Chat themes

Custom chat themes are JSON files you drop into a folder. No restart needed: close and reopen Preferences and the new theme appears in the Theme list.

Note: the theme format is new and may change in future versions. If a theme stops showing up after an update, compare it with one of the shipped themes below.

Folder for custom themes

Put <Name>.json files here (create the folder if it is missing). The file name becomes the theme name: MyTheme.json is theme MyTheme. A custom file with the same name replaces the built-in one.

OS	Folder
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\LAN Messenger\LAN Messenger\themes
Linux	~/.local/share/lmc/lmc/themes
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/lmc/lmc/themes

Tip: it is the same folder area as lanmessenger.db (chat history) and logs — look for those if the path above does not match.

Adding a theme

1. Start from a working theme — copy one of the shipped ones and rename it, e.g. to MyTheme.json: ClassicSlate, MeshBlue, NordicTerminal.
2. Change "displayName" to the label you want to see in the list (one line, up to 80 characters). Without it, the file name is shown.
3. Put the file in the folder from the table, reopen Preferences, open the Theme page, pick the theme and check the preview. Save to apply.

The exact rules for every field live next to the themes: SCHEMA.md.

If the theme does not appear

• The JSON must be valid (watch for trailing commas) and "version" must be 1.
• All seven layout_* blocks must be present, each with exactly one message block (body, or fileCard in layout_request), and each of those needs linkColor.
• Broken files are skipped without an error popup. Run the app with /trace and look for Theme: lines in the log to see the reason.