a vibrant dark theme for day or night.
Overview
Maus Theme is a vibrant dark theme for Visual Studio Code that adapts to reduced screen brightness, providing enhanced readability for extended coding sessions. With a deep, low-light background paired with a balanced vibrant palette, it reduces eye strain while maintaining syntax clarity across multiple programming languages.
Whether you're coding at 2am or in bright daylight, Maus Theme provides consistent, comfortable visuals with carefully selected color palettes that highlight important syntax elements without overwhelming your vision.
Key Features
- ▽Optimized for dark environments
- ▽Adapts to reduced brightness
- ▽Reduced eye strain
- ▽Refined syntax highlighting
- ▽Multi-language support
- ▽Semantic highlighting
- ▽Terminal theme included
- ▽Active development
Language Support
Basic syntax highlighting is available for most languages. Refinement levels vary by language, with ongoing improvements planned for future releases.
Installation & Activation
Install Maus Theme from the Visual Studio Code marketplace and activate it with a simple configuration change.
Quick Install
Activate Theme
Open the Command Palette (ctrl/cmd + shift + P), type "Open User Settings (JSON)", and add this configuration:
Configuration
Enhance your experience with recommended settings for typography, editor behavior, and extension integration. Choose a configuration category below to get started.
Key Features
- ▽Optimized for dark environments
- ▽Adapts to reduced brightness
- ▽Reduced eye strain
- ▽Refined syntax highlighting
- ▽Multi-language support
- ▽Semantic highlighting
- ▽Terminal theme included
- ▽Active development
Color Palette
Explore the complete color palette used throughout Maus Theme. Each color is carefully selected to provide optimal contrast, readability, and visual harmony. Click any color value to copy it to your clipboard.
Syntax Colors
Primary colors used for code highlighting
Keywords & Functions
function, keyword, operator, tag names
Strings
string literals, template strings
Numbers & Constants
numeric values, built-in constants
Variables
variable names, properties
Classes & Types
class names, user-defined types
Control Flow
if, else, for, while, return
Punctuation
brackets, braces, commas
Comments
code comments and documentation
Editor UI
Interface elements and backgrounds
Editor Background
main editor background
Sidebar Background
file explorer, sidebar
Selection
selected text
Line Highlight
current line background
Cursor
text cursor
Focus Border
active element borders
Activity Bar
activity bar badge
Foreground
default text color
Terminal Colors
ANSI color palette for integrated terminal
Black
ANSI black
Red
ANSI red / errors
Green
ANSI green / success
Yellow
ANSI yellow / warnings
Blue
ANSI blue
Magenta
ANSI magenta
Cyan
ANSI cyan
White
ANSI white
Semantic Colors
Status and notification colors
Error
error messages, invalid code
Warning
warnings, potential issues
Info
information messages
Success
success states, git additions
Modified
modified files, changes
Deleted
deleted content, removals
Theme Comparison
See how Maus Theme compares to other popular VS Code themes. We highlight our unique brightness adaptation feature while showing honest comparisons across key features.
| Feature | Maus Dark | Dracula | One Dark Pro | Night Owl | Nord | Tokyo Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unique Features | ||||||
Brightness Adaptation Maintains readability at reduced screen brightness | ||||||
Semantic Highlighting Advanced token-based syntax coloring | ||||||
| Language Support | ||||||
Languages Covered Number of languages with refinement levels | 9+ | 20+ | 15+ | 12+ | 10+ | 15+ |
High Refinement Go, TypeScript, JavaScript | Go, TS, JS | Many | Many | Many | Many | Many |
Scroll horizontally to view all themes in the comparison
Maus Unique Feature: Brightness Adaptation
Unlike other themes, Maus Dark maintains excellent readability even when you reduce your screen brightness for late-night coding. The carefully balanced color palette ensures optimal contrast ratios across different brightness levels, protecting your eyes without compromising code clarity.
Technical Reference
Dive into the technical details of Maus Theme's implementation. This section provides in-depth information about the theme architecture, accessibility compliance, token scope mappings, and customization options for developers who want to understand or extend the theme.
This section is designed for developers who want to understand Maus Theme's technical implementation, customize colors, or contribute to the project. Expand any section below to view detailed specifications.
Contributing
Maus Theme is open source and welcomes contributions. If you'd like to improve the theme, add language support, or report issues, visit our GitHub repository.
View on GitHub →Optimized Dark Mode
Maus Theme features a deep, low-light background (#0c0d0f) that serves as the foundation for extended coding sessions. Unlike traditional dark themes that simply invert colors, Maus carefully pairs this ultra-dark canvas with a balanced vibrant palette that maintains visual hierarchy without overwhelming your eyes.
Refined Highlighting
Reduced Visual Fatigue
Refined IDE Scheme
Brightness Adaptation
Community & Support