Codex CLI Themes: How to Use /theme and Terminal Skins

Codex CLI themes change the terminal color palette — background, foreground and syntax colors — so your prompt and output stay readable in the terminal. You apply them with the built-in /theme command: run /theme to list installed themes, pick one, and it applies instantly. Unlike Codex Desktop, CLI has no visual chrome; a theme is purely the colors you see.

Quick start

1. Install a theme port (one-time): curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vufly/bearded-theme-ports/master/scripts/install-codex.sh | sh
2. Open Codex CLI and run /theme.
3. Pick a theme (e.g. /theme Tokyo Night) — it applies immediately.

The /theme command

The fastest way to use a CLI theme is the built-in /theme command:

# in Codex CLI:
/theme

This lists installed themes. Pick one to apply instantly.

Installing a syntax theme

Syntax themes (like Monokai Stone, Tokyo Night, Solarized) install from a script that ports the palette into Codex CLI’s theme directory:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vufly/bearded-theme-ports/master/scripts/install-codex.sh | sh
# then:
/theme Tokyo Night

The Bearded Theme Ports repo carries 50+ Bearded variants — Solarized, Tokyo Night, Monokai Stone and more.

Managing themes with CLI tools

Two tools make CLI theme management painless:

• Codex Themes CLI (ychampion/codex-themes) — Go CLI: validate, preview, apply, rollback and export matching terminal palettes. Ideal if you want your terminal and Codex CLI to share a palette.
• Codepilot (charzhu/codepilot) — a Codex CLI distribution with built-in TUI personalization:

npm i -g @charzhu/codepilot
# then run /skin inside the TUI to pick a built-in theme

Codepilot ships 16 built-in TUI skins (background + surface colors).

Popular CLI themes in the index

Skin	Style	Install
Monokai Stone	Classic syntax palette	/theme Monokai Stone
Solarized	Iconic retro palette	/theme Solarized
Tokyo Night	Dark blue Tokyo Night	/theme Tokyo Night
amber-nocturne	Warm-dark terminal identity	codex-theme apply amber-nocturne

Troubleshooting

• /theme says no themes installed — run the install script first, then reopen the prompt.
• Palette looks wrong — restart Codex CLI after applying; some ports cache colors at startup.
• Want your terminal to match — use Codex Themes CLI’s export to write the same palette to your terminal profile.

Browse all Mono & Terminal skins or start with the install guide.