return {
	"nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim",
	branch = "v3.x",
	dependencies = {
		"nvim-lua/plenary.nvim",
		"MunifTanjim/nui.nvim",
		"nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
	},
	config = function()
		require("neo-tree").setup({
			-- Performance optimizations for large repositories
			git_status_async = true,
			git_status_async_options = {
				batch_size = 1000, -- Process git status in batches
				batch_delay = 10, -- 10ms delay between batches
				max_lines = 10000, -- Limit git status lines processed
			},
			filesystem = {
				use_libuv_file_watcher = true, -- Enable OS-level file watching for automatic git status updates
				async_directory_scan = "always", -- Always scan directories asynchronously for better performance
				scan_mode = "shallow", -- Don't scan deeply into directories (faster)
				filtered_items = {
					visible = true,
					hide_dotfiles = false,
					hide_hidden = false,
					-- Hide common heavy directories to improve performance
					hide_by_name = {
						"node_modules",
						".git",
						".venv",
						"venv",
						"__pycache__",
						".pytest_cache",
						".mypy_cache",
						".ruff_cache",
						".hypothesis",
						"target",
						"dist",
						"build",
					},
					hide_by_pattern = {
						"*.pyc",
						"*.pyo",
						"*.egg-info",
					},
				},
			},
		})
		vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-n>", ":Neotree filesystem reveal left<CR>", {})
	end,
}