Smiths & Delvers IDE Theme Hoard

Aulendur Labs' extension library of VS Code themes. A hoard of retro cassette-futurism themes — the optimistic, utilitarian tech of 1970s–80s sci-fi (matte console plastics, satin metal, glowing CRT phosphor) — forged in a high-fantasy dwarven vibe. One gem per color, walking the spectrum.

Ships as a single pack (aulendur-labs publisher) containing 10 themes — eight dark gems and two light stones:

Each theme carries a parenthetical retro alias — a sci-fi/pop-culture reference paired with a recording format matched to that reference's era.

Install & preview locally

git clone git@github.com:AulendurForge/Smiths-and-Delvers-IDE-Theme-Hoard.git
cd Smiths-and-Delvers-IDE-Theme-Hoard
code --install-extension .        # or open the folder and press F5 for an Extension Development Host

Pick a theme with Ctrl/Cmd+K Ctrl/Cmd+T → any Smiths & Delvers: entry.

Cursor / VSCodium users: these editors can't install from the Microsoft Marketplace. Either build a .vsix (below) and run cursor --install-extension <file>.vsix, or install from Open VSX once published there.

For the team: maintaining the hoard

New contributor? See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full step-by-step loop, the spec field reference, and readability tips. The summary below is the quick version.

Everything here is generated from code — you do not hand-edit the big theme JSON files. Each theme is a compact palette spec; a build script expands it into a full VS Code theme so the whole set stays consistent.

Repo layout

package.json                 # pack manifest — lists every theme under contributes.themes
scripts/build-themes.js      # THE source of truth: palette specs + the generator
scripts/make-icon.js         # generates images/icon.png (the gem hoard)
themes/*.json                # GENERATED — do not edit by hand; they're overwritten by the build
images/icon.png              # GENERATED

One-time setup

npm install -g @vscode/vsce   # packaging/publishing CLI (Node 18+ required)

Add a new theme (a new gem)

1. Open scripts/build-themes.js and copy an existing entry in the SPECS array. Each spec is ~15 colors:
   • base: bg, fg, fgDim, line, sel
   • signal: signal (status bar / accents), signalFg, cursor
   • syntax: kw, str, fn, num, cls, varc, op, punc, comment, err
   • light themes also set bgChrome, bgTitle, activityFg
   • Give it a unique slug and a label like "Smiths & Delvers: <Gem Name>".
2. Regenerate:

   npm run build
   

   This rewrites themes/*.json and prints an updated contributes.themes array to scripts/themes.contributes.json.
3. Add your new theme's entry to contributes.themes in package.json (copy the matching block from the generated scripts/themes.contributes.json).
4. Test it (see below), then commit.

Tweak an existing theme's colors

Edit that theme's spec in scripts/build-themes.js, then npm run build. Never edit themes/*.json directly — the next build overwrites it.

Change the icon

Edit scripts/make-icon.js, then npm run icon.

Test your changes

• Fastest: open the folder in VS Code and press F5 → an Extension Development Host launches with the pack loaded; switch themes with Ctrl/Cmd+K Ctrl/Cmd+T.
• Full install: vsce package then code --install-extension <file>.vsix (or cursor --install-extension ...).

Cut a release (automated)

Publishing runs in GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/publish.yml) — no one publishes from a laptop or handles tokens by hand. Pushing a version tag publishes to both the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX and creates a GitHub Release.

# 1. bump the version + changelog (via a PR to main)
#    - edit "version" in package.json  (patch = tweaks, minor = new themes)
#    - add a note to CHANGELOG.md
# 2. once merged, tag main with the SAME version and push the tag:
git checkout main && git pull
git tag v0.2.2          # must match package.json's version, prefixed with v
git push origin v0.2.2

The workflow then: rebuilds the themes and fails if themes/*.json drifted from the generator, checks the tag matches package.json, packages the .vsix, publishes to both registries, and attaches the .vsix to a GitHub Release. Every ordinary push and PR runs the same build + package steps (minus publishing) so broken themes never reach main.

One-time setup (repo admin, in Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions):

Never paste either token into chat, a commit, or a file — they live only as GitHub Actions secrets. Rotate them if they leak.

Prefer to publish by hand (e.g. first-ever push)? The manual path still works from a clean checkout:

vsce package
vsce login aulendur-labs     # paste the Azure DevOps PAT at the prompt
vsce publish
npx ovsx publish *.vsix -p <OPEN_VSX_TOKEN>

Git workflow

git checkout -b add-<gem>-theme
# ...edit specs, npm run build, test...
git add -A && git commit -m "Add <Gem> theme"
git push -u origin add-<gem>-theme
# open a PR for a quick color review, then merge

themes/*.json are committed (so the extension works from a fresh clone without a build step); just remember they're generated, so regenerate rather than hand-editing.

License

MIT © Aulendur Labs. See LICENSE.