Preview

TypeScript + React

Python

CSS

Full workspace

Captured in VS Code with Nicely Neon and framed consistently for documentation.

Nicely Neon keeps the editor chrome quiet and gives each syntax family a clear job. The result is colorful at a glance, but calm enough for long sessions.

The color system

Selections use a balanced graphite gray (#4D4D58) so highlighted text stays visible without fighting the syntax colors.

Install

Visual Studio Code

1. Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
2. Search for Nicely Neon Theme.
3. Select Install.
4. Run Preferences: Color Theme and choose Nicely Neon.

Or run:

ext install eight84.nicely-neon-theme

Open Nicely Neon in the Visual Studio Marketplace →

Cursor

Cursor supports VS Code color-theme extensions, so Nicely Neon uses the same .vsix package in both editors.

To install the package directly:

1. Download the latest nicely-neon-theme-*.vsix package.
2. In Cursor, open the Command Palette.
3. Run Extensions: Install from VSIX... and select the downloaded file.
4. Run Preferences: Color Theme and choose Nicely Neon.

If Nicely Neon is already installed in VS Code, Cursor can also import your VS Code extensions and themes from Cursor Settings → General → Account → VS Code Import.

JetBrains IDEs

The full theme plugin targets 2025.3 and newer IntelliJ Platform IDEs, including PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PhpStorm, GoLand, CLion, RubyMine, Rider, and DataGrip. It includes the editor color scheme plus matching tabs, sidebars, toolbars, menus, controls, and notifications.

Download Nicely-Neon-JetBrains.jar, then:

1. Open Settings/Preferences → Plugins.
2. Open the gear menu and choose Install Plugin from Disk….
3. Select Nicely-Neon-JetBrains.jar, apply, and restart if prompted. Keep the JAR intact.
4. Open Appearance & Behavior → Appearance and choose Nicely Neon or Nicely Neon Islands.

Nicely Neon has flat charcoal surfaces and mint active tabs. Nicely Neon Islands uses JetBrains' rounded Islands layout with a near-black frame. Both match the VS Code palette with charcoal sidebars, near-black icon rails, darker graphite selections, white selected navigation text and active icons, and muted gray inactive navigation items. Both use the same syntax and console colors.

The JAR is also available in this repository. Version 2.1.4 has passed local checks and was installed in PyCharm 2026.2.2, where the Settings sidebar’s white selected text, gray inactive items, and darker highlight were visually verified. The Islands frame and Python syntax colors were checked in 2.1.3. The mascot icon was verified during the earlier 2.1.1 installation. Other IDEs and the minimum supported version still need verification. It is not yet published to JetBrains Marketplace. See the plugin development and release guide.

Install the JAR from disk and restart to update an existing installation. JetBrains may still overlay a project-color tint on the top-left toolbar.

Editor colors only

For an editor-only setup, or an older IDE, download Nicely-Neon.icls, then:

1. Open Settings/Preferences → Editor → Color Scheme.
2. Open the scheme menu next to the color-scheme selector.
3. Choose Import Scheme, select Nicely-Neon.icls, and apply Nicely Neon.

The .icls import changes editor colors while preserving your selected application theme. The full plugin already bundles this scheme, so installing both is unnecessary.

macOS Terminal

Download Nicely-Neon.terminal, then:

1. Open Terminal → Settings → Profiles.
2. Open the action menu below the profiles list, choose Import, and select the downloaded file. You can also drag the file into the profiles list.
3. Select Nicely Neon and click Default to use it for new default windows.

The profile includes the matching charcoal background, mint cursor, violet selection, all 16 ANSI colors, and Menlo at 13 pt. ANSI colors match the VS Code terminal palette; bright black uses the theme's secondary gray. The translucent violet selection is blended over charcoal for an opaque highlight. Programs control which colors they use; shell syntax highlighting requires shell support.

Apple’s guide to importing Terminal profiles

iTerm2

Download Nicely-Neon.itermcolors, then:

1. Open iTerm2 → Settings → Profiles → Colors.
2. Choose Color Presets → Import and select the downloaded file.
3. Select Nicely Neon from Color Presets.

Windows Terminal

Download Nicely-Neon-Windows-Terminal.json, then:

1. Open the downloaded JSON file in a text editor.
2. In Windows Terminal → Settings → Open JSON file, add the downloaded object to the existing schemes array. Keep your existing settings and other schemes; add a comma between entries when needed.
3. Save, then choose Nicely Neon under your profile’s Appearance → Color scheme and save again.

Both terminal ports use the existing 16 ANSI colors, charcoal background, mint cursor, and violet selection. Shell syntax colors depend on your shell configuration.

Google Chrome

Download Nicely-Neon-Chrome.zip, then:

1. Extract the ZIP into a folder you will keep.
2. Open chrome://extensions and turn on Developer mode.
3. Click Load unpacked and select the extracted folder containing manifest.json.

This local theme colors Chrome’s frame, tabs, toolbar, and New Tab page. Websites keep their own appearance. It contains no scripts or permissions. A Chrome Web Store listing is not available yet.

To remove it, open Chrome Settings → Appearance → Theme → Reset to default.

What’s new in 2.0

• Complete modern workbench color coverage
• Semantic highlighting for stronger TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, and language-server support
• A clearer graphite selection color, improved comments, indent guides, and active states
• Matching terminal, Git, diff, notification, menu, and minimap colors
• Automated theme validation and a release-ready project structure

Development

Validate the manifest and theme structure:

npm run check

Create an installable VSIX package:

npm run package:vsix

The generated VSIX works in both VS Code and Cursor.

Build the JetBrains theme plugin:

npm run build:jetbrains

This produces themes/Nicely-Neon-JetBrains.jar using Python 3's standard library. The resource-only plugin needs no Java or Kotlin compilation, Gradle installation, or network access to build. Its version comes from package.json, UI colors come from the VS Code palette, and editor colors come from the existing .icls file. npm run check validates the plugin registration, bundled resources, color references, core contrast pairs, and reproducible JAR. CI also provides the JAR as a downloadable artifact.

Regenerate the macOS Terminal profile from the VS Code palette on a Mac:

swift scripts/build-terminal-theme.swift

The generator verifies every exported color and the font with macOS's native archive decoder.

Generate the iTerm2, Windows Terminal, and Chrome packages from the shared palette:

npm run build:ports

This uses Python 3’s standard library to update the downloadable theme files. npm run check verifies the exports, macOS Terminal profile, and reproducible Chrome ZIP. No website checkout or frontend dependencies are needed.

The Nicely Neon website is maintained separately. This repository contains the themes, examples, screenshots, and tools needed to use or contribute to them.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. If a token looks wrong, include the language, a small code sample, and the scope name when possible.

License

MIT · Made with color by eight84

Python highlighting across editors

Version 2.1.5 adds Python-specific syntax and semantic rules: yellow decorators/callables, mint types, pink keyword arguments, and neutral punctuation. VS Code and Cursor need the same extension version; their Python language servers can still classify imported names or constructor calls differently. Pylance constants (True, False, None) are red.

JetBrains decorates Python types and decorators without italics. Its theme API groups boolean literals with keywords and the decorator @ with its name, so those cannot be independently colored in a resource-only theme. Bracket-pair colors and inspection underlines are separate editor features. For neutral Python brackets in VS Code/Cursor, set "[python]": { "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": false } in your settings; this applies to Python in any theme.