Hexal

Hexal is a modal text editor distributed as a downloadable release and built on C# with NLua as its only dependency. Its editing model deliberately mirrors Helix, so keymaps and behaviors feel familiar to anyone coming from that editor, while the project positions itself as easy to use yet infinitely moddable.

The core differentiator is the Lua scripting API. Its surface is extensive enough that a full LSP implementation can be written in Lua alone, and existing language servers or formatters can be connected through a .hexdef configuration file. A command palette and integrated file explorer bring Visual Studio Code-style conveniences into a modal workflow.

It fits developers who like to shape their editor through scripts rather than settings menus, especially those already comfortable with Helix bindings or willing to write Lua plugins. Teams that need a stable, widely adopted editor may find it less suitable.

To get started, download the latest release from the site or grab builds from the navid-m/hexal-dist repository on GitHub, then define your language servers in a .hexdef file. Expect to spend some time in Lua if you want deeper customization.

In short, Hexal is a scripting-first modal editor for people who treat their editor as a project.