Themes and customization: Dark and Light
CodexUse ships with two theme modes — Dark and Light — each with a comprehensive surface palette. The app follows your system preference by default, or you can lock it to one theme in Settings.
Two theme modes
- Dark: Deep surfaces designed for low-light environments and extended sessions. Uses carefully calibrated transparency layers for depth.
- Light: Clean surfaces with slate undertones. Designed for well-lit rooms and daytime use.
When set to follow system preference, CodexUse switches between Dark and Light automatically based on your OS appearance setting.
How to switch themes
- Open Settings.
- Look for the theme selector in the settings panel.
- Pick Dark, Light, or System (follows OS).
- The change applies immediately — no restart needed.
What each theme covers
Each theme defines a comprehensive surface palette with CSS custom properties covering:
- Surface layers: Sidebar, topbar, message area, cards, popovers, bubbles, composer, diffs, debug panel, approval blocks, review blocks, command palette.
- Text hierarchy: Multiple levels of contrast for precise typographic readability at every scale.
- Borders: Subtle through strong, with accent variants for interactive elements.
- Status colors: Success, warning, error — consistent across both themes.
Reduced transparency
Some users find semi-transparent surfaces hard to read. The reduced-transparency toggle pushes all alpha values to near-opaque for better readability.
- Toggle it in Settings.
- Works with both themes.
- Particularly helpful when screen sharing or for visual accessibility.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Theme does not change | Setting not saved | Switch themes from Settings. The change should be instant. If not, restart the app. |
| Always stays dark | OS dark mode is enabled | If set to System, it follows your OS appearance. Change your system setting or pick Light explicitly. |
| Surfaces look too transparent | Reduced transparency is off | Enable reduced transparency in Settings for more opaque surfaces. |
Related
Can I create custom themes?
Not yet. CodexUse ships Dark and Light themes with system preference support. Custom theme support may come in a future release.
What is reduced transparency?
Reduced transparency pushes semi-transparent surface layers to near-opaque values. This improves readability for users who find translucent surfaces hard to read. Toggle it in Settings.
Does the theme affect the integrated terminal?
Yes. The terminal palette follows the active theme. When you switch themes, the terminal colors update to match.