Skins

Get the look you want!

Gonzo supports customizable color schemes (skins) to personalize your terminal UI experience.

Gonzo TUI using "dracula" theme skin

Using Built-in Skins

Gonzo includes 11+ pre-built themes in the skins directory.

Available Skins

Dark Themes 🌙

• default - Original Gonzo dark theme

• controltheory-dark - ControlTheory branded dark theme

• dracula - Purple-accented vampire theme

• gruvbox - Retro groove colors

• monokai - Warm high-contrast theme

• nord - Arctic blue palette

• solarized-dark - Precision colors for reduced eye strain

Light Themes ☀️

• controltheory - ControlTheory branded light theme

• github-light - Clean GitHub-inspired light mode

• solarized-light - Precision light colors

• vs-code-light - Professional VS Code style

• spring - Fresh nature-inspired colors

Setup

Download skins:

# Create skins directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/gonzo/skins

# Download a specific skin
curl -o ~/.config/gonzo/skins/dracula.yaml \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/control-theory/gonzo/main/skins/dracula.yaml

# Or clone repo and copy all skins
git clone https://github.com/control-theory/gonzo.git
cp gonzo/skins/*.yaml ~/.config/gonzo/skins/

Usage

Command line:

# Use a skin
gonzo --skin=dracula -f application.log

# Short form
gonzo -s nord

Environment variable:

export GONZO_SKIN=github-light
gonzo -f application.log

Configuration file (~/.config/gonzo/config.yml):

skin: solarized-dark

Creating Custom Skins

Create a YAML file in ~/.config/gonzo/skins/ with this structure:

Basic Structure

name: my-custom-skin
description: My awesome custom skin
author: Your Name

colors:
  # UI Components
  primary: "#0066cc"           # Main accent color
  secondary: "#00cc66"         # Secondary accent
  background: "#ffffff"        # Main background
  surface: "#f8f9fa"          # Panel backgrounds
  border: "#dee2e6"           # Section borders
  border_active: "#0066cc"     # Active borders
  text: "#212529"             # Primary text
  text_secondary: "#6c757d"    # Muted text
  text_inverse: "#ffffff"      # Text on colored backgrounds
  
  # Charts
  chart_title: "#0066cc"       # Chart titles
  chart_bar: "#00cc66"        # Bar chart bars
  chart_accent: "#ff6600"      # Chart accents
  
  # Log Entries
  log_timestamp: "#6c757d"     # Timestamps
  log_message: "#212529"       # Message text
  log_background: "#ffffff"    # Entry background
  log_selected: "#e3f2fd"      # Selected entry
  
  # Severity Levels
  severity_trace: "#adb5bd"    # TRACE
  severity_debug: "#6c757d"    # DEBUG
  severity_info: "#0066cc"     # INFO
  severity_warn: "#ff9500"     # WARN/WARNING
  severity_error: "#dc3545"    # ERROR
  severity_fatal: "#6f42c1"    # FATAL/CRITICAL
  
  # Status Indicators
  success: "#00cc66"          # Success states
  warning: "#ff9500"          # Warnings
  error: "#dc3545"            # Errors
  info: "#0066cc"             # Info
  
  # Special Elements
  help: "#6c757d"             # Help text
  highlight: "#fff3cd"        # Search highlights
  disabled: "#adb5bd"         # Disabled elements

Color Reference

Category	Color	Purpose
UI	primary	Main accent color, active highlights
	secondary	Alternative highlights
	background	Main dashboard background
	surface	Modal/panel backgrounds
	border	Default borders
	border_active	Active section borders
	text	Primary readable text
	text_secondary	Timestamps, help text
	text_inverse	Text on colored backgrounds
Charts	chart_title	Chart section titles
	chart_bar	Bar chart elements
	chart_accent	Chart highlights
Logs	log_timestamp	Log timestamps
	log_message	Log message text
	log_background	Log entry background
	log_selected	Selected log highlight
Severity	severity_trace	TRACE level
	severity_debug	DEBUG level
	severity_info	INFO level
	severity_warn	WARN/WARNING level
	severity_error	ERROR level
	severity_fatal	FATAL/CRITICAL level
Status	success	Success indicators
	warning	Warning indicators
	error	Error indicators
	info	Information indicators
Special	help	Help text
	highlight	Search highlights
	disabled	Disabled elements

Complete Examples

Light Theme:

name: clean-light
description: A clean light theme
author: Me

colors:
  primary: "#0066cc"
  secondary: "#00cc66"
  background: "#ffffff"
  surface: "#f8f9fa"
  border: "#dee2e6"
  border_active: "#0066cc"
  text: "#212529"
  text_secondary: "#6c757d"
  text_inverse: "#ffffff"
  
  chart_title: "#0066cc"
  chart_bar: "#00cc66"
  chart_accent: "#ff6600"
  
  log_timestamp: "#6c757d"
  log_message: "#212529"
  log_background: "#ffffff"
  log_selected: "#e3f2fd"
  
  severity_trace: "#adb5bd"
  severity_debug: "#6c757d"
  severity_info: "#0066cc"
  severity_warn: "#fd7e14"
  severity_error: "#dc3545"
  severity_fatal: "#6f42c1"
  
  success: "#00cc66"
  warning: "#fd7e14"
  error: "#dc3545"
  info: "#0066cc"
  
  help: "#6c757d"
  highlight: "#fff3cd"
  disabled: "#adb5bd"

Dark Theme:

name: sleek-dark
description: A sleek dark theme
author: Me

colors:
  primary: "#66d9ef"
  secondary: "#a6e22e"
  background: "#272822"
  surface: "#3e3d32"
  border: "#75715e"
  border_active: "#66d9ef"
  text: "#f8f8f2"
  text_secondary: "#75715e"
  text_inverse: "#272822"
  
  chart_title: "#66d9ef"
  chart_bar: "#a6e22e"
  chart_accent: "#fd971f"
  
  log_timestamp: "#75715e"
  log_message: "#f8f8f2"
  log_background: "#272822"
  log_selected: "#49483e"
  
  severity_trace: "#75715e"
  severity_debug: "#ae81ff"
  severity_info: "#66d9ef"
  severity_warn: "#e6db74"
  severity_error: "#f92672"
  severity_fatal: "#ae81ff"
  
  success: "#a6e22e"
  warning: "#e6db74"
  error: "#f92672"
  info: "#66d9ef"
  
  help: "#75715e"
  highlight: "#49483e"
  disabled: "#75715e"

Using Your Custom Skin

# Save as ~/.config/gonzo/skins/my-skin.yaml
gonzo --skin=my-skin -f application.log

Design Guidelines

Light Themes:

• Use dark text (#212529) on light backgrounds (#ffffff)

• Ensure contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)

• Use muted colors for secondary elements

• Prefer subtle grays over pure white

Dark Themes:

• Use light text (#f8f8f2) on dark backgrounds (#272822)

• Avoid pure black; use dark grays

• Use vibrant colors for accents

• Ensure readability in low-light

Accessibility:

• Test with color blindness simulators

• Maintain adequate contrast ratios

• Don't rely solely on color to convey information

Troubleshooting

Skin not loading:

# Check if skin exists
ls ~/.config/gonzo/skins/

# Verify YAML syntax
cat ~/.config/gonzo/skins/my-skin.yaml

# Test with default
gonzo --skin=default

Missing colors: All colors are optional. Unspecified colors use defaults.

Color formats: Use hex colors (#ff0000, #RGB, #RRGGBB)

Contributing Skins

Share your skin with the community! Submit a pull request to the Gonzo repository with:

• Your skin YAML file

• Screenshots (optional but appreciated)

• Description of the theme

Additional Resources

• Skin Examples: https://github.com/control-theory/gonzo/tree/main/skins

• Issue Tracker: https://github.com/control-theory/gonzo/issues