return {
  -- Better `vim.notify()`
  {
    "rcarriga/nvim-notify",
    keys = {
      {
        "<leader>un",
        function()
          require("notify").dismiss({ silent = true, pending = true })
        end,
        desc = "Dismiss All Notifications",
      },
    },
    opts = {
      stages = "static",
      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,
      on_open = function(win)
        vim.api.nvim_win_set_config(win, { zindex = 100 })
      end,
    },
    init = function()
      -- when noice is not enabled, install notify on VeryLazy
      if not LazyVim.has("noice.nvim") then
        LazyVim.on_very_lazy(function()
          vim.notify = require("notify")
        end)
      end
    end,
  },

  -- This is what powers LazyVim's fancy-looking
  -- tabs, which include filetype icons and close buttons.
  {
    "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" },
      { "<leader>bo", "<Cmd>BufferLineCloseOthers<CR>", desc = "Delete Other Buffers" },
      { "<leader>br", "<Cmd>BufferLineCloseRight<CR>", desc = "Delete Buffers to the Right" },
      { "<leader>bl", "<Cmd>BufferLineCloseLeft<CR>", desc = "Delete Buffers to the Left" },
      { "<S-h>", "<cmd>BufferLineCyclePrev<cr>", desc = "Prev Buffer" },
      { "<S-l>", "<cmd>BufferLineCycleNext<cr>", desc = "Next Buffer" },
      { "[b", "<cmd>BufferLineCyclePrev<cr>", desc = "Prev Buffer" },
      { "]b", "<cmd>BufferLineCycleNext<cr>", desc = "Next Buffer" },
      { "[B", "<cmd>BufferLineMovePrev<cr>", desc = "Move buffer prev" },
      { "]B", "<cmd>BufferLineMoveNext<cr>", desc = "Move buffer next" },
    },
    opts = {
      options = {
        -- stylua: ignore
        close_command = function(n) LazyVim.ui.bufremove(n) end,
        -- stylua: ignore
        right_mouse_command = function(n) LazyVim.ui.bufremove(n) end,
        diagnostics = "nvim_lsp",
        always_show_bufferline = false,
        diagnostics_indicator = function(_, _, diag)
          local icons = LazyVim.config.icons.diagnostics
          local ret = (diag.error and icons.Error .. diag.error .. " " or "")
            .. (diag.warning and icons.Warn .. diag.warning or "")
          return vim.trim(ret)
        end,
        offsets = {
          {
            filetype = "neo-tree",
            text = "Neo-tree",
            highlight = "Directory",
            text_align = "left",
          },
        },
        ---@param opts bufferline.IconFetcherOpts
        get_element_icon = function(opts)
          return LazyVim.config.icons.ft[opts.filetype]
        end,
      },
    },
    config = function(_, opts)
      require("bufferline").setup(opts)
      -- Fix bufferline when restoring a session
      vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd({ "BufAdd", "BufDelete" }, {
        callback = function()
          vim.schedule(function()
            pcall(nvim_bufferline)
          end)
        end,
      })
    end,
  },

  -- statusline
  {
    "nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim",
    event = "VeryLazy",
    init = function()
      vim.g.lualine_laststatus = vim.o.laststatus
      if vim.fn.argc(-1) > 0 then
        -- set an empty statusline till lualine loads
        vim.o.statusline = " "
      else
        -- hide the statusline on the starter page
        vim.o.laststatus = 0
      end
    end,
    opts = function()
      -- PERF: we don't need this lualine require madness 🤷
      local lualine_require = require("lualine_require")
      lualine_require.require = require

      local icons = LazyVim.config.icons

      vim.o.laststatus = vim.g.lualine_laststatus

      local opts = {
        options = {
          theme = "auto",
          globalstatus = vim.o.laststatus == 3,
          disabled_filetypes = { statusline = { "dashboard", "alpha", "ministarter" } },
        },
        sections = {
          lualine_a = { "mode" },
          lualine_b = { "branch" },

          lualine_c = {
            LazyVim.lualine.root_dir(),
            {
              "diagnostics",
              symbols = {
                error = icons.diagnostics.Error,
                warn = icons.diagnostics.Warn,
                info = icons.diagnostics.Info,
                hint = icons.diagnostics.Hint,
              },
            },
            { "filetype", icon_only = true, separator = "", padding = { left = 1, right = 0 } },
            { LazyVim.lualine.pretty_path() },
          },
          lualine_x = {
            -- stylua: ignore
            {
              function() return require("noice").api.status.command.get() end,
              cond = function() return package.loaded["noice"] and require("noice").api.status.command.has() end,
              color = function() return LazyVim.ui.fg("Statement") end,
            },
            -- stylua: ignore
            {
              function() return require("noice").api.status.mode.get() end,
              cond = function() return package.loaded["noice"] and require("noice").api.status.mode.has() end,
              color = function() return LazyVim.ui.fg("Constant") end,
            },
            -- stylua: ignore
            {
              function() return "  " .. require("dap").status() end,
              cond = function() return package.loaded["dap"] and require("dap").status() ~= "" end,
              color = function() return LazyVim.ui.fg("Debug") end,
            },
            -- stylua: ignore
            {
              require("lazy.status").updates,
              cond = require("lazy.status").has_updates,
              color = function() return LazyVim.ui.fg("Special") end,
            },
            {
              "diff",
              symbols = {
                added = icons.git.added,
                modified = icons.git.modified,
                removed = icons.git.removed,
              },
              source = function()
                local gitsigns = vim.b.gitsigns_status_dict
                if gitsigns then
                  return {
                    added = gitsigns.added,
                    modified = gitsigns.changed,
                    removed = gitsigns.removed,
                  }
                end
              end,
            },
          },
          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" },
      }

      -- do not add trouble symbols if aerial is enabled
      -- And allow it to be overriden for some buffer types (see autocmds)
      if
        vim.g.trouble_luline_enabed ~= false
        and vim.b.trouble_lualine_enabled ~= false
        and LazyVim.has("trouble.nvim")
      then
        local trouble = require("trouble")
        local symbols = trouble.statusline
          and trouble.statusline({
            mode = "symbols",
            groups = {},
            title = false,
            filter = { range = true },
            format = "{kind_icon}{symbol.name:Normal}",
            hl_group = "lualine_c_normal",
          })
        table.insert(opts.sections.lualine_c, {
          symbols and symbols.get,
          cond = symbols and symbols.has,
        })
      end

      return opts
    end,
  },

  -- indent guides for Neovim
  {
    "lukas-reineke/indent-blankline.nvim",
    event = "LazyFile",
    opts = {
      indent = {
        char = "│",
        tab_char = "│",
      },
      scope = { show_start = false, show_end = false },
      exclude = {
        filetypes = {
          "help",
          "alpha",
          "dashboard",
          "neo-tree",
          "Trouble",
          "trouble",
          "lazy",
          "mason",
          "notify",
          "toggleterm",
          "lazyterm",
        },
      },
    },
    main = "ibl",
  },

  -- Highly experimental plugin that completely replaces the UI for messages, cmdline and the popupmenu.
  {
    "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,
        },
      },
      routes = {
        {
          filter = {
            event = "msg_show",
            any = {
              { find = "%d+L, %d+B" },
              { find = "; after #%d+" },
              { find = "; before #%d+" },
            },
          },
          view = "mini",
        },
      },
      presets = {
        bottom_search = true,
        command_palette = true,
        long_message_to_split = true,
      },
    },
    -- stylua: ignore
    keys = {
      { "<leader>sn", "", desc = "+noice"},
      { "<S-Enter>", function() require("noice").redirect(vim.fn.getcmdline()) end, mode = "c", desc = "Redirect Cmdline" },
      { "<leader>snl", function() require("noice").cmd("last") end, desc = "Noice Last Message" },
      { "<leader>snh", function() require("noice").cmd("history") end, desc = "Noice History" },
      { "<leader>sna", function() require("noice").cmd("all") end, desc = "Noice All" },
      { "<leader>snd", function() require("noice").cmd("dismiss") end, desc = "Dismiss All" },
      { "<leader>snt", function() require("noice").cmd("pick") end, desc = "Noice Picker (Telescope/FzfLua)" },
      { "<c-f>", function() if not require("noice.lsp").scroll(4) then return "<c-f>" end end, silent = true, expr = true, desc = "Scroll Forward", mode = {"i", "n", "s"} },
      { "<c-b>", function() if not require("noice.lsp").scroll(-4) then return "<c-b>" end end, silent = true, expr = true, desc = "Scroll Backward", mode = {"i", "n", "s"}},
    },
    config = function(_, opts)
      -- HACK: noice shows messages from before it was enabled,
      -- but this is not ideal when Lazy is installing plugins,
      -- so clear the messages in this case.
      if vim.o.filetype == "lazy" then
        vim.cmd([[messages clear]])
      end
      require("noice").setup(opts)
    end,
  },

  -- icons
  {
    "echasnovski/mini.icons",
    lazy = true,
    opts = {
      file = {
        [".keep"] = { glyph = "󰊢", hl = "MiniIconsGrey" },
        ["devcontainer.json"] = { glyph = "", hl = "MiniIconsAzure" },
      },
      filetype = {
        dotenv = { glyph = "", hl = "MiniIconsYellow" },
      },
    },
    init = function()
      package.preload["nvim-web-devicons"] = function()
        require("mini.icons").mock_nvim_web_devicons()
        return package.loaded["nvim-web-devicons"]
      end
    end,
  },

  -- ui components
  { "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim", lazy = true },

  {
    "nvimdev/dashboard-nvim",
    lazy = false, -- As https://github.com/nvimdev/dashboard-nvim/pull/450, dashboard-nvim shouldn't be lazy-loaded to properly handle stdin.
    opts = function()
      local logo = [[
           ██╗      █████╗ ███████╗██╗   ██╗██╗   ██╗██╗███╗   ███╗          Z
           ██║     ██╔══██╗╚══███╔╝╚██╗ ██╔╝██║   ██║██║████╗ ████║      Z    
           ██║     ███████║  ███╔╝  ╚████╔╝ ██║   ██║██║██╔████╔██║   z       
           ██║     ██╔══██║ ███╔╝    ╚██╔╝  ╚██╗ ██╔╝██║██║╚██╔╝██║ z         
           ███████╗██║  ██║███████╗   ██║    ╚████╔╝ ██║██║ ╚═╝ ██║           
           ╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚══════╝   ╚═╝     ╚═══╝  ╚═╝╚═╝     ╚═╝           
      ]]

      logo = string.rep("\n", 8) .. logo .. "\n\n"

      local opts = {
        theme = "doom",
        hide = {
          -- this is taken care of by lualine
          -- enabling this messes up the actual laststatus setting after loading a file
          statusline = false,
        },
        config = {
          header = vim.split(logo, "\n"),
          -- stylua: ignore
          center = {
            { action = 'lua LazyVim.pick()()',                           desc = " Find File",       icon = " ", key = "f" },
            { action = "ene | startinsert",                              desc = " New File",        icon = " ", key = "n" },
            { action = 'lua LazyVim.pick("oldfiles")()',                 desc = " Recent Files",    icon = " ", key = "r" },
            { action = 'lua LazyVim.pick("live_grep")()',                desc = " Find Text",       icon = " ", key = "g" },
            { action = 'lua LazyVim.pick.config_files()()',              desc = " Config",          icon = " ", key = "c" },
            { action = 'lua require("persistence").load()',              desc = " Restore Session", icon = " ", key = "s" },
            { action = "LazyExtras",                                     desc = " Lazy Extras",     icon = " ", key = "x" },
            { action = "Lazy",                                           desc = " Lazy",            icon = "󰒲 ", key = "l" },
            { action = function() vim.api.nvim_input("<cmd>qa<cr>") end, desc = " Quit",            icon = " ", key = "q" },
          },
          footer = function()
            local stats = require("lazy").stats()
            local ms = (math.floor(stats.startuptime * 100 + 0.5) / 100)
            return { "⚡ Neovim loaded " .. stats.loaded .. "/" .. stats.count .. " plugins in " .. ms .. "ms" }
          end,
        },
      }

      for _, button in ipairs(opts.config.center) do
        button.desc = button.desc .. string.rep(" ", 43 - #button.desc)
        button.key_format = "  %s"
      end

      -- open dashboard after closing lazy
      if vim.o.filetype == "lazy" then
        vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("WinClosed", {
          pattern = tostring(vim.api.nvim_get_current_win()),
          once = true,
          callback = function()
            vim.schedule(function()
              vim.api.nvim_exec_autocmds("UIEnter", { group = "dashboard" })
            end)
          end,
        })
      end

      return opts
    end,
  },
}