diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1a6ab75..cee000d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,31 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.3.0] - 2026-04-11
+
+### Added
+- `scripts/install-neovim-src.sh`: standalone script to build the latest
+  stable neovim from source; intended for systems where glibc < 2.32 prevents
+  running prebuilt GitHub release binaries (e.g. Ubuntu 20.04); supports
+  `NEOVIM_TAG` (pin version) and `NEOVIM_PREFIX` (install path) env vars
+
+### Fixed
+- `modules/neovim.sh`: detect glibc version *before* downloading — saves
+  ~100 MB download on incompatible systems; fall back to v0.9.5 tarball
+  (`nvim-linux64.tar.gz`, built on Ubuntu 18.04 CI, glibc 2.17+ baseline)
+  when system glibc < 2.32; verify binary executes before declaring success;
+  clean up any broken binary left by a prior failed install when the glibc
+  fallback triggers; ARM64 systems with glibc < 2.32 fall back to apt
+- `nvim/init.lua`: gate `nvim-treesitter`, `nvim-lspconfig`,
+  `nvim-treesitter-context`, `mini.ai`, and `mini.bracketed` behind
+  `cond = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1` — these plugins use nvim 0.10+ APIs
+  (`vim.fs.joinpath`, `LspRequest` event) or declare nvim < 0.10 soft-
+  deprecated; nvim 0.9.5 now starts cleanly with regex highlighting and no LSP
+- `nvim/init.lua`: use the correct post-2024 nvim-treesitter install API
+  (`require('nvim-treesitter').install({...})`) — the old
+  `require('nvim-treesitter.install').ensure_installed` no longer exists after
+  the nvim-treesitter refactor
+
 ## [1.2.5] - 2026-04-02
 
 ### Added
@@ -307,7 +332,8 @@ Complete overhaul of the dotfiles infrastructure: modular profiles, Neovim, CI,
 ### Added
 - Initial dotfiles: Zsh (oh-my-zsh + fzf), Tmux, Vim, and monolithic `install.sh`
 
-[Unreleased]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.2.5...HEAD
+[Unreleased]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.3.0...HEAD
+[1.3.0]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.2.5...v1.3.0
 [1.2.5]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.2.4...v1.2.5
 [1.2.4]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.2.3...v1.2.4
 [1.2.3]: https://github.com/YASoftwareDev/dotfiles/compare/v1.2.2...v1.2.3
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index c813fe1..f0bb29e 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.2.5
+1.3.0
diff --git a/modules/neovim.sh b/modules/neovim.sh
index 97f4e6e..474652c 100755
--- a/modules/neovim.sh
+++ b/modules/neovim.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Neovim: install latest stable release from GitHub (prebuilt tarball).
-# Falls back to apt if GitHub is unreachable or arch is unsupported.
+# Falls back to apt if GitHub is unreachable, arch is unsupported, or the
+# prebuilt binary is incompatible with the system's glibc.
 # Idempotent: skips install when the installed version already matches latest.
 
 # Probe ~/.local/bin/nvim and ~/bin/nvim for older copies that would shadow
@@ -92,11 +93,12 @@ install_neovim() {
     local prefix
     if $CAN_SUDO; then prefix="/usr/local"; else prefix="$HOME/.local"; fi
 
-    # Skip if already at latest version
+    # Skip if already at latest version AND binary actually runs.
+    # A version-matching but glibc-broken binary must not be skipped.
     if has nvim; then
         local current
         current=$(nvim --version 2>/dev/null | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -1)
-        if [ "$current" = "$latest" ]; then
+        if [ "$current" = "$latest" ] && "$prefix/bin/nvim" --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             log_ok "neovim $latest_tag already installed — skipping"
             # Shadow check still needed: `nvim` above may have resolved to a
             # user-local copy (e.g. ~/.local/bin/nvim) that shadows an existing
@@ -110,6 +112,29 @@ install_neovim() {
         log_info "neovim: installing $latest_tag → $prefix"
     fi
 
+    # Early glibc check — avoids a needless ~100 MB download on old systems.
+    # Prebuilt binaries since v0.10.0 require glibc ≥ 2.32 (Ubuntu 22.04+).
+    # Detect before downloading; if too old, go straight to the legacy binary.
+    local glibc_ver
+    glibc_ver=$(ldd --version 2>/dev/null | head -1 | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$' || echo "0.0")
+    if _ver_older_than "$glibc_ver" "2.32"; then
+        log_warn "neovim: system glibc $glibc_ver < 2.32 — latest prebuilt incompatible"
+        # Remove any broken binary left by a prior failed install.
+        if [ -f "$prefix/bin/nvim" ] && ! "$prefix/bin/nvim" --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            rm -f "$prefix/bin/nvim"
+            log_info "neovim: removed incompatible binary from $prefix/bin/nvim"
+        fi
+        # Keep any already-working compatible binary (e.g. v0.9.5 from a prior run).
+        if "$prefix/bin/nvim" --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            local legacy_cur
+            legacy_cur=$("$prefix/bin/nvim" --version 2>/dev/null | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -1)
+            log_ok "neovim $legacy_cur already installed (glibc-compatible) — skipping"
+            return
+        fi
+        [ "$arch" = "x86_64" ] && _neovim_legacy_binary "$prefix" || _neovim_apt
+        return
+    fi
+
     if ! $CAN_SUDO; then mkdir -p "$prefix"; fi
 
     local tmp
@@ -149,9 +174,48 @@ install_neovim() {
     if $CAN_SUDO; then _nvim_warn_shadows /usr/local/bin/nvim; fi
 }
 
+# Download the last neovim release compatible with glibc < 2.32.
+# v0.9.5 was built on Ubuntu 18.04 CI (glibc 2.17 baseline) and runs on any
+# glibc ≥ 2.17. Asset name changed to nvim-linux-x86_64 at v0.10.0; v0.9.x
+# used nvim-linux64.  Only x86_64 is handled — ARM64 falls back to apt.
+_neovim_legacy_binary() {
+    local prefix="$1"
+    local tag="v0.9.5"
+    local url="https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/download/${tag}/nvim-linux64.tar.gz"
+    log_info "neovim: downloading legacy $tag (glibc 2.17+ compatible)"
+
+    local tmp
+    tmp=$(mktemp -d)
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2064
+    trap "rm -rf '$tmp'" RETURN
+
+    if has curl; then
+        curl -sfL "$url" | tar -xz -C "$tmp" || { log_warn "neovim: legacy download failed — falling back to apt"; _neovim_apt; return; }
+    else
+        wget -qO- "$url" | tar -xz -C "$tmp" || { log_warn "neovim: legacy download failed — falling back to apt"; _neovim_apt; return; }
+    fi
+
+    local extracted="$tmp/nvim-linux64"
+    if [ ! -d "$extracted" ] || ! "$extracted/bin/nvim" --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        log_warn "neovim: legacy binary not usable — falling back to apt"
+        _neovim_apt
+        return
+    fi
+
+    if $CAN_SUDO; then
+        [ -n "${SUDO:-}" ] && sudo -v 2>/dev/null || true
+        $SUDO cp -r "$extracted"/. "$prefix/"
+    else
+        cp -r "$extracted"/. "$prefix/"
+    fi
+    log_ok "neovim legacy $tag installed → $prefix ($($prefix/bin/nvim --version 2>/dev/null | head -1))"
+}
+
 _neovim_apt() {
     if ! $CAN_SUDO; then
         log_warn "neovim: no sudo — cannot install via apt"
+        log_warn "  Prebuilt GitHub binaries require glibc ≥ 2.32 (Ubuntu 22.04+)"
+        log_warn "  Options: upgrade OS, or build neovim from source"
         return
     fi
     apt_install neovim
diff --git a/nvim/.config/nvim/init.lua b/nvim/.config/nvim/init.lua
index 540cd90..c3f4ff8 100644
--- a/nvim/.config/nvim/init.lua
+++ b/nvim/.config/nvim/init.lua
@@ -73,10 +73,13 @@ require('lazy').setup({
     opts = { style = 'palenight' } },                                                          -- darker/dark/palenight/oceanic
 
   -- ── LSP ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-  -- blink.cmp is a dependency so capabilities are available in config
+  -- nvim-lspconfig ≥ 2024-12 requires nvim 0.10 at the plugin level (not just
+  -- API level), so gate the entire block.  On nvim 0.9 the editor still works
+  -- fully; only LSP/completion is absent.
   {
     'neovim/nvim-lspconfig',
-    lazy = false,
+    cond  = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1,
+    lazy  = false,
     dependencies = {
       'williamboman/mason.nvim',
       'williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim',
@@ -84,14 +87,13 @@ require('lazy').setup({
     },
     config = function()
       require('mason').setup()
-      require('mason-lspconfig').setup({
-        ensure_installed = { 'pyright', 'clangd', 'bashls', 'lua_ls' },
-        automatic_enable = false, -- we call vim.lsp.enable() ourselves below
-      })
 
-      local capabilities = require('blink.cmp').get_lsp_capabilities()
+      -- blink.cmp requires nvim ≥ 0.10; fall back to plain capabilities on older.
+      local capabilities = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1
+        and require('blink.cmp').get_lsp_capabilities()
+        or vim.lsp.protocol.make_client_capabilities()
 
-      -- Single LspAttach autocmd covers all servers — no per-server on_attach needed
+      -- Single LspAttach autocmd covers all servers — no per-server on_attach needed.
       vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('LspAttach', {
         group    = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup('UserLspAttach', { clear = true }),
         callback = function(event)
@@ -101,16 +103,22 @@ require('lazy').setup({
           local map    = function(key, fn, desc)
             vim.keymap.set('n', key, fn, vim.tbl_extend('force', opts, { desc = desc }))
           end
-          map('gd', vim.lsp.buf.definition, 'Go to definition')
-          map('gD', vim.lsp.buf.declaration, 'Go to declaration')
-          map('gr', vim.lsp.buf.references, 'References')
-          map('gi', vim.lsp.buf.implementation, 'Go to implementation')
-          map('K', vim.lsp.buf.hover, 'Hover docs')
-          map('<leader>rn', vim.lsp.buf.rename, 'Rename symbol')
+          map('gd', vim.lsp.buf.definition,      'Go to definition')
+          map('gD', vim.lsp.buf.declaration,     'Go to declaration')
+          map('gr', vim.lsp.buf.references,      'References')
+          map('gi', vim.lsp.buf.implementation,  'Go to implementation')
+          map('K',  vim.lsp.buf.hover,           'Hover docs')
+          map('<leader>rn', vim.lsp.buf.rename,      'Rename symbol')
           map('<leader>ca', vim.lsp.buf.code_action, 'Code action')
-          map('<leader>d', vim.diagnostic.open_float, 'Show diagnostics')
-          map('[d', function() vim.diagnostic.jump({ count = -1 }) end, 'Prev diagnostic')
-          map(']d', function() vim.diagnostic.jump({ count = 1 }) end, 'Next diagnostic')
+          map('<leader>d',  vim.diagnostic.open_float, 'Show diagnostics')
+          -- vim.diagnostic.jump() was added in nvim 0.10
+          if vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1 then
+            map('[d', function() vim.diagnostic.jump({ count = -1 }) end, 'Prev diagnostic')
+            map(']d', function() vim.diagnostic.jump({ count = 1 }) end,  'Next diagnostic')
+          else
+            map('[d', vim.diagnostic.goto_prev, 'Prev diagnostic')
+            map(']d', vim.diagnostic.goto_next, 'Next diagnostic')
+          end
 
           -- LSP word highlight — replaces vim-illuminate (semantic, not regex)
           -- Use a buffer-keyed augroup so multiple servers attaching to the same
@@ -131,34 +139,44 @@ require('lazy').setup({
         end,
       })
 
-      vim.lsp.config('pyright', {
-        capabilities = capabilities,
-        settings = {
-          python = {
-            analysis = {
-              useLibraryCodeForTypes = true, -- infer types from lib source when stubs absent
+      -- Server configs defined once; registration method differs by nvim version.
+      -- nvim 0.11+: vim.lsp.config/enable (new built-in API, no lspconfig on_attach)
+      -- nvim 0.9–0.10: lspconfig.server.setup() (classic API)
+      local servers = {
+        pyright = {
+          capabilities = capabilities,
+          settings = { python = { analysis = { useLibraryCodeForTypes = true } } },
+        },
+        clangd = { capabilities = capabilities },
+        bashls = { capabilities = capabilities },
+        lua_ls = {
+          capabilities = capabilities,
+          settings = {
+            Lua = {
+              runtime     = { version = 'LuaJIT' },
+              workspace   = { library = { vim.env.VIMRUNTIME }, checkThirdParty = false },
+              diagnostics = { globals = { 'vim' } },
             },
           },
         },
-      })
-      for _, server in ipairs({ 'clangd', 'bashls' }) do
-        vim.lsp.config(server, { capabilities = capabilities })
+      }
+
+      if vim.fn.has('nvim-0.11') == 1 then
+        require('mason-lspconfig').setup({
+          ensure_installed = vim.tbl_keys(servers),
+          automatic_enable = false, -- we call vim.lsp.enable() below
+        })
+        for name, cfg in pairs(servers) do vim.lsp.config(name, cfg) end
+        vim.lsp.enable(vim.tbl_keys(servers))
+      else
+        require('mason-lspconfig').setup({ ensure_installed = vim.tbl_keys(servers) })
+        local lspconfig = require('lspconfig')
+        for name, cfg in pairs(servers) do lspconfig[name].setup(cfg) end
       end
-      vim.lsp.config('lua_ls', {
-        capabilities = capabilities,
-        settings = {
-          Lua = {
-            runtime     = { version = 'LuaJIT' },
-            workspace   = { library = { vim.env.VIMRUNTIME }, checkThirdParty = false },
-            diagnostics = { globals = { 'vim' } },
-          },
-        },
-      })
-      vim.lsp.enable({ 'pyright', 'clangd', 'bashls', 'lua_ls' })
 
       vim.diagnostic.config({
         severity_sort = true,
-        float         = { border = 'rounded', source = true }, -- show server name per diagnostic
+        float         = { border = 'rounded', source = true },
       })
     end,
   },
@@ -166,6 +184,7 @@ require('lazy').setup({
   -- ── Completion ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   {
     'saghen/blink.cmp',
+    cond         = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1, -- uses vim.snippet built-in (nvim 0.10+)
     version      = '*', -- use release tags (pre-built Rust binary)
     dependencies = { 'rafamadriz/friendly-snippets' },
     config       = function()
@@ -201,18 +220,27 @@ require('lazy').setup({
   -- ── Treesitter ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   {
     'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
+    cond         = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1, -- uses vim.fs.joinpath (nvim 0.10+)
     lazy         = false,
     build        = ':TSUpdate',
     dependencies = {
       'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects',
       {
         'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-context',
+        cond   = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1, -- uses LspRequest event (nvim 0.10+)
         config = function()
           require('treesitter-context').setup({ max_lines = 3 })
         end,
       },
     },
     config       = function()
+      -- Ensure parsers are present on fresh installs (async, no-op if already installed).
+      require('nvim-treesitter').install({
+        'bash', 'c', 'cpp', 'css', 'go', 'html', 'javascript',
+        'json', 'lua', 'markdown', 'python', 'rust', 'toml',
+        'typescript', 'vim', 'yaml',
+      })
+
       -- Highlighting: built-in vim.treesitter, enabled per filetype
       vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd('FileType', {
         group    = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup('UserTreesitter', { clear = true }),
@@ -439,6 +467,7 @@ require('lazy').setup({
   { 'andymass/vim-matchup',    event = 'BufReadPost' },
   {
     'echasnovski/mini.ai',
+    cond   = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1,
     event  = 'VeryLazy',
     config = function()
       require('mini.ai').setup({
@@ -471,6 +500,7 @@ require('lazy').setup({
   },
   {
     'echasnovski/mini.bracketed',
+    cond   = vim.fn.has('nvim-0.10') == 1,
     event  = 'VeryLazy',
     config = function()
       require('mini.bracketed').setup({
diff --git a/scripts/install-neovim-src.sh b/scripts/install-neovim-src.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..515f974
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/install-neovim-src.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build and install the latest stable neovim from source.
+# Required on systems where glibc < 2.32 (e.g. Ubuntu 20.04) prevents
+# running the prebuilt GitHub release binaries.
+#
+# Usage: bash scripts/install-neovim-src.sh
+#        NEOVIM_TAG=v0.12.1 bash scripts/install-neovim-src.sh       # pin version
+#        NEOVIM_PREFIX=~/.local bash scripts/install-neovim-src.sh   # nosudo install
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ── Preflight ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if ! sudo -n true 2>/dev/null && ! sudo -v 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "ERROR: sudo is required to install build deps and copy files to /usr/local" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "Note: this build downloads ~200 MB of dependencies and takes 5–15 minutes."
+
+PREFIX="${NEOVIM_PREFIX:-/usr/local}"
+
+# ── Build dependencies ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "── Installing build dependencies ──"
+sudo apt-get install -y \
+    git ninja-build gettext cmake unzip curl build-essential
+
+# ── Resolve tag ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if [ -z "${NEOVIM_TAG:-}" ]; then
+    NEOVIM_TAG=$(curl -sfL \
+        https://api.github.com/repos/neovim/neovim/releases/latest \
+        | grep -o '"tag_name": *"[^"]*"' \
+        | grep -o 'v[^"]*')
+fi
+[ -n "$NEOVIM_TAG" ] || { echo "ERROR: could not resolve latest neovim tag" >&2; exit 1; }
+echo "── Building neovim $NEOVIM_TAG → $PREFIX ──"
+
+# ── Clone ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+TMP=$(mktemp -d)
+# shellcheck disable=SC2064
+trap "rm -rf '$TMP'" EXIT
+
+git clone --branch "$NEOVIM_TAG" --depth 1 \
+    https://github.com/neovim/neovim.git "$TMP/neovim"
+
+cd "$TMP/neovim"
+
+# ── Build ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+cmake -B build \
+    -G Ninja \
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$PREFIX"
+
+cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"
+
+# ── Install ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+sudo cmake --install build
+
+VER=$("$PREFIX/bin/nvim" --version 2>/dev/null | head -1) || VER="(unknown)"
+echo "✓ $VER installed → $PREFIX"