Customize Termy’s color palette by overriding individual colors in the active theme or importing complete color schemes.
Color Section
Color overrides are defined in a special [colors] section of your config file:
# Main settings above
theme = termy
# Color overrides
[colors]
foreground = #e7ebf5
background = #0b1020
cursor = #a7e9a3
[colors] section override the active theme’s colors.
All color values use 6-digit hexadecimal RGB format:
# Format: #RRGGBB
foreground = #e7ebf5
background = #0b1020
red = #ff5555
Colors must be exactly 6 hex digits. Short forms like #fff are not supported.
Available Colors
Text & Background
Default text color. Alias: fg
Terminal background color. Alias: bg
[colors]
foreground = #e7ebf5
background = #0b1020
cursor = #a7e9a3
ANSI Colors (0-7)
ANSI color 0 (black). Alias: color0
ANSI color 1 (red). Alias: color1
ANSI color 2 (green). Alias: color2
ANSI color 3 (yellow). Alias: color3
ANSI color 4 (blue). Alias: color4
ANSI color 5 (magenta). Alias: color5
ANSI color 6 (cyan). Alias: color6
ANSI color 7 (white). Alias: color7
[colors]
black = #000000
red = #ff5555
green = #50fa7b
yellow = #f1fa8c
blue = #bd93f9
magenta = #ff79c6
cyan = #8be9fd
white = #f8f8f2
ANSI Bright Colors (8-15)
ANSI color 8 (bright black / gray). Aliases: brightblack, color8
ANSI color 9 (bright red). Aliases: brightred, color9
ANSI color 10 (bright green). Aliases: brightgreen, color10
ANSI color 11 (bright yellow). Aliases: brightyellow, color11
ANSI color 12 (bright blue). Aliases: brightblue, color12
ANSI color 13 (bright magenta). Aliases: brightmagenta, color13
ANSI color 14 (bright cyan). Aliases: brightcyan, color14
ANSI color 15 (bright white). Aliases: brightwhite, color15
[colors]
bright_black = #6272a4
bright_red = #ff6e6e
bright_green = #69ff94
bright_yellow = #ffffa5
bright_blue = #d6acff
bright_magenta = #ff92df
bright_cyan = #a4ffff
bright_white = #ffffff
Using Aliases
Many colors have convenient aliases:
[colors]
# These are equivalent
foreground = #e7ebf5
fg = #e7ebf5
# These are equivalent
background = #0b1020
bg = #0b1020
# These are equivalent
red = #ff5555
color1 = #ff5555
# These are equivalent
bright_black = #6272a4
brightblack = #6272a4
color8 = #6272a4
Color Override Examples
Subtle Background Change
Tweak just the background while keeping the rest of the theme:
theme = termy
[colors]
background = #0a0e1a
Accent Color Adjustments
Modify specific accent colors:
theme = termy
[colors]
blue = #82aaff
cyan = #89ddff
green = #c3e88d
Complete Color Scheme Override
Define all colors manually (Dracula theme example):
theme = termy
[colors]
foreground = #f8f8f2
background = #282a36
cursor = #f8f8f2
# Normal colors
black = #000000
red = #ff5555
green = #50fa7b
yellow = #f1fa8c
blue = #bd93f9
magenta = #ff79c6
cyan = #8be9fd
white = #f8f8f2
# Bright colors
bright_black = #6272a4
bright_red = #ff6e6e
bright_green = #69ff94
bright_yellow = #ffffa5
bright_blue = #d6acff
bright_magenta = #ff92df
bright_cyan = #a4ffff
bright_white = #ffffff
Importing Color Schemes
You can import complete color schemes from JSON files:
- Command Palette:
Cmd+P → “Import Colors”
- Menu:
View > Import Colors
- Select a theme JSON file
Theme files use JSON with hexadecimal color values:
{
"$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"foreground": "#e7ebf5",
"background": "#0b1020",
"cursor": "#a7e9a3",
"black": "#000000",
"red": "#ff5555",
"green": "#50fa7b",
"yellow": "#f1fa8c",
"blue": "#bd93f9",
"magenta": "#ff79c6",
"cyan": "#8be9fd",
"white": "#f8f8f2",
"bright_black": "#6272a4",
"bright_red": "#ff6e6e",
"bright_green": "#69ff94",
"bright_yellow": "#ffffa5",
"bright_blue": "#d6acff",
"bright_magenta": "#ff92df",
"bright_cyan": "#a4ffff",
"bright_white": "#ffffff"
}
Switching Themes
To switch between themes at runtime:
- Command Palette:
Cmd+P → “Switch Theme”
- Menu:
View > Switch Theme
- Settings UI: Open Settings and select a theme
You can also change the theme in your config file:
Theme Development Tips
Test Changes Live: Termy reloads configuration automatically. Edit colors in your config file and see changes immediately.
Start with a Base: Pick a theme close to your goal, then override specific colors instead of defining everything from scratch.
Color overrides in the [colors] section apply to ALL themes. If you switch themes, your overrides remain active.
Popular Color Schemes
Tokyo Night
theme = termy
[colors]
foreground = #c0caf5
background = #1a1b26
cursor = #c0caf5
black = #15161e
red = #f7768e
green = #9ece6a
yellow = #e0af68
blue = #7aa2f7
magenta = #bb9af7
cyan = #7dcfff
white = #a9b1d6
bright_black = #414868
bright_red = #f7768e
bright_green = #9ece6a
bright_yellow = #e0af68
bright_blue = #7aa2f7
bright_magenta = #bb9af7
bright_cyan = #7dcfff
bright_white = #c0caf5
Nord
theme = termy
[colors]
foreground = #d8dee9
background = #2e3440
cursor = #d8dee9
black = #3b4252
red = #bf616a
green = #a3be8c
yellow = #ebcb8b
blue = #81a1c1
magenta = #b48ead
cyan = #88c0d0
white = #e5e9f0
bright_black = #4c566a
bright_red = #bf616a
bright_green = #a3be8c
bright_yellow = #ebcb8b
bright_blue = #81a1c1
bright_magenta = #b48ead
bright_cyan = #8fbcbb
bright_white = #eceff4
Gruvbox Dark
theme = termy
[colors]
foreground = #ebdbb2
background = #282828
cursor = #ebdbb2
black = #282828
red = #cc241d
green = #98971a
yellow = #d79921
blue = #458588
magenta = #b16286
cyan = #689d6a
white = #a89984
bright_black = #928374
bright_red = #fb4934
bright_green = #b8bb26
bright_yellow = #fabd2f
bright_blue = #83a598
bright_magenta = #d3869b
bright_cyan = #8ec07c
bright_white = #ebdbb2