Zenbones for Visual Studio Code

A contrast-based color theme for Visual Studio Code, ported from the popular Zenbones Neovim colorscheme.

Philosophy

Zenbones highlights code using contrasts and font variations, not colors. Colors are reserved for other roles: diagnostics, diffs, search matches, and git decorations. This creates a calm, readable editing experience that lets the structure of your code speak through typography.

"A rock garden in Ryōan-ji" - The theme draws inspiration from the simplicity of zen aesthetics.

Variants

Variant	Background	Style
Zenbones Light	Warm sand (`#F0EDEC`)	Light theme with stone-toned foreground
Zenbones Dark	Dark sand (`#1C1917`)	Dark theme with cool stone foreground

Color Palette

Six named accent colors are used exclusively for UI roles (never for syntax):

Name	Light	Dark	Role
Rose	`#A8334C`	`#DE6E7C`	Errors, deletions
Leaf	`#4F6C31`	`#819B69`	Success, additions
Wood	`#944927`	`#B77E64`	Warnings
Water	`#286486`	`#6099C0`	Info, links
Blossom	`#88507D`	`#B279A7`	Hints, search, regex
Sky	`#3B8992`	`#66A5AD`	Cyan accents

Installation

From Marketplace

Open VSCode
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
Search for "Zenbones"
Click Install
Select the theme: Ctrl+K Ctrl+T / Cmd+K Cmd+T and choose Zenbones Light or Zenbones Dark

Manual Installation

Clone or download this repository
Copy the folder to your VSCode extensions directory:
- macOS: ~/.vscode/extensions/
- Linux: ~/.vscode/extensions/
- Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions\
Restart VSCode
Select the theme via Ctrl+K Ctrl+T / Cmd+K Cmd+T

From VSIX

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension zenbones-0.1.0.vsix

Recommended Settings

For the full Zenbones experience, use a font with good bold and italic support:

{
  "editor.fontFamily": "'JetBrains Mono', 'Fira Code', Menlo, monospace",
  "editor.fontLigatures": true,
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true
}

Credits

This is an unofficial VSCode port of the zenbones.nvim colorscheme by mcchrish. All color values are derived from the original theme.

Zenbones is inspired by Verdandi and vim-yin-yang.

License

MIT

Zenbones Redux

Gotchacode