Which `:verbose` level shows autocommand execution without excessive noise?

Answer

Use :verbose 5 (or start Vim with -V5) to see each autocommand as it runs while keeping the output relatively clean.

Confirmed facts

• Verbose levels 0‑4 do not print autocommand execution; they only show general messages or file‑reading events.
• Level 5 prints the autocommand name and its associated event each time it fires.
• Levels 6‑15 add increasingly detailed debugging information (mapping checks, option changes, internal function calls), which is usually considered excessive noise for this purpose.
• This behavior is consistent in Vim 8.0+ and Neovim v0.4+.

Steps to verify

1. Start Vim with a minimal config: vim -u NONE -N.
2. Define a test autocommand: :autocmd BufRead * echo 'autocmd fired'.
3. Set the verbose level: :set verbose=5.
4. Open any file, e.g. :e /tmp/test.txt.
5. Observe the command‑line output; you should see a line like autocmd BufRead * followed by the echo message.
6. Repeat with :set verbose=4 and verify that the autocommand line no longer appears.
7. (Optional) Try :set verbose=9 to see the extra noisy output for comparison.

Limiting output to autocommand messages

Vim does not provide a built‑in filter to show only autocommand lines at a given verbose level. To isolate them you can:

• Redirect the verbose output to a file: vim -V5autocmd.log and then grep autocmd autocmd.log.
• Run Vim normally, set :set verbose=5, execute the actions you want to test, and then :redir => output followed by :silent verbose 5 and :redir END; finally filter output for autocmd.

If you need a different level because your configuration produces many autocommand messages at level 5, please share the approximate number of lines you see so a more specific filtering approach can be suggested.