Custom Themes

Create your own themes with six color pickers. Inkwell computes the rest: hover states, subtle backgrounds, dimmed text. All derived automatically.

The four built-in themes are a starting point, not a limit. If you want the editor to match your terminal, your operating system accent, a brand palette, or just a color you like to write in, you set six values and Inkwell fills in the dozens of shades a full theme actually needs. You do not hand-tune a stylesheet. You pick the colors that matter and the derivation handles consistency, so buttons, links, borders, and dimmed text all stay in the same family. Custom themes are part of the free editor, with no cap on how many you can make.

How it works

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+K)
2. Type "Create Theme"
3. Pick your six colors: Background, Surface, Text, Accent, Border, Code Background
4. Name your theme and save

Live preview

As you adjust colors, the editor behind the modal updates in real-time. You see exactly how your theme will look before saving.

Managing custom themes

Custom themes appear in the Command Palette alongside the built-ins:

• Ctrl+K → "Theme: My Custom Theme" to apply
• Ctrl+K → "Delete Theme: My Custom Theme" to remove

Themes are stored locally and persist between sessions.

The six colors

Color	What it controls
Background	Main app background
Surface	Cards, panels, sidebar
Text	Primary text color
Accent	Buttons, links, highlights
Border	Dividers and borders
Code BG	Code block background

Everything else (dimmed text, hover states, subtle highlights) is computed from these six values.

Frequently asked questions

Are custom themes free?

Yes. The custom theme creator is part of the free editor, along with all four built-in themes. There is no cap on how many themes you can create.

Where are my themes stored?

Locally, in Inkwell's on-device store, alongside the rest of your settings. They persist between sessions and require no account. Nothing is uploaded, because Inkwell has no cloud component.

Why only six colors?

Because six is enough to define a coherent theme when the rest is derived. Most theme editors make you set twenty values and then fight to keep them consistent. Inkwell asks for the six that carry the identity, then computes hover states, dimmed text, and subtle surfaces from them so the result always holds together.

Do custom themes apply to the preview and exports too?

The theme colors the editor and preview surface you write in. Exported HTML and PDF use their own clean, print-oriented styling rather than your editor theme, so a document you send out reads consistently regardless of the colors you write in.

Can I share a theme with someone else?

Themes live in your local store. There is no built-in share/export format yet. If that would be useful to you, it is the kind of thing worth telling us at [email protected].

Related

• Themes — the four hand-tuned built-ins the creator builds on
• Command Palette — where you launch and switch themes
• Features — everything in the free editor