seen by neovim on the remote host? You can do :echo $TERM in nvim. (Value should be the same as your local setting as SSH carries it over.) Also, a long shot, but does toggling the "Disable application cursor keys mode" checkbox in Putty settings under Terminal>Features make any difference? (Change, then connect.)
    – B Layer
    Oct 1, 2019 at 3:04
  • 1
    BTW, have you considered alternative approaches to remote file editing? E.g. using local vim/scp, mounting remote dirs with sshfs, syncing remote files to local copies (with git or rsync, for example). I know people often have issues with the model you are using so I thought I'd mention some other ways they approach the problem.
    – B Layer
    Oct 1, 2019 at 3:55
  • I've added info about $TERM to the question.
    – Thunderbeef
    Oct 1, 2019 at 10:16
  • @BLayer Such approach won't cut it for me, because I have a remote server where I do my work, and I connect to it from various clients, some of which just happen to be Windows. I want to be able to attach/detach to my session with all terminal windows and processes at any time. Furthermore, it worked perfectly well with tmux, so I don't see a reason why it shouldn't work with pure nvim.
    – Thunderbeef
    Oct 1, 2019 at 11:06
  • I didn't mention alternatives as a workaround for this problem just as a general suggestion. Did you try toggling that Putty setting? It alters the control sequences sent by arrow keys (which might be handled differently app-to-app/terminal) so it should at least be ruled out as a cause.
    – B Layer
    Oct 1, 2019 at 15:32

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