return {
    -- lazy itself
    {
        'folke/lazy.nvim',
        version = '*'
    },

    {
        'catppuccin/nvim',
        name = "catppuccin",
        lazy = false,
        priority = 1000,
        config = function()
            require'catppuccin'.setup({
                color_overrides = {
                    macchiato = {
                        text = "#feffe9", --"#b7d69b",
                        subtext1 = "#a8c68f",
                        subtext0 = "#98b381",
                        overlay2 = "#879f72",
                        overlay1 = "#758a63",
                        overlay0 = "#647554",
                        surface2 = "#526146",
                        surface1 = "#414d37",
                        surface0 = "#303828",
                        base = "#262e1e",
                        mantle = "#1d2417",
                        crust = "#151a10",
                    }
                }
            })
            vim.cmd([[colorscheme catppuccin-macchiato]])
        end
    },

    {
        'morhetz/gruvbox',       -- Neovim editor theme (gruvbox MVP)
        lazy = false,
        priority = 1000,
        config = function()
            -- vim.cmd([[colorscheme gruvbox]])
        end
    },

    -- treesitter
    {
        'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
        version = false,
        event = { "BufReadPost", "BufWritePost", "BufNewFile", "VeryLazy" },
        build = ":TSUpdate",
        init = function(plugin)
            -- PERF: add nvim-treesitter queries to the rtp and it's custom query predicates early
            -- This is needed because a bunch of plugins no longer `require("nvim-treesitter")`, which
            -- no longer trigger the **nvim-treeitter** module to be loaded in time.
            -- Luckily, the only thins that those plugins need are the custom queries, which we make available
            -- during startup.
            require("lazy.core.loader").add_to_rtp(plugin)
            require("nvim-treesitter.query_predicates")
        end,
        dependencies = {
        {
          "nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects",
          config = function()
            -- When in diff mode, we want to use the default
            -- vim text objects c & C instead of the treesitter ones.
            local move = require("nvim-treesitter.textobjects.move") ---@type table<string,fun(...)>
            local configs = require("nvim-treesitter.configs")
            for name, fn in pairs(move) do
              if name:find("goto") == 1 then
                move[name] = function(q, ...)
                  if vim.wo.diff then
                    local config = configs.get_module("textobjects.move")[name] ---@type table<string,string>
                    for key, query in pairs(config or {}) do
                      if q == query and key:find("[%]%[][cC]") then
                        vim.cmd("normal! " .. key)
                        return
                      end
                    end
                  end
                  return fn(q, ...)
                end
              end
            end
          end,
        },
      },
        cmd = { "TSUpdateSync", "TSUpdate", "TSInstall" },
    },

    -- Telescope
    {
        {
            'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim',
            event = "VeryLazy",
            dependencies = {
                "nvim-telescope/telescope-file-browser.nvim",
                { 'nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim', build = 'make' },
                'nvim-lua/plenary.nvim',
                "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
            },
        },
    },

    -- cmdline tools and lsp servers
    --
    {
        'neovim/nvim-lspconfig', -- Configurations for Nvim LSP
        dependencies = {
            { "folke/neoconf.nvim", cmd = "Neoconf", config = false, dependencies = { "nvim-lspconfig" } },
            { "folke/neodev.nvim", opts = {} },
            "williamboman/mason.nvim",
            "williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim",
        },
        config = function()
            local capabilities = vim.lsp.protocol.make_client_capabilities()
            capabilities = require('cmp_nvim_lsp').default_capabilities(capabilities)

            require('mason').setup()
            local mason_lspconfig = require 'mason-lspconfig'
            mason_lspconfig.setup {
                ensure_installed = { "pyright" }
            }

            require("lspconfig").pyright.setup {
                capabilities = capabilities,
            }
        end
    },

    -- mason.nvim
    { 
      "williamboman/mason.nvim",
      cmd = "Mason",
      keys = { { "<leader>cm", "<cmd>Mason<cr>", desc = "Mason" } },
      build = ":MasonUpdate",
      opts = {
        ensure_installed = {
          "stylua",
          "shfmt",
          -- "flake8",
        },
      },
      ---@param opts MasonSettings | {ensure_installed: string[]}
      config = function(_, opts)
        require("mason").setup(opts)
        local mr = require("mason-registry")
        mr:on("package:install:success", function()
          vim.defer_fn(function()
            -- trigger FileType event to possibly load this newly installed LSP server
            require("lazy.core.handler.event").trigger({
              event = "FileType",
              buf = vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf(),
            })
          end, 100)
        end)
        local function ensure_installed()
          for _, tool in ipairs(opts.ensure_installed) do
            local p = mr.get_package(tool)
            if not p:is_installed() then
              p:install()
            end
          end
        end
        if mr.refresh then
          mr.refresh(ensure_installed)
        else
          ensure_installed()
        end
      end,
    },

    { 
        'jay-babu/mason-null-ls.nvim',
        lazy = true,     
        dependencies = {
            'jose-elias-alvarez/null-ls.nvim',
            'williamboman/mason.nvim'
        }
    },

    {
        'jay-babu/mason-nvim-dap.nvim',
        lazy = true,     
        dependencies = {
            'williamboman/mason.nvim',
            'mfussenegger/nvim-dap'
        }
    },
    {
        'rcarriga/nvim-dap-ui', 
        lazy = true,
        dependencies = {
            "mfussenegger/nvim-dap"
        }
    },
    --
    
    -- auto pairs
    {
        "echasnovski/mini.pairs",
        event = "VeryLazy",
        opts = {},
        keys = {{
            "<leader>up",
            function()
            local Util = require("lazy.core.util")
            vim.g.minipairs_disable = not vim.g.minipairs_disable
            if vim.g.minipairs_disable then
                Util.warn("Disabled auto pairs", { title = "Option" })
            else
                Util.info("Enabled auto pairs", { title = "Option" })
            end
            end,
            desc = "Toggle auto pairs",
        }},
    },

    -- auto completion
    {
        'hrsh7th/nvim-cmp',
        version = false, -- last release is way too old
        event = "InsertEnter",
        dependencies = {
    		'hrsh7th/cmp-buffer',	-- completion source
    		'hrsh7th/cmp-path',		-- completion source
    		'hrsh7th/cmp-nvim-lua',	-- completion source
    		'hrsh7th/cmp-nvim-lsp',	-- completion source
            'L3MON4D3/LuaSnip',
            'saadparwaiz1/cmp_luasnip',
            'onsails/lspkind.nvim',
        },
    },

    -- misc
    {
        'vim-airline/vim-airline',
    },

    {
        'j-hui/fidget.nvim',
        tag = "legacy"
    },

    {
        "folke/trouble.nvim",
        lazy = true,
        dependencies = "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
    },

    {
        "L3MON4D3/LuaSnip",             
        dependencies = { "rafamadriz/friendly-snippets" },
        event = "VeryLazy",
    },

    -- Need to short this out properly!
    -- learn this
    'tpope/vim-surround',
    -- differentiate brackets
    'luochen1990/rainbow',
    -- File tree
    'preservim/nerdtree',
    -- Distraction free writing
    'junegunn/goyo.vim',
    -- The Best Thing EVER
    'vimwiki/vimwiki',
    -- better comments
    'scrooloose/nerdcommenter',
    -- Show colours
    'ap/vim-css-color',
    -- Add snippets
    'honza/vim-snippets',
    -- highlight matching html tags
--    'valloric/matchtagalways',
    -- Syntax highlighting extension
    'sheerun/vim-polyglot',

--[[

--[[    {
        'gleinir/lspsaga.nvim',-- Interact with LSP a little easier
        branch='main'
    }
--] ]

    -- Autocomplete brackets and punctutation
    'jiangmiao/auto-pairs',
    -- Debug Adaptor Protocol (added for mason.nvim), and null-ls for linter and formatting
    'mfussenegger/nvim-dap',
    'jose-elias-alvarez/null-ls.nvim',


    -- Live Preview of MD
    {
        "iamcco/markdown-preview.nvim",
        config = function() vim.fn["mkdp#util#install"]() end,
    },

    'rbgrouleff/bclose.vim',


    'folke/neodev.nvim',
    'nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons',

--]]
}