return {
  {
    "rcarriga/nvim-notify",
    keys = {
      {
        "<leader>un",
        function()
          require("notify").dismiss({ silent = true, pending = true })
        end,
        desc = "Dismiss all Notifications",
      },
    },
    opts = {
      timeout = 3000,
      max_height = function()
        return math.floor(vim.o.lines * 0.75)
      end,
      max_width = function()
        return math.floor(vim.o.columns * 0.75)
      end,
    },
  },
  {
    "nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim",
    event = "VeryLazy",
    opts = function()
      return {
        options = {
          theme = "auto",
          globalstatus = true,
          disabled_filetypes = { statusline = { "dashboard", "alpha" } },
        },
        sections = {
          lualine_a = { "mode" },
          lualine_b = { "branch" },
          lualine_c = {
            {
              "diagnostics",
              symbols = {
                error = " ",
                warn = " ",
                info = " ",
                hint = "󰌵",
              },
            },
            { "filetype", icon_only = true, separator = "", padding = { left = 1, right = 0 } },
            { "filename", path = 1, symbols = { modified = "  ", readonly = "", unnamed = "" } },
            {
              function() return require("nvim-navic").get_location() end,
              cond = function() return package.loaded["nvim-navic"] and require("nvim-navic").is_available() end,
            },
          },
          lualine_x = {
            {
              function() return "  " .. require("dap").status() end,
              cond = function() return package.loaded["dap"] and require("dap").status() ~= "" end,
            },
            { require("lazy.status").updates, cond = require("lazy.status").has_updates },
            {
              "diff",
              symbols = {
                added = "",
                modified = "󰄱",
                removed = "✖",
              },
            },
          },
          lualine_y = {
            { "progress", separator = " ",                  padding = { left = 1, right = 0 } },
            { "location", padding = { left = 0, right = 1 } },
          },
          lualine_z = {
            function()
              return " " .. os.date("%R")
            end,
          },
        },
        extensions = { "neo-tree", "lazy" },
      }
    end,
  },
  {
    "lukas-reineke/indent-blankline.nvim",
    lazy = false,
  },
  {
    "echasnovski/mini.indentscope",
    version = false, -- wait till new 0.7.0 release to put it back on semver
    event = { "BufReadPre", "BufNewFile" },
    opts = {
      -- symbol = "▏",
      symbol = "│",
      options = { try_as_border = true },
    },
    init = function()
      vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("FileType", {
        pattern = {
          "help",
          "alpha",
          "dashboard",
          "neo-tree",
          "Trouble",
          "lazy",
          "mason",
          "notify",
          "toggleterm",
          "lazyterm",
        },
        callback = function()
          vim.b.miniindentscope_disable = true
        end,
      })
    end,
  },
  {
    "akinsho/bufferline.nvim",
    event = "VeryLazy",
    keys = {
      { "<leader>bp", "<Cmd>BufferLineTogglePin<CR>",            desc = "Toggle pin" },
      { "<leader>bP", "<Cmd>BufferLineGroupClose ungrouped<CR>", desc = "Delete non-pinned buffers" },
    },
    opts = {
      options = {
        -- stylua: ignore
        close_command = function(n) require("mini.bufremove").delete(n, false) end,
        -- stylua: ignore
        right_mouse_command = function(n) require("mini.bufremove").delete(n, false) end,
        diagnostics = "nvim_lsp",
        always_show_bufferline = false,
        diagnostics_indicator = function(_, _, diag)
          local ret = (diag.error and " " .. diag.error or "")
              .. (diag.warning and " " .. diag.warning or "")
          return vim.trim(ret)
        end,
        offsets = {
          {
            filetype = "neo-tree",
            text = "Neo-tree",
            highlight = "Directory",
            text_align = "left",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  {
    "folke/which-key.nvim",
    event = "VeryLazy",
    opts = {
      plugins = { spelling = true },
      defaults = {
        mode = { "n", "v" },
        ["g"] = { name = "+goto" },
        ["gz"] = { name = "+surround" },
        ["]"] = { name = "+next" },
        ["["] = { name = "+prev" },
        ["<leader>b"] = { name = "+buffer" },
        ["<leader>c"] = { name = "+colors" },
        ["<leader>l"] = { name = "+lsp" },
        ["<leader>f"] = { name = "+file/find" },
        ["<leader>g"] = { name = "+git" },
        ["<leader>h"] = { name = "+harpoon" },
        ["<leader>u"] = { name = "+ui" },
        ["<leader>w"] = { name = "+windows" },
        ["<leader>x"] = { name = "+diagnostics/quickfix" },
      },
    },
    config = function(_, opts)
      local wk = require("which-key")
      wk.setup(opts)
      wk.register(opts.defaults)
    end,
  },
  {
    "folke/noice.nvim",
    event = "VeryLazy",
    opts = {
      lsp = {
        override = {
          ["vim.lsp.util.convert_input_to_markdown_lines"] = true,
          ["vim.lsp.util.stylize_markdown"] = true,
          ["cmp.entry.get_documentation"] = true,
        },
        hover = { enabled = false },
        signature = { enabled = false },
      },
    },
    dependencies = {
      "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim",
      "rcarriga/nvim-notify",
    }
  },
  -- icons
  { "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons", lazy = true },
  -- ui components
  { "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim",        lazy = true },
  {
    "RRethy/vim-illuminate",
    event = { "BufReadPost", "BufNewFile" },
    opts = {
      delay = 200,
      large_file_cutoff = 2000,
      providers = {
        'lsp',
        'treesitter',
        'regex',
      },
      large_file_overrides = {
        providers = { "lsp" },
      },
    },
    config = function(_, opts)
      require("illuminate").configure(opts)

      local function map(key, dir, buffer)
        vim.keymap.set("n", key, function()
          require("illuminate")["goto_" .. dir .. "_reference"](false)
        end, { desc = dir:sub(1, 1):upper() .. dir:sub(2) .. " Reference", buffer = buffer })
      end

      map("]]", "next")
      map("[[", "prev")

      -- also set it after loading ftplugins, since a lot overwrite [[ and ]]
      vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("FileType", {
        callback = function()
          local buffer = vim.api.nvim_get_current_buf()
          map("]]", "next", buffer)
          map("[[", "prev", buffer)
        end,
      })
    end,
    keys = {
      { "]]", desc = "Next Reference" },
      { "[[", desc = "Prev Reference" },
    },
  },
}