Building golf.vim: From Reddit Idea to 100+ Users in 48 Hours

Like many developers, I love Vim. But mastery is a journey, often fuelled by discovering clever tricks and efficient workflows. I'd stumbled upon VimGolf challenges online before – fun, but disconnected from my daily editing environment. Separately, I saw the incredible engagement around Wordle – that simple, daily ritual shared by millions.

What if those concepts merged? A daily dose of Vim practice, right inside the editor, with the shared experience of a daily puzzle? The idea felt sticky. But was it just me?

Here's exactly how it happened:

The Spark: Remixing Familiar Ideas

Let's be honest, the core concept – "Wordle for Vim" or a more integrated VimGolf – isn't wildly original. Great ideas often aren't conjured from thin air; they're syntheses. We constantly absorb concepts, tools, and patterns from the world around us. As creators, our unique contribution often lies in how we remix these existing elements through our own lens, experiences, and skills.

Seeing the daily engagement of Wordle and remembering the focused skill practice of VimGolf, the connection sparked. The challenge wasn't inventing something unprecedented, but executing on a *combination* that felt compelling: bringing structured, daily Vim practice directly into the editor in a fun, competitive, and community-driven way. Execution, shaped by a specific perspective on the user's needs, is where the magic truly happens.

1. Launch in the Heart of Your Community

Instead of launching quietly or waiting until the product was perfect, I dropped a rough demo on r/vim, the core hub for Vim enthusiasts:

Yes, it was promotion—but more importantly, it validated my idea immediately. Users confirmed they cared and offered great ideas for improvement.

2. Obsessively Engage With Feedback

Every comment received a thoughtful reply. Each conversation was gold, offering clear directions on exactly what users wanted. The initial demo post wasn't just a showcase; it explicitly asked:

The response was fantastic! Receiving dozens of comments validating the core idea and offering specific improvements within hours was exhilarating. It wasn't just abstract market research; it was direct engagement from the exact people I hoped to build for. Users immediately suggested concrete improvements:

The community essentially handed me a prioritized product roadmap. For free.

3. Ship a (Truly) Minimal Viable Product—Fast

Fueled by the positive feedback and clear direction, the next 48 hours were an intense coding sprint. I resisted the temptation to overbuild or implement *everything* suggested immediately. Instead, I focused laser-like on the core value proposition – delivering those daily challenges seamlessly within Vim – and released version 0.1 with only the absolute essentials, directly incorporating key feedback:

Zero configuration required. Just simple commands. Validate, then iterate.

Technical Note: Keystroke Tracking Nuances

One non-trivial aspect was reliably tracking keystrokes. Vim operates in multiple modes (Normal, Insert, Visual, etc.), and capturing input accurately without interfering with core functionality required careful mapping (`nnoremap`, `inoremap`) and handling of special keys (``, ``, etc.). Getting this right quickly was key to the core experience.

4. Leverage Your Early Momentum

Armed with direct user feedback, I went back to Reddit just 48 hours later with a polished GitHub release (v0.1), clearly showing progress and actionable results based on their input:

This closed the loop and sparked valuable traction: Initial Idea (Reddit) → Community Feedback → Rapid MVP → Launch (Reddit) → GitHub → Continued Growth.

5. Lessons Learned from Rapid Public Development

Here's the playbook distilled into a few key takeaways:

This experience was a powerful reminder of the magic that happens when you connect directly with your users, especially in a passionate community like Vim's. Building *with* them, not just *for* them, transforms the process from a solitary guess into a collaborative creation.

Don't wait to "feel ready." Just ship, listen, iterate, and repeat. Rapid validation beats months of guessing every single time.

I'm openly sharing my journey, successes, and failures. Building in public continues to be incredibly rewarding. What rapid development lessons have you learned? Feel free to share your thoughts or follow along with the ongoing development on X.