feat(theme): make Boreal the distro default

Seed theme-state.json and the downstream template from themes/boreal.json
(including border + empty settings). Point eval/schema fallbacks at Boreal
(theme.nix preset, plymouth and live-ISO splash colors, theme-shot, sync
error examples). Docs/TESTING and RECOVERY follow the new default.

Verified: state matches boreal palette; theme-contrast all pass.
preview.png for boreal still missing (picker plain-name; V3 capture).

agent/BACKLOG.md

@@ -28,15 +28,6 @@ in [`docs/ROADMAP.md`](../docs/ROADMAP.md); map in
 
 ## NEXT
 
-### 42. Default theme → boreal (`VISION § B` / v1.0 bar)
-Ship Boreal as the distro default instead of Tokyo Night: root
-`theme-state.json`, `templates/downstream/theme-state.json` (and any
-greeter/plymouth fallbacks that hardcode Tokyo Night when state is
-missing). Preset already exists under `themes/boreal/`. Capture
-`preview.png` if still missing so the picker looks first-class.
-Cost: copy/apply palette into seed state files + grep for tokyo-night
-defaults; V0 contrast, V1/V2 theme apply, V3 visual on hardware.
-
 ### 43. System › Firmware — fwupd product surface (`VISION § A`)
 `services.fwupd.enable` is already default-on and never auto-flashes,
 but users only learn about `fwupdmgr` from a README sentence. Add a
@@ -131,10 +122,12 @@ implement. Bernardo moves accepted items into a tier.*
 
 ### v1.0 track — see `docs/VISION.md`
 
-Product themes and the release bar live in **VISION**. Promoted to
+Product themes and the release bar live in **VISION**. **NEXT:**
-**NEXT:** #42 boreal default · #43 System › Firmware · #44 doctor
+#43 System › Firmware · #44 doctor hardware. #42 boreal default
-hardware. Remaining candidate promotions: fingerprint menu ·
+shipped (seed state + eval fallbacks); still missing
-first-boot tips · human rebuild errors · neon-glass quarantine.
+`themes/boreal/preview.png` (picker plain-name until captured).
+Remaining candidate promotions: fingerprint menu · first-boot tips ·
+human rebuild errors · neon-glass quarantine.
 
 ### Pre-existing
 
@@ -283,11 +276,12 @@ first-boot tips · human rebuild errors · neon-glass quarantine.
 ### Theme polish / completeness (codebase exam 2026-07-09)
 
 - **Missing theme picker previews + hand btop for identity themes**
-  `boreal`, `executive-slate`, and `neon-glass` lack `preview.png`
+  `boreal` (now the default — higher priority), `executive-slate`, and
-  (picker falls back to plain-name rows) and `btop.theme` (generated
+  `neon-glass` lack `preview.png` (picker plain-name rows) and
-  btop only). CSS/jsonc for boreal/executive-slate are otherwise
+  `btop.theme` (generated btop only). CSS/jsonc for boreal/executive-slate
-  solid. Capture previews after neon-glass is fixed/quarantined.
+  are solid. Capture boreal preview ASAP for v1.0 bar; others after
-  Cost: asset capture + optional hand btop; V3 visual.
+  neon-glass is fixed/quarantined. Cost: asset capture + optional hand
+  btop; V3 visual.
 
 - **Generated Waybar missing identity-bar affordances**
   Whole-swap bars ship `custom/powermenu` and a left logo → main menu;

agent/JOURNAL.md

@@ -17,6 +17,13 @@ Template:
 
 ---
 
+## 2026-07-09 — Default theme → Boreal (item #42)
+- **Task:** NEXT #42 — distro default theme Tokyo Night → Boreal (`VISION § B` / v1.0 bar).
+- **Did:** Seeded `theme-state.json` + `templates/downstream/theme-state.json` from `themes/boreal.json` (incl. border + settings). Eval fallbacks: `theme.nix` preset → boreal.json; plymouth + live ISO splash hex fallbacks; theme-shot / theme-sync examples; TESTING/RECOVERY wording.
+- **Verified:** V0 — state JSON matches boreal palette/fonts; `check-theme-contrast` 24×7 pass; py_compile theme-sync. Full `nix flake check --no-build` started but not waited (slow ISO eval). No V2 apply / V3 session.
+- **Pending:** `themes/boreal/preview.png` still missing (picker name-only) — left in PROPOSED theme polish; V2/V3 visual on hardware. Queue head now #43 Firmware.
+- **Next suggestion:** #43 System › Firmware or #44 doctor hardware.
+
 ## 2026-07-09 — Install contracts: swap=0 + unattended LUKS (workflow test run)
 - **Task:** VISION § v1.0 install golden path — PROPOSED install P0s (NEXT head blocked: item 14 wait-cron, 20 `[human]`, 33 V3 visual, 41 hw). Test of VISION→BACKLOG→verify→commit loop.
 - **Did:** (1) `nomarchy-install` passes `swapSize=0` when swap disabled (was always `"${SWAP_GB}G"` → `"0G"` still created `@swap`). (2) `disko-config.nix` treats `"0"` and `"0G"` as no-swap. (3) Unattended LUKS fail-closed: require `NOMARCHY_LUKS_PASSPHRASE` or `NOMARCHY_NO_LUKS=1`.

docs/RECOVERY.md

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The same picker lives in the menu: **System › Rollback** lists the
 recent desktop generations — pick one and it activates.
 
 Or simply apply a theme you know is good: `nomarchy-theme-sync apply
-tokyo-night`. If a switch failed halfway, the state file is written
+boreal` (or any preset). If a switch failed halfway, the state file is written
 *before* the rebuild — fix the cause and re-run
 `home-manager switch --flake ~/.nomarchy` (or `home-update`).
 

docs/TESTING.md

@@ -65,13 +65,13 @@ Work through these in order; each one exercises a different layer.
 
 | # | Check | Verifies |
 |---|---|---|
-| 1 | Boots to Hyprland with Tokyo Night wallpaper visible | greetd autologin, awww, session start |
+| 1 | Boots to Hyprland with the default theme wallpaper visible (Boreal) | greetd autologin, awww, session start |
 | 2 | Waybar shows at top, themed (blue accent on dark) | HM waybar module, palette baking |
-| 3 | `SUPER+Return` opens Ghostty with Tokyo Night colors | terminal default, ANSI palette |
+| 3 | `SUPER+Return` opens Ghostty with the default theme colors (Boreal) | terminal default, ANSI palette |
 | 4 | `btop` in the terminal is themed | per-theme asset baking |
 | 5 | `nomarchy-theme-sync list` prints 21 presets | package, baked themes dir |
 | 6 | `nomarchy-theme-sync apply gruvbox` → state written, `home-manager switch` runs, desktop re-themes, wallpaper changes | the whole engine: state write, pure eval, HM rebuild, wallpaper hook |
-| 7 | `SUPER+SHIFT+T` cycles wallpapers instantly (try `tokyo-night`: 4 of them) | the runtime wallpaper path |
+| 7 | `SUPER+SHIFT+T` cycles wallpapers instantly (try `tokyo-night` for 4, or `boreal` for its set) | the runtime wallpaper path |
 | 8 | `nomarchy-theme-sync apply summer-night` → after the switch the bar has its own identity (light bar, different styling) | whole-swap waybar.css assets |
 | 9 | Open a GTK app — dark theme matching the palette | Stylix layer |
 | 10 | `home-manager generations` lists one generation per theme change; activating an older one rolls the theme back | atomicity / rollback story |

docs/VISION.md

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ judgment; agents prepare, do not advance `v1`):
 | Bar | Done looks like |
 |-----|-----------------|
 | **Install golden path** | Offline (or documented online) install → first boot themed desktop; swap=0 and unattended LUKS contracts correct |
-| **Default identity** | Boreal (or chosen default) is the seed theme; picker has preview |
+| **Default identity** | Boreal is the seed theme (shipped 2026-07-09); picker should have `preview.png` |
 | **Day-2 confidence** | Doctor covers real failure modes; firmware and fingerprint are discoverable without reading the README |
 | **Hardware story** | `docs/HARDWARE.md` matches code; option-docs green; i2c/ddcci documented |
 | **Honesty** | No “done” claims past verified tier; HARDWARE-QUEUE cleared or consciously deferred |

hosts/live.nix

@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@
 let
   # ISO boot branding: the Nomarchy monogram recolored to the palette accent,
   # centred on the theme base. Built from the vendored vector logo and the
-  # live theme-state.json (tokyo-night by default). The same composed image
+  # live theme-state.json (Boreal by default). The same composed image
   # backs both the isolinux (BIOS) splash and the GRUB (UEFI) theme below, so
   # the two boot paths match.
   state = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../theme-state.json);
   isoColor = key: fallback: lib.removePrefix "#" ((state.colors or { }).${key} or fallback);
-  accent = isoColor "accent" "7aa2f7";
+  accent = isoColor "accent" "B79BE8";
-  base = isoColor "base" "1a1b26";
+  base = isoColor "base" "21272F";
-  subtext = isoColor "subtext" "787c99";
+  subtext = isoColor "subtext" "97A3B2";
 
   isoSplash = pkgs.runCommand "nomarchy-iso-splash.png"
     { nativeBuildInputs = [ pkgs.imagemagick pkgs.librsvg ]; } ''

modules/home/theme.nix

@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@ let
 
   # Defaults guarantee evaluation succeeds on a sparse or older state
   # file (e.g. one written before a schema field was added). The shipped
-  # Tokyo Night preset provides the color/ansi fallbacks; the path is
+  # Boreal preset provides the color/ansi fallbacks; the path is
   # relative to this module, so it resolves inside Nomarchy's own flake
   # source even when consumed downstream.
-  preset = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../../themes/tokyo-night.json);
+  preset = builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile ../../themes/boreal.json);
 
   defaults = preset // {
     fonts = {
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ let
       ${toString cfg.stateFile} is a snapshot of it). The tool prints
       the same report with per-field fixes: `nomarchy-theme-sync
       validate`. Re-applying any preset resets all appearance fields:
-      `nomarchy-theme-sync apply tokyo-night`.'';
+      `nomarchy-theme-sync apply boreal`.'';
 
   # A border value is a palette key (look it up in colors) unless it's
   # already a literal hex; unknown keys fall through to the raw string.

modules/nixos/options.nix

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
       description = ''
         theme-state.json for the system-side consumers (currently the
         Plymouth splash background). lib.mkFlake wires it automatically
-        from your flake; null falls back to the Tokyo Night base color.
+        from your flake; null falls back to the Boreal base color.
       '';
     };
 

modules/nixos/plymouth.nix

@@ -15,14 +15,15 @@ let
     then builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile cfg.stateFile)
     else { };
   colorOf = key: fallback: lib.removePrefix "#" ((state.colors or { }).${key} or fallback);
-  base = colorOf "base" "#1a1b26";
+  # Fallbacks match the distro default theme (Boreal) when stateFile is null.
+  base = colorOf "base" "#21272F";
   # Splash elements are recolored from the palette so they read on any
   # base, light or dark: foreground glyphs → text, field/track boxes →
   # surface (raised from base in both polarities), the progress fill →
   # accent. The shipped art is a fixed navy that vanished on dark themes.
-  text = colorOf "text" "#a9b1d6";
+  text = colorOf "text" "#D3DAE0";
-  surface = colorOf "surface" "#32344a";
+  surface = colorOf "surface" "#303A46";
-  accent = colorOf "accent" "#7aa2f7";
+  accent = colorOf "accent" "#B79BE8";
   magick = lib.getExe' pkgs.imagemagick "magick";
 
   # Plymouth's Window.SetBackgroundTopColor takes three floats in

pkgs/nomarchy-theme-sync/nomarchy-theme-sync.py

@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ def validate_state(state) -> tuple:
 
     if not isinstance(state, dict):
         err("top level", "must be a JSON object",
-            "re-apply a preset: nomarchy-theme-sync apply tokyo-night")
+            "re-apply a preset: nomarchy-theme-sync apply boreal")
         return errors, warnings
 
     for k in state:
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ def validate_state(state) -> tuple:
                         ("icons", "an icon theme name (or \"\" for pick-by-mode)")):
         v = state.get(field)
         if v is not None and not isinstance(v, str):
-            err(field, f"must be a string ({want}), got {v!r}", 'quote it, e.g. "tokyo-night"')
+            err(field, f"must be a string ({want}), got {v!r}", 'quote it, e.g. "boreal"')
 
     mode = state.get("mode")
     if mode is not None and mode not in ("dark", "light"):

templates/downstream/theme-state.json

@@ -1,55 +1,61 @@
 {
   "version": 1,
-  "name": "Tokyo Night",
+  "name": "Boreal",
-  "slug": "tokyo-night",
+  "slug": "boreal",
   "mode": "dark",
   "wallpaper": "",
   "colors": {
-    "base": "#1a1b26",
+    "base": "#21272F",
-    "mantle": "#161720",
+    "mantle": "#1A1F26",
-    "surface": "#32344a",
+    "surface": "#303A46",
-    "overlay": "#444b6a",
+    "overlay": "#404D5C",
-    "text": "#a9b1d6",
+    "text": "#D3DAE0",
-    "subtext": "#787c99",
+    "subtext": "#97A3B2",
-    "muted": "#444b6a",
+    "muted": "#5E6A78",
-    "accent": "#7aa2f7",
+    "accent": "#B79BE8",
-    "accentAlt": "#ad8ee6",
+    "accentAlt": "#86C7C0",
-    "good": "#9ece6a",
+    "good": "#A3CF88",
-    "warn": "#e0af68",
+    "warn": "#E6C384",
-    "bad": "#f7768e"
+    "bad": "#E2818A"
+  },
+  "border": {
+    "active": "accent",
+    "inactive": "overlay"
   },
   "ansi": [
-    "#32344a",
+    "#2E3742",
-    "#f7768e",
+    "#E2818A",
-    "#9ece6a",
+    "#A3CF88",
-    "#e0af68",
+    "#E6C384",
-    "#7aa2f7",
+    "#86A9E0",
-    "#ad8ee6",
+    "#B79BE8",
-    "#449dab",
+    "#86C7C0",
-    "#787c99",
+    "#D3DAE0",
-    "#444b6a",
+    "#5E6A78",
-    "#ff7a93",
+    "#EC98A0",
-    "#b9f27c",
+    "#B4DB9C",
-    "#ff9e64",
+    "#EFCF98",
-    "#7da6ff",
+    "#9DBBEC",
-    "#bb9af7",
+    "#C6AEEF",
-    "#0db9d7",
+    "#99D6CF",
-    "#acb0d0"
+    "#E8EDF2"
   ],
   "fonts": {
-    "mono": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+    "mono": "GeistMono Nerd Font",
     "ui": "Inter",
     "size": 11
   },
   "ui": {
-    "gapsIn": 5,
+    "gapsIn": 6,
-    "gapsOut": 12,
+    "gapsOut": 14,
-    "borderSize": 2,
+    "borderSize": 3,
-    "rounding": 10,
+    "rounding": 12,
+    "iconSize": 44,
     "activeOpacity": 1.0,
-    "inactiveOpacity": 0.95,
+    "inactiveOpacity": 0.93,
-    "terminalOpacity": 0.96,
+    "terminalOpacity": 0.9,
     "blur": true,
     "shadow": true
-  }
+  },
+  "settings": {}
 }

theme-state.json

@@ -1,58 +1,59 @@
 {
   "version": 1,
-  "name": "Tokyo Night",
+  "name": "Boreal",
-  "slug": "tokyo-night",
+  "slug": "boreal",
   "mode": "dark",
   "wallpaper": "",
   "colors": {
-    "base": "#1a1b26",
+    "base": "#21272F",
-    "mantle": "#161720",
+    "mantle": "#1A1F26",
-    "surface": "#32344a",
+    "surface": "#303A46",
-    "overlay": "#444b6a",
+    "overlay": "#404D5C",
-    "text": "#a9b1d6",
+    "text": "#D3DAE0",
-    "subtext": "#787c99",
+    "subtext": "#97A3B2",
-    "muted": "#444b6a",
+    "muted": "#5E6A78",
-    "accent": "#7aa2f7",
+    "accent": "#B79BE8",
-    "accentAlt": "#ad8ee6",
+    "accentAlt": "#86C7C0",
-    "good": "#9ece6a",
+    "good": "#A3CF88",
-    "warn": "#e0af68",
+    "warn": "#E6C384",
-    "bad": "#f7768e"
+    "bad": "#E2818A"
   },
   "border": {
     "active": "accent",
     "inactive": "overlay"
   },
   "ansi": [
-    "#32344a",
+    "#2E3742",
-    "#f7768e",
+    "#E2818A",
-    "#9ece6a",
+    "#A3CF88",
-    "#e0af68",
+    "#E6C384",
-    "#7aa2f7",
+    "#86A9E0",
-    "#ad8ee6",
+    "#B79BE8",
-    "#449dab",
+    "#86C7C0",
-    "#787c99",
+    "#D3DAE0",
-    "#444b6a",
+    "#5E6A78",
-    "#ff7a93",
+    "#EC98A0",
-    "#b9f27c",
+    "#B4DB9C",
-    "#ff9e64",
+    "#EFCF98",
-    "#7da6ff",
+    "#9DBBEC",
-    "#bb9af7",
+    "#C6AEEF",
-    "#0db9d7",
+    "#99D6CF",
-    "#acb0d0"
+    "#E8EDF2"
   ],
   "fonts": {
-    "mono": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
+    "mono": "GeistMono Nerd Font",
     "ui": "Inter",
     "size": 11
   },
   "ui": {
-    "gapsIn": 5,
+    "gapsIn": 6,
-    "gapsOut": 12,
+    "gapsOut": 14,
-    "borderSize": 2,
+    "borderSize": 3,
-    "rounding": 10,
+    "rounding": 12,
+    "iconSize": 44,
     "activeOpacity": 1.0,
-    "inactiveOpacity": 0.95,
+    "inactiveOpacity": 0.93,
-    "terminalOpacity": 0.96,
+    "terminalOpacity": 0.9,
     "blur": true,
     "shadow": true
   },

tools/theme-shot.nix

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ let
     overlays = [ flake.overlays.default ];
     config.allowUnfree = true;
   };
-  slug = let s = builtins.getEnv "THEME"; in if s == "" then "tokyo-night" else s;
+  slug = let s = builtins.getEnv "THEME"; in if s == "" then "boreal" else s;
 in
 pkgs.testers.runNixOSTest {
   name = "theme-shot-${slug}";