Morphous Theme for VSCode & Compatible Editors
Original extension concept and generator work by AquiTCD. This fork preserves that work as a separate repository and keeps the extension generated from the upstream Morphos catalog.
A collection of 2,440 VSCode-compatible color themes compiled from the Ameyanagi/morphos design system.
This project contains a Bun + TypeScript generator that reads 610+ motifs from the upstream Morphos git repository and compiles them into 2,440 themes (Standard and Boosted variants in both Dark and Light modes for each of the 610 motifs).
Discovering Theme Motifs & Palettes
To explore the rich nature-inspired color schemes and find your favorite motif:
- Visit the official Morphos Catalog Website.
- Search through the 610+ gorgeous motifs (animals, plants, minerals, weather, and landscapes).
- Identify the name of the motif you love, then select the corresponding
Morphous <Motif Name> theme in your editor.
Core Concept
This extension maps the color roles of the Morphos design system to VSCode workbench elements and TextMate syntax scopes to maintain contrast and legibility.
The 9 semantic color roles of Ameyanagi/morphos are mapped to VSCode and compatible editor workbench elements as follows:
Color Role Mapping
| Morphos Role |
VSCode Element & Semantics |
Visual Intention |
| Depth |
Editor deepest background, activity bar background, panel borders |
Used for workbench backgrounds to reduce visual weight |
| Background |
Main editor background, standard text, variable names |
Used for the main editor background and default text |
| Ink |
Sidebars, status bars, panel backgrounds |
Used for sidebars and panels to provide structure |
| Primary |
Function definitions, method calls, focus indicators, cursor |
Used for functions, methods, and active workbench states |
| Secondary |
Control flow keywords, tags, XML/HTML markup |
Used for control flow keywords and markup tags |
| Accent |
Strings, type names, class names, interfaces |
Used for strings, classes, and types |
| Signal |
Numbers, constants, booleans, error diagnostics, Git deletions |
Used for numbers, constants, booleans, and diagnostics |
| Surface |
Inputs, list selections, active item highlights, minimap |
Used for selections, inputs, and active list items |
| Muted |
Comments, inactive text, line numbers, subtle borders |
Used for comments and line numbers |
Typography & Styling
- Italic Typography: Storage keywords (
const, let, class, function), comments, and parameters are italicized across all themes to differentiate them from standard variables and bold control-flow keywords.
Boosted Themes (Contrast Adjustments)
The Standard themes preserve the original color roles of the Morphos design system. However, they can have low contrast in some programming environments.
The Boosted (-boosted) variants increase contrast and adjust lightness levels for syntax highlighting while preserving the original hue angles of each motif.
Adjustments in Boosted Themes
- Reverse-Phase Background Contrast Shift:
To improve contrast without modifying foreground saturations, the background and sidebar colors are shifted in the opposite direction (4% darker in Dark mode, 3% lighter in Light mode).
- Hue-Preserving Lightness Levels:
The hue angle of each motif is preserved. Saturation is unified, and syntax colors are mapped to specific lightness levels:
- Dark Mode: Secondary (Keywords -> 70%), Primary (Functions -> 66%), Accent (Strings -> 62%), Signal (Constants -> 73%).
- Light Mode: Secondary (Keywords -> 32%), Primary (Functions -> 36%), Accent (Strings -> 40%), Signal (Constants -> 28%).
Installation & Local Usage
Install the published extension from the VS Code Marketplace once available, or install a locally built VSIX from this fork.
For compatible editors such as Cursor or VSCodium, install the same VSIX through the editor's extension UI or command-line extension installer.
After installation, press Cmd+K then Cmd+T (or Ctrl+K Ctrl+T) to open the Theme Selector. Type Morphous to filter through the generated custom theme options (for example, Morphous Aurora (Dark) or Morphous Glacier (Light)).
Development
Development, generation, and publishing notes live in DEVELOPMENT.md.
Attribution
This repository is a fork-based continuation of the original morphos-vscode-theme work by AquiTCD.
The original project implemented the Morphos-to-VSCode theme generator, including the workbench color mapping, TextMate syntax mapping, standard and boosted theme variants, and extension contribution generation. This fork keeps that work as a separate extension repository while changing the data source to the Morphos git repository so the extension can be regenerated from the canonical catalog without vendoring the main Morphos asset tree.
See NOTICE.md for attribution details.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
The Morphous design system and color palettes are copyrighted by Ameyanagi.
