Dark Matter

A high-contrast, vibrant dark theme for Visual Studio Code, built around a deep black background paired with electric purple, magenta, and cyan accents. Designed for developers who want a bold, energetic coding environment without sacrificing readability.

Features

• Pure black editor background for maximum contrast and reduced eye strain in low-light environments.
• Vivid accent palette — magenta (#ff00bf), electric purple (#6f00ff / #a79ee8), and neon cyan (#00e1ff) highlight key UI elements like active tabs, borders, and cursors.
• Distinct syntax highlighting:
  • Keywords and control flow in soft blue/purple (#6b9df2, #a79ee8)
  • Strings and tags in warm rose (#d69ca6)
  • Functions in soft tan (#e8c8a7)
  • Types and classes in light lavender (#a79ee8)
  • Variables and object keys in periwinkle (#b4ccfe)
  • Comments in muted gray-purple (#646675) to keep them out of the way
• Custom terminal color scheme matching the overall theme palette.
• Themed UI accents across the sidebar, tabs, status bar, notifications, and scrollbars, with a magenta/purple gradient feel throughout the workbench chrome.
• Clear visual feedback for git changes, errors, and warnings in the editor gutter.

Installation

From the Visual Studio Marketplace

1. Open Extensions in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X).
2. Search for Dark Matter.
3. Click Install.
4. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P), select Preferences: Color Theme, and choose Dark Matter.

Manual (VSIX)

1. Download the .vsix file from the Releases page.
2. In VS Code, open the Command Palette and run Extensions: Install from VSIX....
3. Select the downloaded file and reload VS Code.
4. Activate the theme via Preferences: Color Theme → Dark Matter.

Recommended Settings

For the best visual experience, pair Dark Matter with a font that supports ligatures and a slightly increased line height:

{
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Dark Matter",
  "editor.fontLigatures": true,
  "editor.lineHeight": 22
}

Feedback & Contributions

Found a scope that isn't styled the way you'd expect, or have an idea to improve the theme? Issues and pull requests are welcome.

License

Released under the MIT License.