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Nu Ayu

by mrparalloid
Screenshot of the Nu Ayu Obsidian theme
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Code

Description

This theme supports Dark Mode
This theme supports Light Mode

README file from

Github

Nu Ayu Theme for Obsidian

Latest version: 2.0.5 — compatible with 1.13.4.

Updated: 2026-09-29

This theme is less about the look, and more about the feel — it feels more like paper. Paper doesn't change color when you hover a pencil over it, it doesn't blink or make you feel "caged". The original dividers, effects, and box shadows are interactive, but lead to the "synthetic" feel — making Obsidian too much interactive.

So most of the work was done to remove stuff, rather than add stuff.

The resulting theme is open, natural, and non-distracting. Reduced contrast of Ayu colors is aimed to take off some load off user's eyes. Dark mode is crafted from scratch: deep violet-tinged backgrounds with a consistent warm orange accent throughout.

The goal was to help you focus on what matters — your thoughts and writing:

  • Removed most of the borders, hover effects, highlights on hover, unexpected box-shadows, and other stuff that contributes to distraction
  • Input fields look consistent throughout the app and platforms
  • Bases views were heavily (heavily!) cleaned up both on desktop and mobiles
  • Smooth fade-ins for the embedded content
  • Smooth appearance for the Markdown syntax
  • Borders' looks are unified across the app
  • Active sidebar elements have nice highlight
  • Text in bold gets brighter,
  • Folders can get accent color via Style Settings
  • Code blocks looks consistent and inline with the theme

Features

  • Light & Dark modes
  • Super clean minimal look
  • Very nice looking Dark Mode crafted from scratch with optional full black backgrounds option for mobile devices
  • Special attention to mobile devices – bigger tap areas, file tree, reduced animations, and more
  • Full size sidebars
  • Custom colors for Callouts
  • Custom colors for Code Blocks
  • Tons of improvements for Bases — Bases cards, filters, formulas on all platforms
  • Dataview embeds and task lists now look much more "native" thanks to removing "foreign" animations and box-shadows effects
  • Full Notebook Navigator styling to match overall aesthetics
  • Style Settings support:
    • Tab Close button on the left – native feel for macOS and iPadOS
    • Thin Headers for cleaner look
    • Accent Folders adds orange accent for visual hierarchy
    • Remove Bases Labels on Bases Cards
    • Remove Bases Header in Reading Mode
    • Full black backgrounds option for mobile devices

As a result you have much more fluid, cohesive, and less overwhelming experience, with less distractions and more space for meaningful work.

Manual Installation

Note: for now this theme is still under review to get to the official catalog. Once it is there – you'll be able to find it through standard Obsidian theme repo.

  1. Download the theme.css and manifest.json files from the this GitHub page, or Download the latest release archive.
  2. Open your Obsidian vault on your computer.
  3. Navigate to the hidden .obsidian/themes/ folder. Tip: If you don't see the .obsidian folder, enable "Show hidden files" in your OS settings.
  4. Create a new folder inside themes and name it Nu Ayu.
  5. Move the downloaded theme.css and manifest.json files into this new folder.
  6. Open Obsidian, go to Settings > Appearance, and select Nu Ayu from the Themes dropdown.

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