VSCode Theme Generator

Generate custom VSCode color themes from scratch, package them, and install them directly to VSCode.

Prerequisites

The following tools are required:

• @vscode/vsce (VSCode Extension Manager)
• code command (VSCode CLI)

Check if tools are installed:

which vsce || echo "vsce is not installed"
which code || echo "code command is not installed"

Install if missing:

# vsce
npm install -g @vscode/vsce

# code command: In VSCode, press Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH"

Theme Builder

This skill includes a theme builder script that enables efficient theme creation by editing individual part files.

Directory Structure

<theme-id>/
├── .vscodeignore          # Excludes parts/ from .vsix
├── package.json           # Extension manifest
├── parts/                 # Edit these files to customize
│   ├── base.json          # name, type, semanticHighlighting
│   ├── colors-editor.json # Editor colors
│   ├── colors-ui.json     # UI colors (sidebar, tabs, etc.)
│   ├── colors-terminal.json # Terminal colors
│   ├── tokens.json        # Syntax highlighting
│   └── semantic.json      # Semantic token colors
└── themes/
    └── <theme-id>-color-theme.json  # Generated by merge

Builder Commands

# Initialize a new theme from template
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js init <theme-id> "<theme-name>" [--type dark|light]

# Merge parts into final theme file
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js merge <theme-id>

# Package as .vsix
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js package <theme-id>

# Bump version
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js bump <theme-id> [patch|minor|major]

Instructions

Step 1: Gather theme requirements

Ask the user for:

• Theme name (e.g., “Ocean Blue”)
• Theme type: dark or light
• Color preferences (base colors, accent colors)
• Any specific style inspiration

Step 2: Initialize theme

node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js init <theme-id> "<Theme Name>" --type dark

Replace:

• <skill-path>: Path to this skill directory
• <theme-id>: lowercase with hyphens (e.g., ocean-blue)
• <Theme Name>: display name (e.g., Ocean Blue)

Step 3: Edit part files

Edit the files in <theme-id>/parts/ to customize the theme.

parts/base.json

{
  "name": "Theme Name",
  "type": "dark",
  "semanticHighlighting": true
}

parts/colors-editor.json

Editor-related colors:

parts/colors-ui.json

UI element colors:

parts/colors-terminal.json

Terminal colors including ANSI colors:

parts/tokens.json

Syntax highlighting (array of token rules):

Example token rule:

{
  "scope": ["comment", "punctuation.definition.comment"],
  "settings": { "foreground": "#6A9955", "fontStyle": "italic" }
}

parts/semantic.json

Semantic token colors (optional, object format):

{
  "function": "#DCDCAA",
  "variable.readonly": "#4FC1FF"
}

Step 4: Merge and package

# Merge parts into theme file
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js merge <theme-id>

# Package as .vsix
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js package <theme-id>

# Install to VSCode
code --install-extension <theme-id>/<theme-id>-0.0.1.vsix

Step 5: Notify user

After installation:

Theme installed successfully! Press Cmd+K Cmd+T (Mac) or Ctrl+K Ctrl+T (Windows/Linux) to select your new theme.

Updating an Existing Theme

When updating a theme, bump the version before packaging:

# Bump version (default: patch)
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js bump <theme-id>

# Merge and package
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js merge <theme-id>
node <skill-path>/theme-builder.js package <theme-id>

# Install updated theme
code --install-extension <theme-id>/<theme-id>-<new-version>.vsix

Color Design Tips

Dark themes

• Background: #1a1a2e to #2d2d44
• Foreground: #d4d4d4 to #eaeaea
• Limit accent colors to 1-2

Light themes

• Background: #ffffff to #f5f5f5
• Foreground: #1a1a1a to #333333
• Use muted accent colors

Transparency

Use alpha channel for subtle effects: #ffffff40 (last two digits = opacity 00-ff)

Accessibility

Aim for reasonable contrast between text and background for readability.

Troubleshooting

Theme not appearing

Run Developer: Reload Window from command palette.