Digital Rust Syntax Highlighting Specification

Official syntax highlighting and design specification for the Digital Rust theme.

Overview

Digital Rust is a warm, tech-dystopian color scheme inspired by corrupted hardware and failing systems. Built around deep rust-copper tones with strategic pops of color named after system failures, the theme delivers a unique visual experience that embraces the beauty of digital decay while maintaining excellent readability and productivity.

// signal: digital rust boot sequence
fn boot_sequence() -> Result<SystemState, KernelPanic> {
    let checksum = hash("ghost-pixel")?;
    if checksum < 0xAF2E1A {
        return Err(KernelPanic::CorruptedCache);
    }
    Ok(SystemState::Operational)
}

Color Palette

Main Colours

ANSI Colours

Syntax Highlighting Rules

Token Classification

Following TextMate scoping conventions for consistent highlighting across editors. These conventions keep highlighting consistent across editors.

Primary Tokens

Keywords & Storage → Fatal Error (#CF8175)

• Language Keywords: if, else, return, function, class
• Storage Modifiers: static, public, private, const, let, var
• Control Flow: try, catch, throw, break, continue

Functions & Methods → Stack Overglow (#D4A759)

• Function Declarations and Calls
• Method Invocations
• User-defined Functions

Classes & Types → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• Class Names and Constructors
• Type Annotations: int, string, boolean
• Interfaces and Enums
• Generic Type Parameters

Strings & Text → Memory Leek (#8FA667)

• String Literals: "corrupted", 'failed', `template`
• Escape Sequences (e.g., \n, \t)

Numbers → Thermal Throttle (#D78556)

• Numeric Literals: 42, 3.14, 0xFF, 1e5

Constants & Special Values → Bright Stack Overglow (#D3AE6E)

• Boolean Values: true, false
• Null-like Constants: null, undefined, nil, None
• Special Language Values: NaN, Infinity, this, self, super
• Named Constants: SOME_CONST, MAX_SIZE, DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
• Enum Values: Status.OK, Color.RED, HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND
• Language-level Constants: __name__, __FILE__, M_PI, E

Design Note: Booleans and null-like values use a distinct color from numbers. The distinct color marks their semantic role as special language constants, not numeric data.

Comments → Dim Thermal Throttle (#AC6D4A) italic

• Single-Line: //, #, --
• Multi-Line: /* */, <!-- -->
• Documentation Blocks (JSDoc, Javadoc, docstrings)

Attributes & Decorators → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) italic

• Java/Kotlin Annotations: @Override, @Component, @Deprecated
• Python Decorators: @dataclass, @property, @staticmethod
• Rust Attributes: #[derive(Debug)], #[cfg(test)]
• C# Attributes: [Serializable], [HttpGet]
• TypeScript Decorators: @Injectable, @Component

Sigil Handling: The @ or # sigil inherits the decorator color. Style the sigil as part of the attribute token.

Support & Built-ins

Built-ins & Standard Library → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)

• Built-in Functions: print, len, typeof, console.log
• Standard Library Classes: Array, String, Object, Map
• TextMate scopes: support.function, support.class, support.type

Markup Tags (HTML/XML) → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• Tag Names: <div>, <span>, <svg>
• Self-closing Tags: <br/>, <img/>
• TextMate scope: entity.name.tag

Markup Attributes → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)

• Attribute Names: class, id, href, src
• TextMate scope: entity.other.attribute-name

Markup Attribute Values → Memory Leek (#8FA667)

• Quoted Values: "container", 'primary'
• TextMate scope: string.quoted within markup

Regular Expressions

• Regex Literals & Character Classes → Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Regex Operators & Metacharacters (+, *, ?, |, ^, $) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)
• Regex Groups & Brackets → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Variables & Identifiers → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)

• Variable Names and Parameters
• Object Properties
• Default Text Content
• TextMate scope: variable, variable.parameter

Errors & Warnings → Amber Alert (#BF5747) (note: rendered text on dark backgrounds uses --amber-alert-text (#CB6353) for WCAG AA compliance)

• Syntax Errors
• Deprecated Code (with strikethrough where supported)
• Invalid Tokens

Operators & Punctuation

Operators → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %, **
• Comparison: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=, ===, !==
• Logical: &&, ||, !, and, or, not
• Assignment: =, +=, -=, *=, /=
• Bitwise: &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>

Punctuation & Delimiters → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

• Separators: ,, ;, :
• Accessors: ., ::
• Brackets: (, ), [, ], {, }
• Angle Brackets (generics): <, >

Sigils & Prefix Symbols

• Sigils inherit the color of the token they modify:
  • $variable → Variable color (Ghost Pixel)
  • @decorator → Decorator color (Dead Thread)
  • &reference → Context-dependent (variable or type)
  • *pointer → Context-dependent

Styling Modifiers

Bold

• Markdown headings (H1–H6)
• Strong emphasis in Markdown (**text**)
• Active tab labels in UI
• Critical warnings or alerts

Italic

• Comments and documentation blocks
• Type parameters and generics
• Decorators and attributes
• Markdown emphasis (*text*)
• Quoted text in documentation

Underline

• Links: Solid underline using Phantom Current (#E7C0BA)
• Spelling errors: Dotted underline using Amber Alert (#BF5747)
• Potential errors/warnings: Wavy underline using Stack Overglow (#D4A759)

Accessibility Note: Distinguish links and spelling errors by underline style (solid vs. dotted), not by color alone.

Strikethrough

• Deprecated code or APIs
• Completed tasks in TODO comments

Special Rules

Scope Prioritization

If multiple scopes apply to one token, apply styles in this precedence order:

1. Error scopes (highest priority) — Always override other styles
2. Warning scopes — Override non-error styles
3. Language-specific overrides — Per-language customizations
4. Semantic token colors — LSP/semantic highlighting
5. Base syntax colors (lowest priority) — TextMate grammar defaults

Rule: If a token is both an error and another role (for example, a misspelled keyword), the error style takes full precedence. The token shows the error styling, not a blend.

Bracket Matching

• Matching Brackets: Subtle highlight with Bad Sector (#46120A) background
• Unmatched Brackets: Amber Alert (#BF5747) with wavy underline
• Rainbow Brackets: Optional. If enabled, cycle through: Dead Thread, Stack Overglow, Fractured Shell, Blue Screen, Thermal Throttle, Memory Leek

Language-Specific Rules

Configuration Languages (JSON/YAML/TOML)

Configuration files use a distinct key/value visual hierarchy:

Keys → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• Object keys and property names
• YAML mapping keys
• TOML table headers and keys

Values → Standard token rules apply:

• Strings → Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Numbers → Thermal Throttle (#D78556)
• Booleans/null → Bright Stack Overglow (#D3AE6E)

Structural Elements → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

• Colons, commas, brackets
• YAML dashes for list items

Design Note: Keys and values use intentionally different colors. The difference makes the hierarchical structure immediately visible.

Markdown & Rich Text

Headings (H1–H6) → Fatal Error (#CF8175) bold

• Heading markers (#, ##, etc.) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Emphasis

• Bold (**text**) → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8) bold
• Italic (*text*) → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8) italic
• Bold Italic (***text***) → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8) bold italic

Code

• Inline code (`code`) → Memory Leek (#8FA667) on Bad Sector (#46120A) background
• Fenced code blocks → Normal syntax highlighting inside
• Code fence markers (```) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Blockquotes → Phosphor Smoke (#EFD5D1) italic

• Quote markers (>) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Links

• Link text → Phantom Current (#E7C0BA) underlined
• Link URL → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)

Lists

• List markers (-, *, 1.) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)
• List content → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)

Horizontal Rules → Dark Packet (#691B0F)

HTML / XML / Templates

Core Markup

• Tag Names → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)
• Attribute Names → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)
• Attribute Values → Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Text Nodes → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)
• Comments → Dim Thermal Throttle (#AC6D4A) italic

Angle Brackets & Delimiters → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

• <, >, </, />

Template Languages (JSX, Vue, Handlebars, EJS)

• Template Delimiters ({}, {{}}, <%, %>) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)
• Embedded Expressions → Follow host language syntax rules
• Component Names (PascalCase) → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) (treat as custom tags)

CSS & Stylesheets

Selectors

• Element Selectors → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)
• Class Selectors (.class) → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)
• ID Selectors (#id) → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)
• Pseudo-classes/elements (:hover, ::before) → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)
• Attribute Selectors → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)

Properties & Values

• Property Names → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)
• String Values → Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Numeric Values → Thermal Throttle (#D78556)
• Units (px, em, %, rem) → Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)
• Color Values (hex, rgb, hsl) → Thermal Throttle (#D78556)
• Keywords (auto, inherit, flex) → Bright Stack Overglow (#D3AE6E)

At-Rules

• @media, @import, @keyframes → Fatal Error (#CF8175)

Utility-First (Tailwind and similar frameworks)

• Class Names in HTML → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) (treat as structural labels)

String Interpolation

String Containers → Memory Leek (#8FA667)

• Quote characters and literal text portions

Interpolated Expressions → Full syntax highlighting

• JavaScript: ${expression} — expression follows JS rules
• Python f-strings: {expression} — expression follows Python rules
• Ruby: #{expression} — expression follows Ruby rules
• Shell: ${variable} or $(command) — follows shell rules

Interpolation Delimiters → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

• ${, }, #{, {, }

Implementation Note: Tokenize interpolated segments as full expressions. Do not render them as plain string content.

Git & Diff Views

Diff Additions

• Text Color: Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)
• Background: Memory Leek (#8FA667) at 15% opacity
• Line Marker (+): Memory Leek (#8FA667)

Diff Deletions

• Text Color: Phantom Current (#E7C0BA)
• Background: Amber Alert (#BF5747) at 15% opacity
• Line Marker (-): Amber Alert (#BF5747)

Diff Modifications

• Background: Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) at 10% opacity
• Line Marker (~): Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

Diff Headers & Metadata

• File paths: Stack Overglow (#D4A759)
• Hunk headers (@@): Blue Screen (#8791B0)
• Commit hashes: Dim Stack Overglow (#A07E43)

Inline Diff (word-level)

• Added words: Memory Leek (#8FA667) background at 25%
• Removed words: Amber Alert (#BF5747) background at 25%

Shell & CLI Scripts (Bash, Zsh, Fish, PowerShell)

Commands & Executables → Stack Overglow (#D4A759)

• First word on a line (command name)
• Built-in commands: echo, cd, export
• External commands: grep, awk, curl

Flags & Options → Fatal Error (#CF8175)

• Short flags: -a, -v, -rf
• Long flags: --help, --verbose, --output

Variables → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)

• Environment variables: $PATH, $HOME, ${VAR}
• Positional parameters: $1, $@, $#
• Sigil ($) inherits variable color per sigil rules

Here-Documents → Memory Leek (#8FA667)

• Here-doc body content follows string rules
• Delimiter tokens (<<EOF, EOF) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Shebang Line → Dim Thermal Throttle (#AC6D4A) italic

• #!/bin/bash, #!/usr/bin/env python
• Treat as a special comment

SQL

Keywords → Fatal Error (#CF8175)

• DML: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
• DDL: CREATE, ALTER, DROP, TRUNCATE
• Clauses: FROM, WHERE, JOIN, ON, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, HAVING
• Operators: AND, OR, NOT, IN, BETWEEN, LIKE, IS NULL

Functions → Stack Overglow (#D4A759)

• Aggregate: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX
• Scalar: COALESCE, NULLIF, CAST, CONVERT
• Date/Time: NOW, DATEADD, DATEDIFF

Types → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• VARCHAR, INT, BIGINT, BOOLEAN, TIMESTAMP, TEXT, DECIMAL

Identifiers → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)

• Table names, column names
• Aliases (AS name) — treat as variables

Strings & Numbers → Standard token rules

• String & char literals → Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Numeric literals → Thermal Throttle (#D78556)

C/C++ Preprocessor Directives

Preprocessor Keywords → Fatal Error (#CF8175)

• #include, #define, #undef
• #if, #ifdef, #ifndef, #else, #elif, #endif
• #pragma, #error, #warning

Macro Names → Bright Stack Overglow (#D3AE6E)

• Defined constants: MAX_SIZE, DEBUG_MODE
• Treat as named constants

Macro Parameters → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8)

• Parameters in macro definitions follow variable.parameter rules

Include Paths → Memory Leek (#8FA667)

• <stdio.h>, "myheader.h" — treat as strings

Note: The # sigil is part of the directive keyword, not a separate punctuation token.

Rust-Specific

Lifetimes → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) italic

• 'a, 'static, '_
• The tick (') is part of the lifetime token

Traits → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• Trait names: Clone, Debug, Iterator, Send, Sync
• Trait bounds follow type coloring

Macros → Stack Overglow (#D4A759)

• Macro invocations: println!, vec!, format!
• The ! is part of the macro name

Note: Rust attributes (#[derive], #[cfg]) are covered under Attributes & Decorators.

Haskell / ML / Functional Languages

Type Constructors → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)

• Maybe, Either, List, IO
• Type-level names starting with uppercase

Data Constructors → Bright Stack Overglow (#D3AE6E)

• Just, Nothing, Left, Right, True, False
• Treat as constants (they are value-level names for types)

Type Signatures → Standard rules with explicit operators

• :: (type annotation) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)
• => (constraint arrow) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)
• -> (function arrow) → Copper Trace (#D7968C)

Type Variables → Dead Thread (#6FA5A0) italic

• Lowercase type parameters: a, b, m
• Distinguish them from term-level variables with italic

Editor UI Definitions

Editor Core

Selection & Guides

Search & Navigation

Disabled & Placeholder States

Accessibility Note: Disabled UI elements must meet minimum contrast where practical. If full contrast is not possible, add other visual cues (for example, reduced opacity or a different font weight).

Tabs

Sidebar

Status Bar

Gutter Indicators

Note: Gutter markers reuse the diagnostic and diff palettes for semantic consistency.

Inlay Hints & Code Lens

Inlay Hints (parameter names, inferred types)

Code Lens (references, test runners, action links)

Note: Inlay hints and code lens must never have higher contrast than primary code tokens. They are supplementary information. They must fade into the background when not focused.

Minimap & Overview Ruler

Panels & Popups

Panel Backgrounds

Tooltips & Hover Cards

Autocomplete & IntelliSense

Parameter Hints (signature help popups)

Terminal Configuration

ANSI Color Mapping

Terminal Defaults

256-Color & Truecolor Guidance

• The 16 ANSI colors above are the canonical core for 256-color terminals
• Interpolate colors 16–255 between palette colors where possible
• Truecolor-capable terminals (24-bit) use the exact hex values from the palette
• If truecolor is available, prefer it over approximated 256-color values

Safe Mode

Safe Mode is the light projection of Digital Rust. It uses the same palette, the same colour names, and the same token roles as the dark theme. Only the value that fills a role changes.

Safe Mode exists for accessibility. A reader who cannot use a dark interface can use Safe Mode and still read the system as Digital Rust.

Safe Mode In The Ports

Terminal ports carry both modes, because a terminal follows the system theme:

Konsole carries slots 0 to 7 with a Faint and an Intense variant, so the Intense variant is the bright half and Faint is the dim ink, which is the muted grey in both modes. Konsole's scheme format has no selection colour, so neither file declares one.

The editor ports and the KDE Plasma colour scheme are dark-only: a VS Code light theme is a second extension, and KDE's groups each choose an ink for their own fill, which the dark scheme sets now and the light one still needs.

What Changes and What Does Not Change

The Projection Rule

A Safe Mode value keeps the hue of the dark-theme colour and holds a contrast ratio. The surface that the ratio is held against depends on the role, because a role can only meet the surfaces it lands on:

To derive a value, do these steps:

1. Take the hue of the dark-theme colour for the role.
2. Take the tuning surface for the role from the table above.
3. Find the value that has the same hue and the target ratio against that surface.
4. Keep the chroma near the dark-theme value. Maximum chroma leaves the warm, dusty register of the palette.
5. If the role can land on a surface that the tuning surface did not cover, move the value until it clears 4.5:1 there too.

A text or feedback value sits near 4.7:1 and not at 4.5:1, so no value rests on a rounding edge. A syntax value keeps its dark-theme ratio, because a well is the only surface that a syntax role meets.

A role keeps its weight in the layout, because the ratio does not change. A loud role stays loud and a quiet role stays quiet. Only the direction flips. On a dark page a loud role is lighter than the page, and on a light page it is darker.

Safe Mode Surfaces

Depth follows one rule in each mode. On dark, a raised surface is lighter than the page. On Safe Mode, a raised surface is darker than the page. The step size is the same in both modes, between 1.18:1 and 1.41:1.

The Inverted Well Rule. In Safe Mode, a well is the page colour inside a darker panel. The well is therefore the lightest surface in the panel. The 2px border and the inner lowlight do the recess work. A well never rises.

Safe Mode Syntax Role Values

The table gives the value for each token role in Safe Mode. The last column names the dark-theme colour that the value replaces.

A syntax role is valid on the page and on a secondary panel only. Do not render a syntax role on a raised panel. On Phantom Current, the quiet roles fall below the floor: punctuation measures 3.85:1, rainbow magenta 3.90:1, and comments 4.05:1. Markdown and code both sit in a well or on a secondary panel, so the rule holds in the current layout.

Safe Mode Text and Feedback Values

Panel values in this table are measured against Phantom Current, the darkest text-bearing surface in Safe Mode. Each value sits near 4.7:1 and not at 4.5:1, so no value rests on a rounding edge.

In Safe Mode, an inline code chip uses Phosphor Smoke #EFD5D1 and not Corrupted Cache. On Corrupted Cache the quiet syntax roles fall to 3.2:1.

Editor Chrome in Safe Mode

The token column gives the custom property that carries the value in both modes.

A glow surrounds a focused element on dark. Emitted light reads as a smudge on a lit page, so Safe Mode sets the glow values to none. The offset shadow and the bevel stay.

Terminal Configuration in Safe Mode

A slot that carries the paper colour of its mode is a fill rather than ink: slot 0 is the page in the dark theme, and slots 7 and 15 are the page in Safe Mode. Those slots are excluded from the text floor, in both the specification and the check. Every other slot is text and clears 4.5:1 in both modes.

Slot 8 is the dim ink in every terminal. A dimmer version of a colour cannot clear 4.5:1 against the surface it sits on, in either mode, so dim is carried by a desaturated tone instead: Thermal Throttle #AC6D4A on dark, and the muted ink #6D605E in Safe Mode.

The red slot clears the text floor in both modes: 4.60:1 in Safe Mode and 5.50:1 on the dark page. Digital Rust measures 3.10:1 on the dark page, and 3.32:1 is its ceiling against any colour, so the namesake colour can never carry terminal text on a dark surface. It keeps the accent role, where it is a fill and not text.

Slot 0 and slot 7 change meaning in Safe Mode. Slot 0 carries the text and slot 7 carries the background. This is the convention for light terminal themes. A program that assumes a dark background can render low-contrast text. Test a Safe Mode terminal with real tools before you release it.

Terminal Defaults in Safe Mode

How to Select a Mode

A conforming implementation selects the mode in this order:

1. Read the mode that the user saved.
2. If the user saved no mode, read prefers-color-scheme. Related platform indicators of a light or dark preference are also permitted.
3. If the platform gives no preference, use the dark theme.
4. Make sure that a manual switch is available. Some readers need a fixed mode.

Resolve the mode before the first paint, so the page never flashes the wrong theme. Set the color-scheme property to dark or light to match, and set the background of the root element. Without that step the browser shows a pure white canvas during a load or an overscroll. The White Is Forbidden Rule bans that value.

Implementation Guidelines

Accessibility Standards

Minimum Contrast Requirements

Maintain 4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) for all text. These canonical pairs are verified:

Note: Low-contrast pairs like disabled text on backgrounds are permitted only for decorative or non-essential elements. Critical information must always meet 4.5:1.

Text on Hot Panels

A hot panel keeps a dark fill in both modes. A toast or a status bar uses Bricked Board, so the pastel accents need a lighter value. These values apply to the dark theme and to Safe Mode.

A 3px accent strip on a toast is decoration. It keeps the family base value, such as Memory Leek #8FA667, in both modes. Only text must clear the floor.

Safe Mode Contrast

Panel values are measured against Phantom Current, the darkest text-bearing surface in Safe Mode.

Non-text Contrast

WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.11 asks for 3:1 on the visual information that identifies a user interface component or its state.

The criterion applies to a control: a button, an input, a checkbox, a toggle, a slider, a tab, a scrollbar thumb, or a focus ring. A control identifies itself by its wall. The criterion does not apply to a container: a card, a panel, a code block, or a toast. A container carries no state a reader must detect, and its content identifies it.

That split gives the system one wall for a control and another for a container:

Why the dark control wall moved. The first ramp stop that clears 3:1 against a dark panel is Firewall Breach, at 3.18:1. The six stops below it, from Bad Sector to Kernel Panic, span 2.04:1 end to end, so no two of them can form a 3:1 pair. A compliant control wall in the dark theme is a warm mid-tone by necessity.

Recorded deviations. A container wall sits below 3:1 in both modes: 1.69:1 on the dark page and 2.07:1 on the Safe Mode page. That is the whole of the list. Every control wall, state, focus ring, scrollbar thumb, text role, syntax role and terminal slot clears its floor in both modes. pnpm contrast checks the declared pairs and prints this list on every run.

Non-Color Cues

Errors, warnings, and critical states must not rely on color alone. Use these secondary cues:

• Errors: Red color + wavy underline + error icon (⚠ or ✗)
• Warnings: Yellow color + wavy underline + warning icon
• Info/Hints: Blue color + dotted underline or icon
• Success: Green color + checkmark icon
• Links: Color + solid underline (hover reveals additional state)
• Spelling Errors: Dotted underline (distinct style from error underlines)

Color Vision Deficiency Considerations

• Test with protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia simulations
• Give red/green distinctions (diff views, success/error) non-color differentiators
• Use Safe Mode as the documented alternative for a reader who needs a light interface

Consistency Requirements

1. Priority Order: Follow the token classification hierarchy strictly
2. Fallback Handling: Use Ghost Pixel for unrecognized tokens
3. Semantic Consistency: Same meaning = same color across all languages
4. Warmth Balance: Maintain the warm rust-copper tone throughout

UI Design Guidelines

User-interface theming is specified separately in the Digital Rust UI Specification: surfaces, elevation, interaction physics, and component-level definitions for buttons, inputs, menus, modals, and the rest. This document owns the palette, syntax token classification, editor chrome, and terminal configuration. The UI Specification owns everything a full application theme needs beyond the editor. Both documents reference colours by the same stable names defined in the Color Palette above.

The summaries below cover the colour-usage rules that ports of this syntax theme need most often when they extend Digital Rust beyond the editor.

Visual Hierarchy

Apply colors by functional importance and user interaction patterns:

• High Priority: Interactive elements, CTAs, error states → Digital Rust (#AF2E1A), Amber Alert (#BF5747)
• Medium Priority: Headers, navigation, secondary actions → Fatal Error (#CF8175), Stack Overglow (#D4A759)
• Low Priority: Body text, supporting information → Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8), Phosphor Smoke (#EFD5D1)

Component Colour Guidelines

Borders and Separators

• A control wall: --dr-border-color, Rouge Signal on dark and Dark Packet in Safe Mode, at 2px
• A container wall: --dr-border-color-container, Dark Packet in both modes, at 2px
• Page and site chrome: the container wall at 4px
• Subtle Dividers: --dr-border-subtle at 1px
• Focus Rings: --dr-focus-color, Stack Overglow on dark and Digital Rust in Safe Mode, at 2px
• Container Edges: Core Meltdown (#340D07) for nested depth

Shadows and Depth

• NEVER use pure black (#000) shadows — they are cold and dead; always use warm shadow tones
• Use the shadow colour, Bad Sector (#46120A) / --dr-shadow-color, for offset shadows in both modes
• Use Event Horizon (#110402) only for legacy blunt shadows that need maximum depth
• No gradients, no blur, no transparency — solid colors only, apart from the texture overlay and the slider fill. Safe Mode moves the texture to a rust scorch at the rim
• Interactive and elevated elements add the inner highlight under the offset shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1) on dark and 0.5 white in Safe Mode

State Indicators

• Success: Memory Leek (#8FA667)
• Warning: Stack Overglow (#D4A759)
• Error: Amber Alert (#BF5747) or Digital Rust (#AF2E1A) for critical
• Info: Dead Thread (#6FA5A0)
• Processing: Stack Overglow (#D4A759) with animation

Link Styling

• Default: Phantom Current (#E7C0BA) as specified in palette
• Hover: Fatal Error (#CF8175) with optional underline
• Visited: Corrupted Cache (#DFABA3)
• Active: Digital Rust (#AF2E1A)

Theme Philosophy

Digital Rust embraces the aesthetic of system degradation and hardware failure while maintaining professional usability. The theme should evoke:

• Warmth: Through rust and copper tones rather than cold blues
• Nostalgia: Terminal aesthetics meet modern requirements
• Clarity: Despite the “corrupted” naming, readability is paramount
• Character: Each color name tells a story of digital decay
• Semantic Consistency: Identical semantic roles are rendered consistently across languages, even when their surface syntax differs
• Tactility: Interactive elements behave like chunky old hardware — pressable, beveled, and physically responsive (defined in the UI Specification)

Testing Requirements

Required Testing Scenarios

1. Language Coverage: Test with at least 5 different programming languages
2. File Types: Verify Markdown, JSON, XML, and configuration files
3. Diff Views: Make sure that additions and deletions are clearly distinguishable
4. Terminal Emulation: Validate the ANSI color representation
5. Light Sensitivity: Provide documentation for users sensitive to warm tones

Performance Considerations

• Colors must render consistently across sRGB and P3 color spaces
• Test on both high-contrast and standard displays
• Verify legibility at zoom levels from 50% to 200%

Implementation Notes

Canonical Source

This specification is the canonical source of truth for Digital Rust. All editor-specific theme implementations (VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Sublime Text, terminals, web applications, and others) are projections of this specification.

If a conflict arises between an implementation and this spec, this document takes precedence. Document any intentional deviations in the implementation.

Handling Coarse Tokenization

Some editors or language grammars provide limited token granularity. If fine-grained semantic distinctions are not possible:

1. Built-ins vs. User Definitions: If built-in functions cannot be distinguished from user-defined functions, use Stack Overglow (#D4A759) for all functions.

2. Types vs. Variables: If types cannot be distinguished from variables, prefer Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8) as the neutral fallback.

3. Ambiguous Tokens: Favor readability and contrast over a semantic color that does not map cleanly.

4. Missing Scopes: For tokens not covered by the grammar, fall back to Ghost Pixel (#F7EAE8).

Guiding Principle: If in doubt, prioritize readability and visual comfort over strict semantic accuracy.

Version History

• v1.3.1: Safe Mode reaches the agent skill, and the machined tracks and quiet text are fixed
  • The agent skill now covers Safe Mode end to end: the token table carries a dark and a Safe Mode value for every role, a new reference holds the projection rule and the mode tables, and the component, editor, and syntax references name their Safe Mode values. The skill adds no colour
  • A machined track keeps a dark fill in both modes. --dr-machined-track is Bad Sector and --dr-machined-rail is Event Horizon, both invariant. The old tracks read --dr-surface-highlight, which becomes Corrupted Cache in Safe Mode, where a Ghost Pixel thumb measured 1.71:1 on the toggle and 1.00:1 on the slider's unused portion
  • --dr-text-quiet takes Phantom Current on dark, as the UI specification's token table always said. The token layer had used Copper Trace
  • The UI Specification's component sections now name the control wall and the container wall, so the prose agrees with its token table and the reference implementation. The Safe Mode well takes the control wall, and the scrollbar, table, surface, and colour-usage sections name the current tokens
• v1.3.0: Safe Mode implemented on the site, and the dark theme brought to the floor
  • The dark control wall moves from Dark Packet to Rouge Signal. A control identifies itself by its wall, so the wall clears 3:1. The first ramp stop that can is Firewall Breach, at 3.18:1 against a panel
  • A container keeps a recessed wall: --dr-border-color-container is Dark Packet in both modes, because content identifies a container and the criterion does not apply to it
  • Well borders, disabled text, the scrollbar thumb and the ANSI red slot all move above their floors
  • The dark red slot becomes Rouge Signal. Digital Rust measures 3.10:1 on the dark page and 3.32:1 is its ceiling against any colour, so it can never carry terminal text on a dark surface. It keeps the accent role, where it is a fill and not text
  • Safe Mode is defined for the syntax roles, the surfaces, the editor chrome, and the terminal, and it is implemented on the site
  • Safe Mode adds no public colour name. Each role keeps its name and takes a new value, derived by the projection rule
  • The role layer is one table with a dark and a Safe Mode column. It emits the dark block, the [data-scheme='safe-mode'] block, and the prefers-color-scheme: light block
  • Mode selection is specified and implemented: a saved preference first, then prefers-color-scheme, then the dark theme, resolved before the first paint. A manual switch is required and present
  • The Inverted Well Rule is added: in Safe Mode a well is the lightest surface in its panel
  • The scanline band is dropped in Safe Mode. Texture moves to the rim of the viewport
  • Hot panels keep their dark fills in both modes
  • The Shiki themes for both modes are built from the same role table, so the syntax colours cannot drift
  • pnpm contrast checks the declared colour pairs in both modes. Safe Mode passes every pair; the dark theme has recorded deviations, listed in the accessibility section
  • The block cursor takes the terminal background as its text colour: Ghost Pixel on Stack Overglow measured 1.89:1 and failed AA
• v1.2.3: Contrast fix on hot panels
  • Toast and status bar text on Bricked Board failed WCAG AA: Memory Leek measured 3.83:1, Dead Thread 3.70:1, and Amber Alert Text 2.67:1
  • Hot panels now use four on-hot text values: #9AB867, #D9A540, #FF8E7B, and #73BAB4. Each clears 4.60:1
  • Toast accent strips keep the family base values, because a strip is decoration
• v1.2.2: Technical prose rewritten in Simplified Technical English
  • Rules, notes, guidelines, and implementation text rewritten for short sentences, condition-first instructions, and consistent verbs
  • No palette, token, or hex value changes
  • Brand-voice passages (overview, theme philosophy, design principles) unchanged
• v1.2.1: UI specification accessibility and token fixes
  • Primary button hover fill changed to Firewall Breach: Ghost Pixel on raw Amber Alert failed WCAG AA (3.83:1); Firewall Breach passes at 4.66:1
  • Semantic action/feedback/border-colour token layer added to tokens.css (--dr-accent, --dr-accent-hover, --dr-success, --dr-warning, --dr-danger, --dr-danger-text, --dr-info, --dr-border-color*); component code now references semantic tokens, not raw palette values
  • Ambient texture (scanline/noise overlay) implementation documented; overlays now suppress under prefers-reduced-motion
  • Loading/skeleton state specified; unused decorative tokens removed
• v1.2.0: UI specification added
  • New sibling document: the Digital Rust UI Specification, covering surfaces, elevation, interaction physics, and component definitions
  • This document retains the palette, syntax tokens, editor chrome, terminal configuration, and colour-usage summaries
  • Component colour guidance updated to include the inner-highlight bevel rule
• v1.1.1: Showcase and spec alignment fixes
  • Fixed this token color: keyword → constant (Bright Stack Overglow)
  • Fixed ErrorKind::Other enum variant: variable → constant (Bright Stack Overglow)
  • Fixed HTML tag names in code sample: selector → Dead Thread
  • Fixed diff modification line text color to Ghost Pixel (spec default)
  • Clarified Amber Alert text rendering: spec token uses #BF5747 but text rendering on dark backgrounds uses WCAG-AA --amber-alert-text (#CB6353)
  • Aligned copyright year across all spec documents
• v1.1.0: Spec corrections and normalizations
  • Corrected contrast ratios to measured WCAG 2.1 values
  • Spelling errors changed to dotted underline for distinguishability from error wavy underlines
  • Primary borders clarified as 2–4px per design system
  • Shadow guidance: use Bad Sector / --dr-surface-highlight, not Event Horizon
  • Gradients/blur/transparency explicitly prohibited (noise/scanline overlays excepted)
• v1.0.0: Initial specification release
  • Theme inspired by system failures, kernel panics, and the beauty of digital entropy
  • Color names honor the poetry of corrupted systems

Digital Rust © 2025–2026 by Kat Suricata is dual-licensed under CC BY 4.0 or Apache-2.0.

Chaos reigns.