Feature request
Not going to lie - I feel like I'm pushing my luck here!
Add a new workbench.statusBar.colorMode setting that, when set to "rainbow", gives each unique status bar entry category a slightly different background color spread across the hue wheel. Default behavior stays unchanged.
Motivation
The status bar is great as-is, but in practice it's a long horizontal blob of information where it's hard to spot where one entry ends and the next begins. I find myself wanting a visual cue for what each category is, both so I can scan it more quickly and so I can decide which entries I actually want to keep enabled vs. hide.
A subtle rainbow gradient (each entry category getting its own hue) gives every section a stable visual identity without adding any new UI chrome. It also makes the status bar feel more "at a glance" readable.
Proposal
- New setting:
workbench.statusBar.colorMode
"default" (default) - current behavior, no change"rainbow" - each unique entry category gets an HSL hue spread evenly across 0 to 300 degrees (avoiding the red wrap-around so it isn't confused with error styling)
- Entries currently in an
error or warning kind are skipped and keep their semantic theme colors, so alerts visibly break the rainbow and remain easy to spot
- Kind transitions are reflected immediately (an entry that becomes an error drops out of the rainbow on the spot, and rejoins when it returns to standard)
Why opt-in
Some users (myself included) like a more colorful status bar; others prefer the calmer default. Gating it behind a setting keeps the default UX untouched and lets users pick what works for them.
Alternatives considered
- A theme-only solution: themes can't easily target per-category entries because entries are contributed dynamically by extensions and don't have stable color tokens per category.
- Always-on rainbow: too visually loud as a default and changes the look of VS Code for everyone.
Additional context
I have a working implementation and have opened a PR here: #316988
This is what it looks like
Feature request
Not going to lie - I feel like I'm pushing my luck here!
Add a new
workbench.statusBar.colorModesetting that, when set to"rainbow", gives each unique status bar entry category a slightly different background color spread across the hue wheel. Default behavior stays unchanged.Motivation
The status bar is great as-is, but in practice it's a long horizontal blob of information where it's hard to spot where one entry ends and the next begins. I find myself wanting a visual cue for what each category is, both so I can scan it more quickly and so I can decide which entries I actually want to keep enabled vs. hide.
A subtle rainbow gradient (each entry category getting its own hue) gives every section a stable visual identity without adding any new UI chrome. It also makes the status bar feel more "at a glance" readable.
Proposal
workbench.statusBar.colorMode"default"(default) - current behavior, no change"rainbow"- each unique entry category gets an HSL hue spread evenly across 0 to 300 degrees (avoiding the red wrap-around so it isn't confused with error styling)errororwarningkind are skipped and keep their semantic theme colors, so alerts visibly break the rainbow and remain easy to spotWhy opt-in
Some users (myself included) like a more colorful status bar; others prefer the calmer default. Gating it behind a setting keeps the default UX untouched and lets users pick what works for them.
Alternatives considered
Additional context
I have a working implementation and have opened a PR here: #316988
This is what it looks like