Configuration and themes

The theme is the splash's only configuration file: /etc/lys-splash/theme.yaml, or the file --theme names. Without one the splash uses the theme embedded in the binary. A field left out keeps the embedded theme's value.

Field	Values	Embedded value	What it sets
background	#rrggbb	#000000	The background
foreground	#rrggbb	#d8d9e6	The message and prompt text
accent	#rrggbb	#ffb454	The throbber, the progress bars and the prompt's border
logo	firmware, lys	firmware	firmware shows the firmware's own logo when it left one, else lys's; lys always shows lys's
throbber	spinner, dots	spinner	The busy animation
units	true, false	false	Shows the name of each unit systemd starts under the throbber

The background stays black in the embedded theme so the firmware's logo, drawn on black, does not change underneath. The logo and the font cannot be replaced from the theme, and the scale is chosen per output, not configured.

accent: "#7aa2f7"
throbber: dots
units: true

throbber: dots looks like this:

NixOS

boot.lys-splash.theme holds the same fields. The module writes them to /etc/lys-splash/theme.yaml in both the initrd and the system:

{
  boot.lys-splash.theme = {
    accent = "#7aa2f7";
    throbber = "dots";
  };
}

The option takes any YAML. Its fields are checked when the splash reads them, not when the system is built.

Ubuntu and Debian

The hook copies /etc/lys-splash/theme.yaml into the image when it builds one, so run sudo update-initramfs -u after changing the file.

A theme that does not validate

A theme with an unknown field, a colour that is not #rrggbb or a value not on its list is rejected whole. The splash logs a warning naming the file, the line and the field, and draws the embedded theme, because a boot should not fail over its colours. On a systemd initrd, look for it in the journal:

journalctl -b -u lys-splash-start.service

A splash that initramfs-tools' script starts logs to the kernel's buffer instead:

journalctl -b -t lys-splash

Trying a change

lys-splash reload makes a running splash read its theme file again, with the same fallback to the embedded theme. It is only useful while a splash shows, so try themes in a VM.