# Setup Peacock Color

> Set a VS Code Peacock window color for the current repo — writes .vscode/settings.json with a base color plus all derived activity/status/title-bar customizations.

- Skill: `caneff/setup-peacock-color` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add caneff/setup-peacock-color`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/caneff/setup-peacock-color/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: caneff (https://skillmd.com/u/caneff)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/caneff/setup-peacock-color

---


# setup-peacock-color

Give a repo its own VS Code window color via Peacock, correctly, the first time.

## The one thing that breaks it

Peacock watches `.vscode/settings.json`. On any save where its active color
doesn't match, it **strips** `workbench.colorCustomizations`. In a **remote
window (WSL / SSH / dev container)** the active color comes from
`peacock.remoteColor`, NOT `peacock.color`. Omit `remoteColor` and every edit
gets wiped on the next save. So: always write BOTH keys.

## Steps

1. **Get the base color.**
   - If the user already gave a hex or a named color (e.g. "Dracula purple",
     "#9580ff"), use it — skip the picker.
   - Otherwise show the picker: render `picker.html` in this skill's directory
     with the Artifact tool, then ask the user to read back the hex it shows.

2. **Derive the full color set** (deterministic — don't hand-eyeball shades):

   ```bash
   uv run ~/.agents/skills/setup-peacock-color/derive.py "#RRGGBB"
   ```

   Prints the complete settings fragment (peacock.color, peacock.remoteColor,
   showColorInStatusBar, and all `workbench.colorCustomizations`).

3. **Write it into the repo.**
   - Target: `<repo>/.vscode/settings.json`.
   - If the file has other settings, MERGE — replace only the `peacock.*` and
     `workbench.colorCustomizations` keys, keep the rest. If it's absent or only
     has Peacock keys, overwrite.

4. **Tell the user to reload:** Command Palette → "Developer: Reload Window".
   Peacock will keep the colors (it may re-derive its own tints from the base —
   that's expected and fine).

## Notes

- Remote windows are the default assumption here (this setup lives in WSL).
  Writing `remoteColor` on a local window is harmless, so always write it.
- `derive.py --demo` self-checks the contrast + remoteColor logic.
- Don't touch global User settings — Peacock color is intentionally per-repo.