Kintsugi

A sophisticated dark theme for the discerning developer, lovingly inspired by Japanese philosophy and minimalist aesthetics.

Why Kintsugi?

This theme is inspired by Kintsugi (金継ぎ), the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold-dusted lacquer. It celebrates imperfections as part of an object's unique history. Kintsugi applies this philosophy to your workspace, creating a serene, focused environment where code is the masterpiece and the UI serves it with calm, beautiful utility.

This is a theme for developers who see code as a craft.

The Variants

Kintsugi offers two distinct, meticulously crafted variants to match your mood and focus. Both share the same seamless, minimalist UI, but offer a different syntax highlighting experience.

Kintsugi Dark (The Original)

The original experience. A calm, minimalist palette with soft, desaturated colors and bold, gilded keywords. It is designed for absolute focus and clarity.

Kintsugi Dark Flared

The warm variant. A vibrant, cozy palette inspired by autumn and campfires. It features rich oranges, terracotta, and deep golds, creating an expressive and comfortable environment for long coding sessions.

Language Showcase

See how Kintsugi's syntax brings clarity and elegance to your favorite languages.

Kintsugi Dark

Rust	Java
C	Go

Kintsugi Dark Flared

Rust	Java
C	Go

How to Get the Look from the Screenshots

To replicate the exact, polished aesthetic from the showcase, follow these three steps.

Step 1: Theme, Font & Icons (The Foundation)

First, install the core components.

1. Install Kintsugi Theme: Install the theme from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Install the Font: Download and install Hasklig, the free font used for the editor.
3. Install the Icons:
   • File Icons: Quill Icons (minimalist, as seen in screenshots)
   • Product Icons: JetBrains Product Icon Theme (clean, unified UI icons)

Step 2: The Core Settings

Next, paste these settings into your settings.json (Code > Preferences > Settings > Open Settings (JSON)). These enable the seamless UI and minimalist features of the theme.

{
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Kintsugi Dark",
  "workbench.iconTheme": "quill-icons",
  "workbench.productIconTheme": "jetbrains-product-icon-theme",
  "editor.fontFamily": "Hasklig", // Or Consolas (both in screenshots)
  "editor.fontLigatures": true,
  "editor.fontSize": 16,
  "editor.fontWeight": "500",
  "window.zoomLevel": 2,

  // Essential for the clean, minimalist look
  "editor.padding.top": 5,
  "window.commandCenter": false,
  "workbench.editor.empty.hint": "hidden",
  "workbench.tree.indent": 20,
  "window.density.editorTabHeight": "compact",
  "workbench.layoutControl.enabled": false,
  "editor.cursorSmoothCaretAnimation": "on",
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false
}

Step 3: The Final Polish (Advanced Customization)

This step is required to achieve the exact look from the screenshots. It uses the Custom UI Style extension to apply two key refinements:

1. Changes the UI font (File Explorer, menus, etc.) to Sometype Mono. You must download and install this font.
2. Refines keyword boldness with a subtle font-weight for a softer, elegant appearance.

{
  "custom-ui-style.font.sansSerif": "Sometype Mono Semibold",
  "custom-ui-style.stylesheet": {
    ".composite-bar": {
      "width": "100%"
    },
    ".monaco-action-bar .actions-container": {
      "justify-content": "space-between"
    },
    ".mtkb": {
      "font-weight": "700 !important"
    }
  }
}

".monaco-icon-label:before": {
  "filter": "grayscale(1) brightness(0.7) !important"
}

Further Customization Options

{
  "editor.fontFamily": "Hasklig", // Or Consolas (both in screenshots)
  "editor.fontSize": 16,
  "editor.fontWeight": "500",
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Kintsugi Dark Flared",
  "workbench.iconTheme": "quill-icons",
  "workbench.productIconTheme": "jetbrains-product-icon-theme",
  "editor.cursorSmoothCaretAnimation": "on",
  "window.zoomLevel": 2,
  "editor.padding.top": 5,
  "window.commandCenter": false,
  "workbench.editor.empty.hint": "hidden",
  "workbench.tree.indent": 20,
  "window.density.editorTabHeight": "compact",
  "workbench.layoutControl.enabled": false,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "workbench.tree.enableStickyScroll": false,
  "editor.stickyScroll.enabled": false,
  "editor.renderLineHighlight": "gutter",
  "editor.overviewRulerBorder": false,
  "editor.guides.bracketPairs": false,
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": false,
  "editor.scrollbar.horizontalScrollbarSize": 6,
  "editor.scrollbar.verticalScrollbarSize": 10,
  "editor.wordWrap": "on",
  "editor.wrappingIndent": "indent",
  "editor.cursorBlinking": "solid",
  "editor.accessibilitySupport": "off",
  "editor.inlayHints.enabled": "offUnlessPressed",
  "editor.smoothScrolling": true,
  "editor.tabSize": 4,
  "editor.insertSpaces": true,
  "editor.renderWhitespace": "selection",
  "workbench.editor.tabSizing": "fit",
  "workbench.activityBar.location": "top",
  "editor.cursorSurroundingLines": 1000,
  "editor.rulers": [80, 100, 120]
}

{
  "workbench.statusBar.visible": false,
  "breadcrumbs.enabled": false,
  "workbench.editor.showTabs": "none",
  "workbench.activityBar.location": "hidden",
  "editor.lineNumbers": "off",
  "editor.glyphMargin": false
}

Issues & Contributing

Found a bug or have a suggestion? Please open an issue on GitHub. Contributions and feedback are welcome to make Kintsugi even better.

This project is a labor of love, and I’m excited to see how the community shapes it.

Installation

1. Open the Extensions sidebar in VS Code (View > Extensions).
2. Search for Kintsugi.
3. Click Install.
4. Go to Code > Preferences > Color Theme and select Kintsugi Dark or Kintsugi Dark Flared.

Acknowledgements

Kintsugi was built with inspiration from exceptional themes:

• Kintsugi Dark: Inspired by Owokai by toiletbril.
• Kintsugi Dark Flared: Draws from the vibrant syntax of Flare Theme by Pyxel.

View Changelog