return {
    -- Better `vim.notify()`
    {
        "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,
        },
    },

    -- better vim.ui
    {
        "stevearc/dressing.nvim",
        lazy = true,
        init = function()
            ---@diagnostic disable-next-line: duplicate-set-field
            vim.ui.select = function(...)
                require("lazy").load({ plugins = { "dressing.nvim" } })
                return vim.ui.select(...)
            end
            ---@diagnostic disable-next-line: duplicate-set-field
            vim.ui.input = function(...)
                require("lazy").load({ plugins = { "dressing.nvim" } })
                return vim.ui.input(...)
            end
        end,
    },

    -- statusline
    {
        "nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim",
        event = "VeryLazy",
        init = function()
            vim.g.lualine_laststatus = vim.o.laststatus
            vim.o.laststatus = 0
        end,
        opts = {
            icons_enabled = true,
            theme = 'auto',
            component_separators = '|',
            section_separators = '',
        },
    },

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

    -- Active indent guide and indent text objects. When you're browsing
    -- code, this highlights the current level of indentation, and animates
    -- the highlighting.
    {
        "echasnovski/mini.indentscope",
        version = false, -- wait till new 0.7.0 release to put it back on semver
        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,
    },

    -- Displays a popup with possible key bindings of the command you started typing
    {
        "folke/which-key.nvim",
        opts = function(_, opts)
            opts.defaults["<leader>sn"] = { name = "+noice" }
        end,
    },

    -- 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,
                inc_rename = true,
            },
        },
        -- stylua: ignore
        keys = {
            {
                "<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"
            },
            {
                "<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" }
            },
        },
    },

    --   -- lsp symbol navigation for lualine. This shows where
    -- in the code structure you are - within functions, classes,
    -- etc - in the statusline.
    {
        "SmiteshP/nvim-navic",
        lazy = true,
        opts = function()
            return {
                separator = " ",
                highlight = true,
                depth_limit = 5,
                lazy_update_context = true,
            }
        end,
    },

    -- icons
    { "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons", lazy = true },

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