Install guide / Claude Code themes
How to install 50 dark themes for Claude Code.
Use the native Claude Code plugin flow when possible. Keep the manual JSON route as a fallback. Then set your terminal background to the selected theme’s surface color so the interface feels intentional instead of half-applied.
/theme.~/.claude/themes if you prefer manual control.Recommended: native Claude Code plugin install.
This route keeps the pack connected to Claude Code’s plugin system and avoids hand-copying fifty JSON files.
claude plugin marketplace add notgabriels-sys/claude-code-50-dark-themes claude plugin install 50-dark-themes@notgabriels-themes
Add the marketplace.
Run the marketplace command once. It tells Claude Code where the theme plugin lives.
Install the plugin.
Run the plugin install command. The pack exposes the 50 dark themes through Claude Code’s theme picker.
Choose a theme inside Claude Code.
Open Claude Code, run /theme, and select the theme you want. Use Ctrl+E if you want an editable copy.
Fallback: manual JSON install.
Use this route if you want to inspect or modify the files yourself, or if the plugin flow is unavailable in your setup.
mkdir -p ~/.claude/themes cp *.json ~/.claude/themes/
After copying, run /theme in Claude Code. If the directory did not exist before, restart Claude Code once so it discovers the new theme folder.
Small safety note: manual copying is fine for personal use, but keep backups if you edit the JSON files directly. The source repository stays as the clean reference copy.
Set the terminal background.
Claude Code themes style Claude Code’s interface, but your terminal application owns the actual background. For the full visual match, set the terminal background to the theme’s surface hex from the gallery.
| Example theme | Terminal background | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Graphite | #1D1E20 | A neutral dark surface that makes the grey accents feel integrated. |
| Terminal | #171C17 | A green-leaning dark surface for the classic terminal mood. |
| Blueprint | #15202E | A blue-black surface that supports cooler accents. |
If you use a transparent terminal, the user-message surface in Claude Code will still render as an opaque panel. That is expected.
Troubleshooting.
The themes do not appear in /theme.
Update Claude Code, rerun the install command, and check that manual files are in ~/.claude/themes. Restart once if that directory was just created.
The colors look different from the gallery.
Set your terminal background to the theme surface hex. The gallery previews assume that matching surface.
Errors or warnings look less themed than expected.
That is intentional. The pack leaves success, error, warning and diff states on Claude Code’s base dark behavior so status meaning stays recognizable.
You want to customize a theme.
Use Ctrl+E from Claude Code’s theme picker or edit a copied JSON file. Keep the original source file as a reference.
Start with the free pack.
All 50 Claude Code dark themes are free and MIT licensed. If you want the wider catalog later, the site links to paid dark UI kits, templates, cheatsheets, palettes, wallpapers and audio workflow utilities — but the theme pack itself stays free.