Darcula Theme by Anurag

A JetBrains Darcula–inspired dark theme for VS Code, designed for long backend coding sessions with a strong focus on Go, Java, and TypeScript.

This theme emphasizes:

• Semantic correctness
• Low eye strain
• Clear distinction between types, constants, keywords, and symbols

Note: This is inspired by JetBrains Darcula, not an official JetBrains theme.

Features

• JetBrains Darcula–inspired dark color palette
• Optimized for Go with semantic token support
• Clear distinction between types, constants, keywords, and packages
• Comfortable contrast for long backend coding sessions
• Works well with JetBrains Mono and antialiased font rendering

What this theme is (and isn’t)

JetBrains’ Darcula is not just a color palette — it is a readability-first design system. This theme preserves that philosophy while embracing VS Code’s semantic tokens and modern language servers.

This is NOT a pixel-perfect replica of 2020 IntelliJ Darcula. Instead, it is a modern Darcula interpretation built specifically for VS Code.

Design goals:

• Long-session comfort
• Semantic clarity
• Minimal visual noise
• Strong backend language support

Primary language support

Actively optimized and maintained for:

• Go (first-class support)
• Java
• C / C++
• JavaScript
• TypeScript
• Python (baseline support)

Other languages inherit safe defaults without compromising Go.

Golang (important)

For the intended Go experience, enable semantic highlighting:

{ "editor.semanticHighlighting.enabled": true, "gopls": { "ui.semanticTokens": true } }

This theme relies heavily on semantic tokens to differentiate:

• Structs vs interfaces
• Exported vs unexported symbols
• Packages vs fields vs methods
• Constants and language keywords such as nil, true, and false

Font and rendering (strongly recommended)

This theme is designed and tested with:

• JetBrains Mono
• Antialiased font rendering

Recommended settings:

{ "editor.fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono", "editor.fontLigatures": true, "workbench.fontAliasing": "antialiased" }

Correct font rendering significantly improves:

• Color balance
• Contrast perception
• Overall eye comfort

Previews

Go

Java

JavaScript

TypeScript

Design principles

• Dark, muted background with low eye fatigue
• No neon or overly saturated colors
• Clear differentiation between:
  • Constants
  • Types
  • Interfaces
  • Structs
  • Packages
  • Keywords like nil, null, and booleans
• Semantic correctness over decorative styling

Contributing

If you encounter issues or want improvements, feel free to open an issue:

https://github.com/AnuragThePathak/darcula-theme/issues

Priority languages:

1. Go
2. Java
3. C / C++
4. JavaScript / TypeScript

Please open an issue before submitting a pull request. Theme changes are conservative by design.

Created by Anurag Pathak
Inspired by JetBrains Darcula
Built for Visual Studio Code