How do I switch between themes in Kanagawa.nvim?

You can switch themes by setting config.theme, using the background option mapping, or directly loading a theme with commands like vim.cmd('colorscheme kanagawa-dragon'). The README provides detailed examples for each method.

Kanagawa.nvim vs tokyonight.nvim: which is better?

Kanagawa offers a unique artistic palette inspired by Hokusai's painting with WCAG compliance, while tokyonight has a modern Tokyo-inspired aesthetic. Choose Kanagawa for accessibility and deep customization, or tokyonight if you prefer its built-in features and simpler setup.

Does Kanagawa.nvim work with regular Vim?

No, Kanagawa.nvim is specifically designed for Neovim and leverages its Lua API. For Vim, you might need to use the terminal extras, but native support is limited and not officially provided.

How can I customize highlight groups for specific plugins?

Use the overrides function in the setup configuration to modify highlight groups. The README shows examples for customizing elements like Telescope or completion menus by returning a table with hlgroup definitions matching nvim_set_hl parameters.

Can I integrate Kanagawa with my terminal emulator?

Yes, Kanagawa provides extras for many terminal emulators like Alacritty, Kitty, and iTerm. You can find configuration files in the extras directory or use automatic scripts, such as the Kitty example in the README that changes themes based on Neovim's background setting.

What's the difference between palette and theme colors?

Palette colors are raw RGB hex values with arbitrary names, while theme colors are semantically grouped based on function. This separation allows for consistent theming and easier customization, as explained in the README's customization section.

Open-Awesome

kanagawa.nvim

MITLua

A dark Neovim colorscheme inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's painting, offering high contrast and extensive customization.

GitHub

6.3k stars234 forks0 contributors

What is kanagawa.nvim?

Kanagawa.nvim is a dark colorscheme plugin for Neovim, inspired by the colors of Katsushika Hokusai's famous ukiyo-e painting. It provides a high-contrast, accessible color palette designed to reduce eye strain during long coding sessions while offering extensive support for modern Neovim features like TreeSitter syntax highlighting.

Target Audience

Neovim users who prioritize visual aesthetics, accessibility compliance, and customizable development environments, particularly those working in low-light conditions.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Kanagawa.nvim for its unique artistic inspiration, WCAG-compliant accessibility, multiple theme variants, and deep customization options that go beyond typical colorschemes while maintaining excellent performance.

Overview

NeoVim dark colorscheme inspired by the colors of the famous painting by Katsushika Hokusai.

Use Cases

Best For

Neovim users seeking a dark, high-contrast colorscheme with artistic inspiration
Developers requiring WCAG 2.1 AA compliant color contrast for accessibility
Customizing Neovim's appearance with granular control over palette and theme colors
Fast startup times through Lua bytecode compilation
Integrating consistent colors across Neovim and terminal emulators
Extensive syntax highlighting support for TreeSitter and popular plugins

Not Ideal For

Neovim users who exclusively prefer light themes and want a colorscheme optimized for that
Beginners seeking a plug-and-play colorscheme without any configuration or compilation steps
Developers working on terminals without truecolor support or undercurl capabilities
Teams needing automatic theme switching based on system preferences without manual intervention

Pros & Cons

Pros

WCAG-Compliant Accessibility

Maintains a 4.5:1 contrast ratio as per WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, ensuring visual clarity and reducing eye strain for long coding sessions.

Performance Optimized

Supports compilation to Lua bytecode for faster startup times, a feature highlighted in the README to enhance efficiency.

Extensive Syntax Highlighting

Provides full support for TreeSitter and many popular Neovim plugins, covering a wide range of programming languages and tools.

Deep Customization

Offers flexible configuration for palette colors, theme colors, and highlight group overrides, allowing for personalized aesthetics and functionality.

Cons

Manual Compilation Overhead

Enabling performance compilation requires running :KanagawaCompile after every config change, adding friction and extra steps to the workflow.

Setup Order Sensitivity

Certain Neovim options like 'laststatus' and 'cmdheight' must be set before calling setup, which can lead to misconfiguration if overlooked.

Terminal Dependency

Requires truecolor terminal support, limiting compatibility with older or minimal terminal emulators that lack this feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

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