Sable Signal
A quiet black canvas. A warm signal through the code.
Sable Signal is a neutral-black theme for Visual Studio Code, shaped around a
simple idea: the interface should recede, while the structure of the code stays
clear.
Its workbench is deep and restrained. Gold marks focus and intent; cool cyan,
blue, coral, green, and violet separate syntax without turning the editor into
noise. Italics add rhythm to comments, parameters, control flow, and
declarations.
Visual Language
- Near-black surfaces with subtle depth between editor, workbench, and overlays
- Warm gold signals for focus, modules, types, brackets, and active states
- Distinct semantic colors for functions, properties, strings, and declarations
- TextMate and semantic-token coverage for consistent Python and Pylance output
- Deliberate italics that emphasize syntax without overwhelming the page
Palette
| Role |
Color |
Hex |
| Editor |
Deep black |
#080808 |
| Workbench |
Sable |
#0A0A0B |
| Raised surface |
Graphite |
#101113 |
| Focus and type |
Signal gold |
#FFCC66 |
| Primary text |
Cold white |
#D9DDE2 |
| Keyword |
Cyan |
#76C7E6 |
| Function |
Blue |
#78A6E8 |
| Property |
Coral |
#E27376 |
| String |
Green |
#A8CF7A |
| Declaration |
Violet |
#B695D6 |
Python and Pylance
Sable Signal gives Python special attention while remaining useful across
languages supported by VS Code's TextMate grammars.
| Syntax role |
Treatment |
| Control flow and keywords |
Cyan, italic |
| Declarations and modifiers |
Violet, italic |
| Modules and built-in types |
Gold |
| Functions, methods, and classes |
Blue |
| Member properties |
Coral |
| Strings |
Green |
| Parameters |
Cold white, italic |
| Comments |
Dim gray, italic |
Dynamic Python attributes include TextMate fallbacks, so expressions such as
cfg.model.num_layers remain colored even when Pylance cannot infer a semantic
property token.
Installation
Install a VSIX
- Download the latest
.vsix from the repository releases.
- Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
- Open Views and More Actions (
...) and choose Install from VSIX....
- Run Preferences: Color Theme and select Sable Signal.
Run from source
- Clone this repository and open it in VS Code.
- Press
F5 to launch an Extension Development Host.
- Select Sable Signal from Preferences: Color Theme.
Build
Create an installable package with the official VS Code extension tool:
npx --yes @vscode/vsce package --allow-missing-repository
Generated .vsix files are ignored by Git.
Personalize
Add theme-specific overrides to your VS Code settings.json without modifying
the theme source:
"workbench.colorCustomizations": {
"[Sable Signal]": {
"editorCursor.foreground": "#FFCC66"
}
}
Acknowledgements
Sable Signal began with the structure of
Search Lights by radiolevity,
released under the MIT License. Its palette, semantic hierarchy, and
neutral-black visual direction were developed for this project.
License
Sable Signal is available under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
