manage-theme

Manage the machine theme

One theme drives every app. Never edit the generated files (~/.config/dotfiles/theme.*, ~/.config/tmux/theme.conf, the theme = line in Ghostty's config): chezmoi overwrites them on the next apply.

Switch

After switching, tell the user how each app picks it up: a new Ghostty window, a Neovim restart (lazy.nvim installs a new colorscheme plugin on start), and prefix + r or tmux kill-server for tmux.

Which theme applies: the machine's theme setting, else the last pack with a theme.toml, else cyberdream.

Create

• Personal or shareable: add themes/<name>.toml in the dotfiles repo (chezmoi source-path); that edits the repo, so the dotfiles skill's conventions apply. Team or company: add theme.toml to that pack (dotfiles pack list --format json gives its folder) and push the pack.
• Start from the closest built-in and change only what differs: every theme is merged onto themes/cyberdream.toml, but an [nvim] or [tmux] section replaces cyberdream's whole section, so give [nvim] its own plugin, colorscheme, module, and setup.
• Check names before writing them: Ghostty themes from ghostty +list-themes; the Neovim plugin's README for its colorscheme name, module, and setup keys; tmux flavours are catppuccin's (mocha, macchiato, frappe, latte, cyberdream), with [tmux.colors] for single @thm_* overrides.
• Format reference: themes/README.md in the repo. Then dotfiles theme set <name> and dotfiles doctor.

name = "acme"
description = "Acme brand colors"
ghostty = "TokyoNight Night"

[nvim]
plugin = "folke/tokyonight.nvim"
colorscheme = "tokyonight-night"
module = "tokyonight"
lualine = "tokyonight"

[nvim.setup]
style = "night"

[tmux]
flavour = "mocha"

[tmux.colors]
blue = "#ff6600"

[ui]
ok = { color = "#ff6600" }