Flexoki Color Palette

September 2, 2025 · View on GitHub

An inky color scheme for prose and code, designed for reading and writing on digital screens. Inspired by analog inks and warm shades of paper.

Note

This documentation is based on the Flexoki color scheme by Steph Ango. This implementation includes research-based deviations from the original Flexoki specification to align with a majority of the current popular color schemes. For the complete original specification and additional resources, visit stephango.com/flexoki.

Color Palette

The complete Flexoki color palette includes base colors and accent colors with exponentially increasing intensity as colors get lighter or darker, emulating pigment on paper.

This section maps each color to semantic variables These semantic variables (like bg, tx, red) abstract the actual color values, allowing automatic theme switching between light and dark modes. The tables below show which variables are assigned to each palette color in both light and dark themes.

Base Colors

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
black	`#100F0F`	`bg`	-
base-950	`#1C1B1A`	`bg2`	-
base-900	`#282726`	`ui`	-
base-850	`#343331`	`ui2`	-
base-800	`#403E3C`	`ui3`	`tx`
base-700	`#575653`	`tx3`	-
base-600	`#6F6E69`	-	-
base-500	`#878580`	`tx2`	`tx2`
base-400	`#9F9D96`	-	-
base-300	`#B7B5AC`	-	`tx3`
base-200	`#CECDC3`	`tx`	`ui3`
base-150	`#DAD8CE`	-	`ui2`
base-100	`#E6E4D9`	-	`ui`
base-50	`#F2F0E5`	-	`bg2`
paper	`#FFFCF0`	-	`bg`

Red

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
red-950	`#261312`	-	-
red-900	`#3E1715`	`red4`	-
red-850	`#551B18`	-	-
red-800	`#6C201C`	`red3`	-
red-700	`#942822`	-	-
red-600	`#AF3029`	`red2`	`red`
red-500	`#C03E35`	-	-
red-400	`#D14D41`	`red`	`red2`
red-300	`#E8705F`	-	-
red-200	`#F89A8A`	-	`red3`
red-150	`#FDB2A2`	-	-
red-100	`#FFCABB`	-	`red4`
red-50	`#FFE1D5`	-	-

Orange

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
orange-950	`#27180E`	-	-
orange-900	`#40200D`	`orange4`	-
orange-850	`#59290D`	-	-
orange-800	`#71320D`	`orange3`	-
orange-700	`#9D4310`	-	-
orange-600	`#BC5215`	`orange2`	`orange`
orange-500	`#CB6120`	-	-
orange-400	`#DA702C`	`orange`	`orange2`
orange-300	`#EC8B49`	-	-
orange-200	`#F9AE77`	-	`orange3`
orange-150	`#FCC192`	-	-
orange-100	`#FED3AF`	-	`orange4`
orange-50	`#FFE7CE`	-	-

Yellow

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
yellow-950	`#241E08`	-	-
yellow-900	`#3A2D04`	`yellow4`	-
yellow-850	`#503D02`	-	-
yellow-800	`#664D01`	`yellow3`	-
yellow-700	`#8E6B01`	-	-
yellow-600	`#AD8301`	`yellow2`	`yellow`
yellow-500	`#BE9207`	-	-
yellow-400	`#D0A215`	`yellow`	`yellow2`
yellow-300	`#DFB431`	-	-
yellow-200	`#ECCB60`	-	`yellow3`
yellow-150	`#F1D67E`	-	-
yellow-100	`#F6E2A0`	-	`yellow4`
yellow-50	`#FAEEC6`	-	-

Green

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
green-950	`#1A1E0C`	-	-
green-900	`#252D09`	`green4`	-
green-850	`#313D07`	-	-
green-800	`#3D4C07`	`green3`	-
green-700	`#536907`	-	-
green-600	`#66800B`	`green2`	`green`
green-500	`#768D21`	-	-
green-400	`#879A39`	`green`	`green2`
green-300	`#A0AF54`	-	-
green-200	`#BEC97E`	-	`green3`
green-150	`#CDD597`	-	-
green-100	`#DDE2B2`	-	`green4`
green-50	`#EDEECF`	-	-

Cyan

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
cyan-950	`#101F1D`	-	-
cyan-900	`#122F2C`	`cyan4`	-
cyan-850	`#143F3C`	-	-
cyan-800	`#164F4A`	`cyan3`	-
cyan-700	`#1C6C66`	-	-
cyan-600	`#24837B`	`cyan2`	`cyan`
cyan-500	`#2F968D`	-	-
cyan-400	`#3AA99F`	`cyan`	`cyan2`
cyan-300	`#5ABDAC`	-	-
cyan-200	`#87D3C3`	-	`cyan3`
cyan-150	`#A2DECE`	-	-
cyan-100	`#BFE8D9`	-	`cyan4`
cyan-50	`#DDF1E4`	-	-

Blue

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
blue-950	`#101A24`	-	-
blue-900	`#12253B`	`blue4`	-
blue-850	`#133051`	-	-
blue-800	`#163B66`	`blue3`	-
blue-700	`#1A4F8C`	-	-
blue-600	`#205EA6`	`blue2`	`blue`
blue-500	`#3171B2`	-	-
blue-400	`#4385BE`	`blue`	`blue2`
blue-300	`#66A0C8`	-	-
blue-200	`#92BFDB`	-	`blue3`
blue-150	`#ABCFE2`	-	-
blue-100	`#C6DDE8`	-	`blue4`
blue-50	`#E1ECEB`	-	-

Purple

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
purple-950	`#1A1623`	-	-
purple-900	`#261C39`	`purple4`	-
purple-850	`#31234E`	-	-
purple-800	`#3C2A62`	`purple3`	-
purple-700	`#4F3685`	-	-
purple-600	`#5E409D`	`purple2`	`purple`
purple-500	`#735EB5`	-	-
purple-400	`#8B7EC8`	`purple`	`purple2`
purple-300	`#A699D0`	-	-
purple-200	`#C4B9E0`	-	`purple3`
purple-150	`#D3CAE6`	-	-
purple-100	`#E2D9E9`	-	`purple4`
purple-50	`#F0EAEC`	-	-

Magenta

Name	Hex	Dark Theme	Light Theme
magenta-950	`#24131D`	-	-
magenta-900	`#39172B`	`magenta4`	-
magenta-850	`#4F1B39`	-	-
magenta-800	`#641F46`	`magenta3`	-
magenta-700	`#87285E`	-	-
magenta-600	`#A02F6F`	`magenta2`	`magenta`
magenta-500	`#B74583`	-	-
magenta-400	`#CE5D97`	`magenta`	`magenta2`
magenta-300	`#E47DA8`	-	-
magenta-200	`#F4A4C2`	-	`magenta3`
magenta-150	`#F9B9CF`	-	-
magenta-100	`#FCCFDA`	-	`magenta4`
magenta-50	`#FEE4E5`	-	-

Semantic Variable Usage Tables

This section maps semantic variables to specific UI elements and syntax highlighting categories. Use these tables as a reference when implementing Flexoki to ensure consistent color usage across different contexts. Each table shows which semantic variable should be used for each UI element or syntax construct.

Base Color Variables

Variable	Usage
`bg`	Main background
`bg2`	Secondary background (sidebars, panels)
`ui`	Borders, hover surfaces
`ui2`	Hovered borders, cursor line background
`ui3`	Active borders, indent guides
`tx`	Primary text, cursor, variables
`tx2`	Muted text, parameters, matching brackets
`tx3`	Faint text, comments, disabled elements, whitespace markers

Accent Color Variables

Each accent color has four semantic layers for different use cases:

Layer	Usage
`color`	Primary accent - text, borders, icons
`color2`	Secondary accent - alternative states
`color3`	Background accent - search highlighting, badges
`color4`	Subtle background - selection, diff backgrounds

Syntax Highlighting Assignments

Element	Variable	Description
Comments	`tx3`	Code comments and documentation
Keywords	`magenta`	Language keywords (if, for, class, etc.)
Control Flow	`magenta`	Control flow statements
Strings	`green`	String literals and text
String Escapes	`purple`	Escape sequences within strings
Functions	`blue`	Function names and calls
Methods	`blue`	Method names and calls
Constants	`yellow`	Constants and compile-time values
Built-in Constants	`orange`	Language-provided constants
Numbers	`orange`	Numeric values and literals
Booleans	`orange`	Boolean values (true/false)
Types	`cyan`	Data types and type annotations
Classes	`cyan`	Class definitions
Interfaces	`cyan`	Interface definitions
Namespaces	`cyan`	Namespace declarations
Variables	`tx`	Variable names and identifiers
Parameters	`tx2`	Function parameters
Properties	`tx`	Object properties and attributes
Built-in Functions	`purple`	Built-in functions and macros
Macros	`purple`	Macro definitions
Operators	`tx`	Mathematical and logical operators
Punctuation	`tx2`	Brackets, semicolons, etc.
Errors	`red`	Syntax errors and invalid code
Imports	`cyan`	Import/include statements
Annotations	`tx2`	Decorators and annotations

UI Element Assignments

Text States

Element	Variable	Description
Error text	`red`	Error messages
Warning text	`orange`	Warning messages
Success text	`green`	Success indicators
Information text	`blue`	Informational notes
Attention text	`yellow`	Important notices
Link text	`cyan`	Clickable links
Visited link	`purple`	Previously visited
Hover link	`blue`	Link hover state
Active link	`green`	Link being clicked
Highlight text	`magenta`	Highlighted content

Editor Interface

Element	Variable	Description
Line numbers	`tx3`	Line gutter numbers
Current line number	`tx`	Active line number
Cursor	`tx`	Text cursor
Selection background	`blue4`	Selected text background
Current line bg	`bg2`	Current line highlight
Search matches	`yellow3`	Find results
Current search	`orange3`	Active search result
Visual selection	`ui3`	Visual mode selection
Matching brackets	`tx2`	Paired bracket highlighting
Indent guides	`ui3`	Indentation lines
Whitespace chars	`tx3`	Visible spaces/tabs
Fold markers	`tx3`	Code folding indicators

UI Components

Element	Variable	Description
Border default	`ui`	Standard borders
Border hover	`ui2`	Hovered borders
Border active	`ui3`	Active/selected
Border focus	`blue2`	Focused element
Border error	`red2`	Error state
Border success	`green2`	Success state
Hover surface	`ui`	Interactive hover
Drop target	`cyan4`	Drag and drop zones
Focus ring	`blue2`	Keyboard focus
Disabled element	`tx3`	Disabled state

Buttons

Element	Variable	Description
Primary button bg	`blue`	Primary actions
Primary button hover	`blue2`	Primary hover
Secondary button bg	`ui3`	Secondary actions
Danger button bg	`red`	Destructive actions
Danger button hover	`red2`	Danger hover
Success button bg	`green`	Confirmation actions
Button text	`bg`	Button foreground

Status Badges

Element	Variable	Description
Info badge bg	`blue3`	Information badges
Info badge fg	`tx`	Information badge text
Success badge bg	`green3`	Success/complete badges
Success badge fg	`tx`	Success badge text
Warning badge bg	`yellow3`	Warning badges
Warning badge fg	`tx`	Warning badge text
Error badge bg	`red3`	Error/critical badges
Error badge fg	`tx`	Error badge text

Diagnostics

Element	Variable	Description
Error diagnostic	`red`	Error indicators
Warning diagnostic	`orange`	Warning indicators
Info diagnostic	`blue`	Information markers
Hint diagnostic	`tx2`	Subtle suggestions
Breakpoints	`red`	Debug breakpoints
Debug highlights	`yellow`	Execution highlights

Git & Version Control

Diff View

Element	Variable	Description
Diff header	`blue`	File comparison header
Hunk header	`orange`	@@ line markers
File path	`purple`	a/file.txt b/file.txt
Metadata	`tx3`	Index, mode info
Added line bg	`green4`	New lines background
Removed line bg	`red4`	Deleted lines background
Modified line bg	`yellow4`	Changed lines background
Added word bg	`green3`	Inline additions
Removed word bg	`red3`	Inline deletions
Modified word bg	`yellow3`	Inline changes

Merge Conflicts

Element	Variable	Description
Current bg	`cyan4`	HEAD changes
Incoming bg	`blue4`	Branch changes
Ancestor bg	`purple4`	Base version

Git Status

Element	Variable	Description
Added	`green`	New files
Modified	`yellow`	Changed files
Removed	`red`	Deleted files
Untracked	`tx3`	Untracked files
Ignored	`tx3`	Ignored files
Conflicted	`red`	Merge conflicts
Staged	`green`	Staged changes

Terminal & ANSI Colors

Standard 16-Color Palette

ANSI	Name	Dark Theme	Light Theme	Usage
0	Black	black	black	Standard black
1	Red	red-400	red-600	Errors, alerts
2	Green	green-400	green-600	Success, additions
3	Yellow	yellow-400	yellow-600	Warnings
4	Blue	blue-400	blue-600	Information
5	Magenta	magenta-400	magenta-600	Special items
6	Cyan	cyan-400	cyan-600	Links, emphasis
7	White	base-400	base-50	Standard white/gray
8	Bright Black	base-500	base-600	Dimmed/secondary
9	Bright Red	red-300	red-500	Bright errors
10	Bright Green	green-300	green-500	Bright success
11	Bright Yellow	yellow-300	yellow-500	Bright warnings
12	Bright Blue	blue-300	blue-500	Bright info
13	Bright Magenta	magenta-300	magenta-500	Bright special
14	Bright Cyan	cyan-300	cyan-500	Bright emphasis
15	Bright White	paper	paper	Brightest white

Terminal Window Colors

Element	Dark Theme	Light Theme	Usage
Background	black	paper	Terminal background
Foreground	base-200	base-800	Terminal default text
Cursor	base-200	base-800	Terminal cursor
Cursor Text	black	paper	Text under cursor
Selection	blue-900	blue-100	Selected text background
Active Border	blue-600	blue-400	Active window border
Inactive Border	base-800	base-200	Inactive window border
Bell Border	yellow-600	yellow-400	Visual bell indicator

Guidelines and Explanations

Theme System

Flexoki uses semantic color variables that automatically map to appropriate values based on theme selection:

Light themes: Use 600-level accent colors for primary usage
Dark themes: Use 400-level accent colors for primary usage
Base colors: Automatically mapped based on theme selection

The theme system is designed with four semantic layers for each accent color (defined in the usage tables above).

Design Principles

Convention Alignment: Color assignments follow established syntax highlighting conventions for intuitive code reading
Perceptual Balance: Colors maintain visual hierarchy without competing for attention
Context Sensitivity: Same colors serve different purposes in UI vs. syntax contexts
Progressive Enhancement: Basic Vim groups provide fallback, Tree-sitter adds precision, LSP adds context

Color Rationale

Industry-Standard Assignments

The color choices align with conventions used in 90%+ of modern themes:

Magenta: Keywords & control flow - universally signals "special language constructs"
Green: String literals - represents literal text content within code
Blue: Functions & methods - indicates callable/executable code blocks
Orange: Numbers & literals - draws attention to values without alarm
Cyan: Types & architecture - indicates type definitions and structural elements
Yellow: Constants - indicates immutable values and compile-time constants
Purple: Language features & macros - meta-programming elements
Red: Errors - universal error indicator

Visual Hierarchy Principles

Foreground Priority: Variables and user content use default text color as primary focus
Accent Hierarchy: Language constructs get distinctive colors, user content remains neutral
Attention Balance: Bright colors (orange, yellow) reserved for values requiring attention
Cognitive Grouping: Related concepts share colors (all functions blue, all types cyan)

Accessibility Considerations

Contrast Ratios: All color combinations maintain WCAG AA compliance (4.5:1 minimum)
Color Blindness: Designed with multiple visual cues beyond color alone
Perceptual Balance: Colors chosen using Oklab color space for consistent perceived intensity
Text Hierarchy: The tx1-4 progression uses Oklab perceptual modeling to ensure consistent contrast steps across light and dark themes

Implementation Approach

Layer 1: Basic Syntax Groups (Maximum Compatibility)

Implement fundamental syntax categories first (comments, keywords, strings, etc.)
Ensures compatibility with basic highlighting systems
Provides fallback for simple or legacy highlighting engines

Layer 2: Semantic Enhancement (Precision)

Add precise semantic category mappings for improved accuracy
Focus on language-agnostic semantic consistency
Use more granular color distinctions for syntax elements

Layer 3: Contextual Highlighting (Intelligence)

Layer context-aware highlighting over semantic categories
Provide advanced colors based on usage context (definitions vs references)
Enable sophisticated features like scope-based dimming

Color Usage Best Practices

Foreground Colors: Use semantic variables (tx, red, green, etc.) rather than direct palette colors
Background Usage: Apply base colors (bg, bg2, ui, etc.) with appropriate opacity for overlays

Important

Text colors are guidelines. Legibility always comes first. Adjust colors when they don't provide sufficient contrast in your specific environment.

Attribution

Flexoki color scheme created by Steph Ango. Licensed under the MIT License.

For the complete specification and additional ports, visit: https://stephango.com/flexoki