Skins & Themes
Skins & Themes
Start with meaning, then move to detail.
This lesson explains Skins & Themes as part of using Hermes and understanding its behavior. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.
If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?
For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.
For advanced readers, inspect Change skins, Built-in skins, Complete list of configurable keys, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.
Start with installation if you have not run Hermes yet.
A clear outcome before you read.
- Understand Skins & Themes without assumed prior knowledge.
- Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
- Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Customize the Hermes CLI with built-in and user-defined skins
What does the source say, and in what order?
- 01Change skins
Start here to understand the core idea or structure.
- 02Built-in skins
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 03Complete list of configurable keys
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 04Colors (colors:)
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 05Spinner (spinner:)
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 06Branding (branding:)
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 07Other top-level keys
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 08Custom skins
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 09Full custom skin YAML template
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 10Minimal custom skin example
Finish here to verify the result and special cases.
Copy only after you understand the effect.
/skin # show the current skin and list available skins
/skin ares # switch to a built-in skin
/skin mytheme # switch to a custom skin from ~/.hermes/skins/mytheme.yamldisplay:
skin: default# ~/.hermes/skins/mytheme.yaml
# Complete skin template — all keys shown. Delete any you don't need;
# missing values automatically inherit from the 'default' skin.
name: mytheme
description: My custom theme
colors:
banner_border: "#CD7F32"
banner_title: "#FFD700"
banner_accent: "#FFBF00"
banner_dim: "#B8860B"
banner_text: "#FFF8DC"
ui_accent: "#FFBF00"
ui_label: "#4dd0e1"
ui_ok: "#4caf50"
ui_error: "#ef5350"
ui_warn: "#ffa726"
prompt: "#FFF8DC"
input_rule: "#CD7F32"
response_border: "#FFD700"
session_label: "#DAA520"
session_border: "#8B8682"
status_bar_bg: "Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.