A JetBrains Darcula–inspired dark theme for VS Code, designed for long backend coding sessions with a strong focus on Go, Java, and TypeScript.
This theme emphasizes:
- Semantic correctness
- Low eye strain
- Clear distinction between types, constants, keywords, and symbols
Note: This is inspired by JetBrains Darcula, not an official JetBrains theme.
- JetBrains Darcula–inspired dark color palette
- Optimized for Go with semantic token support
- Clear distinction between types, constants, keywords, and packages
- Comfortable contrast for long backend coding sessions
- Works well with JetBrains Mono and antialiased font rendering
JetBrains’ Darcula is not just a color palette — it is a readability-first design system. This theme preserves that philosophy while embracing VS Code’s semantic tokens and modern language servers.
This is NOT a pixel-perfect replica of 2020 IntelliJ Darcula. Instead, it is a modern Darcula interpretation built specifically for VS Code.
Design goals:
- Long-session comfort
- Semantic clarity
- Minimal visual noise
- Strong backend language support
Actively optimized and maintained for:
- Go (first-class support)
- Java
- C / C++
- JavaScript
- TypeScript
- Python (baseline support)
Other languages inherit safe defaults without compromising Go.
For the intended Go experience, enable semantic highlighting:
{ "editor.semanticHighlighting.enabled": true, "gopls": { "ui.semanticTokens": true } }
This theme relies heavily on semantic tokens to differentiate:
- Structs vs interfaces
- Exported vs unexported symbols
- Packages vs fields vs methods
- Constants and language keywords such as nil, true, and false
This theme is designed and tested with:
- JetBrains Mono
- Antialiased font rendering
Recommended settings:
{ "editor.fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono", "editor.fontLigatures": true, "workbench.fontAliasing": "antialiased" }
Correct font rendering significantly improves:
- Color balance
- Contrast perception
- Overall eye comfort
- Dark, muted background with low eye fatigue
- No neon or overly saturated colors
- Clear differentiation between:
- Constants
- Types
- Interfaces
- Structs
- Packages
- Keywords like nil, null, and booleans
- Semantic correctness over decorative styling
If you encounter issues or want improvements, feel free to open an issue:
https://github.com/AnuragThePathak/darcula-theme/issues
Priority languages:
- Go
- Java
- C / C++
- JavaScript / TypeScript
Please open an issue before submitting a pull request. Theme changes are conservative by design.
Created by Anurag Pathak
Inspired by JetBrains Darcula
Built for Visual Studio Code



