Design & Frontend ide-themingmonaco-editorxtermcolor-schemesjson-schemawcag

Cate Theme Authoring

Create, edit, and validate all-in-one themes for the Cate IDE — app chrome, terminal, and code editor covered.

FollowSkills review · FSRS-2.0
Not recommended
46/ 100 5-point scale 2.3 / 5
1 2 3 4 5 6
1Trust13 / 25 · 2.6/5

Evidence: The skill has no malicious operations, mainly involving editing config files and importing themes, both require user confirmation or explicit request. The direct config.json editing method has explicit restrictions (never reorder, overwrite existing themes, touch unrelated keys) and provides rollback path (app re-reads on next launch). However, least-privilege details are not explained, such as whether user confirmation is needed when reading and writing config files, and there's no handling of sensitive data (e.g., credentials in config). Deduction: incomplete permission and confirmation mechanisms, lack of explicit confirmation for write operations.

2Reliability6 / 20 · 1.5/5

Evidence: Self-documentation is consistent, examples are complete, schema file exists and is well-defined. But no actual execution verification, and reliance on external tools (ajv) and services (Cate app, npm) may be unavailable. Error handling only says to stop if config.json fails to parse, lacks diagnostic info for other failures. Deduction: static review cannot verify functionality, insufficient error handling and dependency coverage.

3Adaptability10 / 15 · 3.3/5

Evidence: Skill has clear description and trigger conditions, suitable for creating, editing, customizing Cate themes, scenarios are clear. Provides light and dark examples, plus specific color guidance (WCAG AA contrast). Non-fit boundaries not explicitly stated, e.g., doesn't support other IDEs. Environment fit: documentation is in English, no Chinese support, and the Cate app may need to be downloaded from GitHub, potentially inaccessible in mainland China. Deduction: unclear non-fit scope, insufficient localization, potential network reachability issues.

4Convention9 / 15 · 3.0/5

Evidence: Documentation is well-structured, has examples and schema validation instructions, provides troubleshooting and known limitations (e.g., partial key inheritance). But lacks version history and changelog, no clear maintenance responsibility and update path. License is at repository level, not explicitly in skill. Deduction: missing version records and maintenance info, skill's own license and change history unclear.

5Effectiveness5 / 15 · 1.7/5

Evidence: Skill can complete core task of creating themes, provides complete examples and validation steps, output format is clear (JSON file or direct config modification). But marginal value not compared to manual operation or other tools, and output requires further user action to import or apply, cannot auto-apply. Deduction: static review cannot verify actual effect, output needs extra steps, comparative advantage insufficient.

6Verifiability3 / 10 · 1.5/5

Evidence: Provides example theme files and schema file, but these are skill's own materials, no third-party execution verification. CI workflows and tests cover other parts of repo, but no specific tests for skill functionality. Deduction: lack of independent verification, cannot confirm the skill actually works from static review.

Evidence confidence:Low Reviewed Aug 07, 2026 Reviewed revision b0b2d947809e
The upstream repository has new commits since this review. The score still applies to the reviewed revision shown and may not cover the latest changes.
Before you use it
  • When directly editing config files, ensure explicit user consent and remind to backup.
  • Documentation is English-only, consider support for Chinese users.
  • Cate app and dependencies may be downloaded from overseas services, potentially inaccessible in mainland China.
  • Skill relies on ajv for validation; if user environment lacks this tool, manual checks are needed.
See the full review method →

What does this skill do, and when should you use it?

This skill guides you in crafting themes for Cate, a desktop IDE built on an infinite canvas. A single theme is one JSON object that defines the app's appearance, the terminal ANSI palette, and Monaco editor syntax highlighting. The skill provides a full JSON schema and detailed color key references, with a strong emphasis on accessibility (WCAG AA contrast). It supports applying themes via the Settings import UI or by directly editing the config file. Validation steps using ajv or manual checks are included.

Reads and parses Cate's config.json (paths for macOS, Linux, Windows) for customThemes and activeThemeId. Generates or edits JSON theme objects conforming to theme.schema.json. Provides color contrast checklist for text and ANSI colors. Optionally runs npx ajv validate against the schema. Applies themes either by instructing the user to import a .cate-theme.json file via Settings, or by directly editing config.json (with safety rules like never overwriting existing themes).

  1. A user wants to apply a Dracula or Nord color scheme to Cate
  2. A user needs to create a custom light theme with WCAG-compliant contrast
  3. A user wants to fix terminal blue colors that are hard to read on dark backgrounds
  4. A user wants to share a consistent theme across multiple machines

What are this skill's strengths and limitations?

Pros
  • Single JSON file controls app, terminal, and editor theming
  • Accessibility guidance helps avoid contrast issues
  • Schema and validation commands reduce errors
  • Flexible application methods (UI import or config edit)
Limitations
  • Specific to Cate; not usable in other editors
  • Requires manual steps (import or config edit); not fully automated
  • No automated test suite; relies on user validation
  • Config file editing may be risky if not done carefully

How do you install this skill?

The skill lives at skills/cate-theme/SKILL.md in the 0-AI-UG/cate repository. To install, clone or download the repository and copy the skills/cate-theme folder into your skill directory (per the Agent Skills standard).

How do you use this skill?

Ask the assistant to create or adjust a theme, e.g., 'Create a dark theme for Cate similar to Dracula'. The assistant generates a JSON file following the schema. Save it as a .cate-theme.json file and import it via 'Settings → Appearance → Import' in Cate.

FAQ

Does this skill require network access?
No. All operations are local file edits and optional local validation commands; no network calls are made.
Do I need admin privileges?
Generally no. The skill modifies user-level config files, but ensure you have write access to Cate's configuration directory.
What if the theme JSON is invalid?
The skill emphasizes validation (schema check, contrast check). Invalid themes may fail to import or be ignored, but won't corrupt existing config if you follow the safety rules.
Can this skill be used for other IDEs?
No. The theme format is Cate-specific and not compatible with VS Code or other editors.

More skills from this repository

All from 0-AI-UG/cate

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