> Ask your local Vim nerd to rename the file they're editing. It will be entertaining!

Oh that’s easy though, friend :)

:!git mv % new-name

> IDEs are declarative editors, you say "rename this variable" and they do it.

Most NeoVim setups I’ve tried recently include LSPs with code actions, so now I just hover a variable and do “<Space>ra” and I get a little popup window asking me for a new name. I type it, hit enter, and the reference is updated in all relevant files.