Rust Python
Functional Dark

Dark VS Code theme for long Rust / Python sessions. Three ranks. Markdown and TypeScript ride along.

The theme in a VS Code editor, cycling through Rust and Python source. — Cool for functions · warm for control · rest held quiet.

The idea

Most themes light everything; nothing is lit. Here contrast is a budget: cool for functions, warm for control; code / comments / literals share a band.

Functions preattentive; control distinct.
Related semantics share a colorband.
Low false-salience; less eye strain.
Rust / Python first; MD / TS next.

Three ranks, on the golden section

Visual emphasis is limited to three ranks to keep contrast reliable and false salience low. The intensities aren't picked by feel — they step down the golden ratio: 1.0, 0.618, 0.382. (The same fourth-rank discipline The Fold uses on its gradients, one project over.)

Rank	Intent	Scalar	Visual intensity
0	Primary focus — actions, errors, key edges	1.000	Highest chroma, highest contrast
1	Secondary focus — types, structure, navigation	0.618	Mid chroma, mid contrast
2	Tertiary context — hints, punctuation, low-salience UI	0.382	Low chroma, lower contrast

Colorwheel study showing the cool and warm accent families and their placement. — Colorwheel study — cool accent for functions, warm accent for verbs, mapped for reliable separation.

The palette was explicitly tuned against contrast-ratio checks for deuteranomaly / deutan-deficient viewing. Accessibility isn't a post-hoc audit here; it's a constraint the hues were chosen under.

The palette

Ten named tones, each with a job. Names courtesy of Name That Color and color-name.com.

Gracelynn

#e7e8b9 · Verbs

Functions and document headings — action-oriented semantics.

Mauve Mist

#c898b5 · Executive

Control flow and active borders — control tokens.

Granny Smith

#7f9fa1 · Common

Default text and neutral structure — unmarked.

Sinbad

#a9cdd9 · Literal

Literals and atomics — ephemera.

Cimarron

#87b2d1 · Info

Informational states — contextual guidance.

Coral Bright

#c8bfa8 · Warning

Warning states and caution UI — non-fatal attention.

Charm

#d0667f · Error

Errors and failures — the critical channel.

Feldgrau

#49595b · Paratext

Comments and low-salience hints — meta-discourse.

Business Black

#131315 · Editor BG

Primary editing surface tone.

Woodsmoke

#0c0c10 · Base BG

Foundational canvas — panels and surfaces.

Install

In VS Code: Extensions → search “Rust Python Functional Dark” → Install → then Preferences → Color Theme. Or grab it from the Marketplace. MIT licensed; source on GitHub.

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