This open source guide helps configure terminal color schemes on macOS and includes a reviewable Bash helper. It supports Terminal.app, iTerm2, Alacritty, Warp, and Ghostty. This is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or officially partnered with terminalcolors.com.
Replace <theme name> and <terminal app> below, then copy the whole prompt into an AI agent that can operate local files and the terminal:
Using https://terminalcolors.com/, install the "<theme name>" theme for "<terminal app>" on my Mac. Detect the application's configuration location, download the correct theme format, back up my existing configuration, complete the installation, and tell me how to activate the theme and restore my previous configuration.
These themes illustrate different color styles and are not rankings or recommendations. Select an image to view its page on terminalcolors.com; on GitHub, use Command + click to open it in a new tab.
Choose a theme you like at terminalcolors.com, then download the local file for your terminal. The bundled Ayu Dark files are one cross-format example, not a ranking or recommendation.
This project manages terminal color schemes: backgrounds, foregrounds, and ANSI palettes. It does not install fonts, configure shell prompts such as Starship or Oh My Zsh, or change editor themes in Vim, Neovim, or VS Code. See Theme basics.
| Terminal | Theme format | Helper behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal.app | .terminal plist |
Imports with system open; select it in the UI |
| iTerm2 | .itermcolors plist |
Imports with system open; select it in the UI |
| Alacritty | .toml |
Copies the theme and conservatively updates TOML import |
| Warp | .yaml / .yml |
Copies the file into Warp's theme directory |
| Ghostty | Extensionless | Copies the theme and updates one active theme = setting |
You need macOS and the system Bash. Inspect the plan and paths before allowing a write:
bash bin/terminal-theme doctor
bash bin/terminal-theme install themes/warp/ayu-dark.yaml --dry-run
bash bin/terminal-theme install themes/warp/ayu-dark.yaml --yes
bash bin/terminal-theme list-backups
bash bin/terminal-theme restore BACKUP_ID --yesWithout --yes, the helper asks for confirmation; without interactive input, it cancels. --dry-run prints the source, destination, and configuration plan without writing. The helper accepts only an already-downloaded local file. It does not download themes or execute network scripts.
Terminal.app and iTerm2 imports still require manual activation in application settings. Their backup records provide manual removal guidance and do not edit application preferences. Successful writes for config-file terminals create backups that can be listed and restored.
Do not share complete configurations containing tokens, hostnames, or private paths. Report security issues privately as described in SECURITY.md. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before proposing a theme format or documentation change. Bulk theme catalogs without source and license information are not accepted.
The MIT license covers only the project's original code and documentation. Third-party theme data remains under its upstream terms; see themes/README.md for provenance.