feat(macos): Alacritty follows system light/dark appearance

New setup — due for review after you run darwin-rebuild switch and
live with it for a few days. See CLAUDE.md (Alacritty) and
assets/alacritty/README.md.

- HM: import active-colors.toml + Catppuccin latte/mocha fragments
- nix-darwin: launchd.user.agents.alacritty-system-theme + PATH helper
- fish: background sync on Darwin; theme.sh no longer rebuilds for Alacritty
- Remove switch-alacritty-theme.sh (sed + darwin-rebuild per toggle)

Made-with: Cursor

CLAUDE.md

@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ cd ~/dotfiles/nixos && nix build .#installer-iso
 
 Custom nix-darwin module at `nixos/ollama.nix` (upstream PR not yet merged). Enabled on macOS via `nixos/hosts/macos.nix`. Runs as a launchd user agent with `ollama serve`.
 
+## Alacritty (macOS)
+
+Terminal colors follow **System Settings → Appearance**: `programs.alacritty` imports `~/.config/alacritty/active-colors.toml`; `scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh` copies Catppuccin latte/mocha there when the OS mode changes. **nix-darwin** `launchd.user.agents.alacritty-system-theme` polls every 30s; **fish** runs the same script on interactive startup. After changing Nix, one `darwin-rebuild switch`. Details: `assets/alacritty/README.md`.
+
 ## Shell
 
 Fish is the default shell. Bash auto-execs fish unless the parent process is already fish. Vi keybindings with fzf integration. Zoxide aliased to `cd`.

assets/alacritty/README.md

@@ -1,102 +1,54 @@
-# Unified Theme Switching
+# Alacritty + system appearance (macOS)
 
-Unified theme switching that works across platforms (WSL and macOS) for Neovim, Alacritty, and Windows Terminal.
+Alacritty follows **System Settings → Appearance** automatically. No `darwin-rebuild` when you change light/dark.
 
-**This solution uses a single `theme` command that detects the platform and switches themes appropriately.**
+## How it works
 
-## How It Works
+1. Home Manager installs Catppuccin palettes as `~/.config/alacritty/catppuccin-{latte,mocha}-colors.toml` and a generated `alacritty.toml` that sets `general.import` to `active-colors.toml`.
+2. `scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh` copies the matching palette to `active-colors.toml`. Alacritty’s `live_config_reload` picks it up immediately.
+3. **nix-darwin** runs that script from a user LaunchAgent every 30s (`nixos/hosts/macos.nix`: `launchd.user.agents.alacritty-system-theme`). It is also installed on `PATH` as `alacritty-sync-system-theme`.
+4. **Fish** runs the same script in the background when you open an interactive shell on Darwin, so changes apply quickly without waiting for the next poll.
 
-1. The `theme` command detects the platform (WSL vs macOS)
+## Optional manual LaunchAgent
-2. **On WSL:** Updates Neovim, Windows Terminal, and Windows system theme
-3. **On macOS:** Updates Neovim and Alacritty themes via Nix configuration
-4. Uses the same `nvim_color_scheme` file for Neovim on both platforms
 
-## Setup
+If you are not using the nix-darwin agent, you can load `assets/launchd/com.user.alacritty-theme-sync.plist` (adjust paths if needed). **Do not** load both the nix-darwin agent and this plist or you will run two pollers.
 
-1. **The configuration is already set up!** The `theme` command is available as a fish alias.
+If you previously used the old plist label `com.user.alacritty-theme-sync` and switch to nix-darwin only:
 
-2. **To switch themes, use the unified command:**
-   ```bash
-   theme light   # Switch to light theme
-   theme dark    # Switch to dark theme
-   theme toggle  # Toggle between light and dark themes
-   theme status  # Show current theme status
-   ```
-
-## Usage
-
-### Unified Theme Command
 ```bash
-# Switch to light theme (works on WSL and macOS)
+launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.user.alacritty-theme-sync.plist 2>/dev/null || true
-theme light
+```
 
-# Switch to dark theme (works on WSL and macOS)
+## `theme` command (Neovim / WSL)
+
+The fish alias `theme` still updates `~/.local/share/nvim_color_scheme` (and Windows Terminal on WSL). On macOS, **Alacritty ignores** `theme light|dark` for terminal colors—it only follows System Settings. Neovim stays on whatever you set with `theme`; the Alacritty sync script does not touch the nvim file.
+
+```bash
+theme light    # Neovim (+ WSL terminal); macOS Alacritty unchanged (uses Appearance)
 theme dark
-
-# Toggle between light and dark themes
 theme toggle
-
-# Show current theme status
 theme status
 ```
 
-### What Gets Updated
-
-**On WSL:**
-- Neovim theme (via `~/.local/share/nvim_color_scheme`)
-- Windows Terminal settings
-- Windows system theme
-- Windows sound scheme
-
-**On macOS:**
-- Neovim theme (via `~/.local/share/nvim_color_scheme`)
-- Alacritty theme (via Nix configuration)
-
-### Manual Configuration (macOS only)
-You can also manually edit `nixos/home/danny/home.nix` and change:
-```nix
-isLightTheme = true;   # for light theme
-isLightTheme = false;  # for dark theme
-```
-Then run: `cd nixos && sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#Daniel-Macbook-Air`
-
 ## Files
 
-- `scripts/theme.sh` - **Main unified theme switching script**
+- `assets/alacritty/catppuccin-latte-colors.toml` / `catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml` — palette fragments
-- `scripts/switch-alacritty-theme.sh` - Alacritty-specific theme switching (used by theme.sh)
+- `scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh` — detect macOS appearance, copy palette, refresh nvim marker
-- `scripts/detect-system-theme.sh` - Detects current macOS system theme (for reference)
+- `scripts/sync-alacritty-theme.sh` — thin wrapper (backwards compatible)
-- `nixos/fish.nix` - Contains the `theme` fish alias
+- `nixos/home/danny/home.nix` — `programs.alacritty` + `xdg.configFile` for palettes
-- `nixos/home/danny/home.nix` - Contains the conditional Alacritty configuration
+- `nixos/hosts/macos.nix` — LaunchAgent + `alacritty-sync-system-theme` in `environment.systemPackages`
-- `bashscripts/wsl_theme.sh` - Legacy WSL script (replaced by theme.sh)
+- `nixos/fish.nix` — optional shell-open sync on Darwin
 
-## Theme Colors
+After changing Nix config, run `darwin-rebuild switch` once (see repo `AGENTS.md`).
+
+## Theme colors
 
 ### Catppuccin Latte (Light)
+
 - Background: `#eff1f5` (base)
 - Foreground: `#4c4f69` (text)
-- Accent colors optimized for light backgrounds
 
 ### Catppuccin Mocha (Dark)
+
 - Background: `#1e1e2e` (base)
 - Foreground: `#cdd6f4` (text)
-- Accent colors optimized for dark backgrounds
-
-## Integration with NixOS
-
-The solution uses Nix's conditional configuration in `home.nix`:
-
-```nix
-colors = let
-  isLightTheme = true;  # Change this to switch themes
-
-  lightColors = { /* Catppuccin Latte colors */ };
-  darkColors = { /* Catppuccin Mocha colors */ };
-in if isLightTheme then lightColors else darkColors;
-```
-
-This approach:
-- ✅ Works with Spotlight/Applications folder launches
-- ✅ No complex file reading or external dependencies
-- ✅ Integrates cleanly with NixOS configuration
-- ✅ Simple and reliable - just change a boolean and rebuild
-- ✅ Easy to understand and maintain

assets/alacritty/catppuccin-latte-colors.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Catppuccin Latte — imported by main alacritty.toml; swapped by sync script.
+
+[colors.primary]
+background = "#eff1f5"
+foreground = "#4c4f69"
+
+[colors.cursor]
+text = "#eff1f5"
+cursor = "#dc8a78"
+
+[colors.normal]
+black = "#5c5f77"
+red = "#d20f39"
+green = "#40a02b"
+yellow = "#df8e1d"
+blue = "#1e40af"
+magenta = "#ea76cb"
+cyan = "#179299"
+white = "#acb0be"
+
+[colors.bright]
+black = "#6c6f85"
+red = "#d20f39"
+green = "#40a02b"
+yellow = "#df8e1d"
+blue = "#1e40af"
+magenta = "#ea76cb"
+cyan = "#179299"
+white = "#bcc0cc"

assets/alacritty/catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Catppuccin Mocha — imported by main alacritty.toml; swapped by sync script.
+
+[colors.primary]
+background = "#1e1e2e"
+foreground = "#cdd6f4"
+
+[colors.cursor]
+text = "#1e1e2e"
+cursor = "#f5e0dc"
+
+[colors.normal]
+black = "#45475a"
+red = "#f38ba8"
+green = "#a6e3a1"
+yellow = "#f9e2af"
+blue = "#89b4fa"
+magenta = "#f5c2e7"
+cyan = "#94e2d5"
+white = "#bac2de"
+
+[colors.bright]
+black = "#585b70"
+red = "#f38ba8"
+green = "#a6e3a1"
+yellow = "#f9e2af"
+blue = "#89b4fa"
+magenta = "#f5c2e7"
+cyan = "#94e2d5"
+white = "#a6adc8"

assets/launchd/com.user.alacritty-theme-sync.plist

@@ -4,28 +4,18 @@
 <dict>
     <key>Label</key>
     <string>com.user.alacritty-theme-sync</string>
-    
     <key>ProgramArguments</key>
     <array>
-        <string>/Users/danny/dotfiles/scripts/sync-alacritty-theme.sh</string>
+        <string>/bin/bash</string>
+        <string>/Users/danny/dotfiles/scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh</string>
     </array>
-    
     <key>StartInterval</key>
     <integer>30</integer>
-    
     <key>RunAtLoad</key>
     <true/>
-    
     <key>StandardOutPath</key>
     <string>/tmp/alacritty-theme-sync.log</string>
-    
     <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
     <string>/tmp/alacritty-theme-sync-error.log</string>
-    
-    <key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
-    <dict>
-        <key>PATH</key>
-        <string>/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin</string>
-    </dict>
 </dict>
 </plist>

nixos/fish.nix

@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@
 
       set fish_greeting 🐟: (set_color yellow; date +%T; set_color green; date --iso-8601 2>/dev/null; or date +%F; set_color normal)
 
+      # Alacritty palette follows macOS appearance; refresh when opening a shell (LaunchAgent also polls).
+      if test (uname -s) = Darwin
+        bash ~/dotfiles/scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh >/dev/null 2>&1 &
+      end
+
       # name: Default
       # author: Lily Ballard
       # edits: DannyDannyDanny

nixos/home/danny/home.nix

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ pkgs, lib, zen-browser ? null, ... }:
+{ pkgs, lib, config, zen-browser ? null, ... }:
 {
   # TODO: remove next two lines from here or from flake.nix
   # home.username = "danny";
@@ -112,15 +112,26 @@
     executable = true;
   };
 
-  # Alacritty terminal configuration with conditional theme switching
+  # Palette fragments: synced to system appearance (see scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh).
+  xdg.configFile."alacritty/catppuccin-latte-colors.toml".source =
+    ../../../assets/alacritty/catppuccin-latte-colors.toml;
+  xdg.configFile."alacritty/catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml".source =
+    ../../../assets/alacritty/catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml;
+
+  # Alacritty: base config + imported active-colors.toml (updated without rebuild)
   programs.alacritty = {
     enable = true;
     settings = {
+      general = {
+        live_config_reload = true;
+        import = [ "${config.xdg.configHome}/alacritty/active-colors.toml" ];
+      };
       window = {
         padding = { x = 8; y = 8; };
         dynamic_padding = true;
         decorations = "buttonless";
-        opacity = 0.95;
+        decorations_theme_variant = "None";
+        opacity = 1.0;
         startup_mode = "Maximized";
         option_as_alt = "Both";
       };
@@ -134,43 +145,19 @@
           program = "${pkgs.fish}/bin/fish";
         };
       };
-      # Conditional colors based on system theme
-      colors = let
-        # Set this to true for light theme, false for dark theme
-        # You can change this and run 'darwin-rebuild switch' to switch themes
-        isLightTheme = true;
-
-        # Catppuccin Latte (Light) colors
-        lightColors = {
-          primary = { background = "0xeff1f5"; foreground = "0x4c4f69"; };
-          cursor = { text = "0xeff1f5"; cursor = "0xdc8a78"; };
-          normal = {
-            black = "0x5c5f77"; red = "0xd20f39"; green = "0x40a02b"; yellow = "0xdf8e1d";
-            blue = "0x1e40af"; magenta = "0xea76cb"; cyan = "0x179299"; white = "0xacb0be";
-          };
-          bright = {
-            black = "0x6c6f85"; red = "0xd20f39"; green = "0x40a02b"; yellow = "0xdf8e1d";
-            blue = "0x1e40af"; magenta = "0xea76cb"; cyan = "0x179299"; white = "0xbcc0cc";
-          };
-        };
-
-        # Catppuccin Mocha (Dark) colors
-        darkColors = {
-          primary = { background = "0x1e1e2e"; foreground = "0xcdd6f4"; };
-          cursor = { text = "0x1e1e2e"; cursor = "0xf5e0dc"; };
-          normal = {
-            black = "0x45475a"; red = "0xf38ba8"; green = "0xa6e3a1"; yellow = "0xf9e2af";
-            blue = "0x89b4fa"; magenta = "0xf5c2e7"; cyan = "0x94e2d5"; white = "0xbac2de";
-          };
-          bright = {
-            black = "0x585b70"; red = "0xf38ba8"; green = "0xa6e3a1"; yellow = "0xf9e2af";
-            blue = "0x89b4fa"; magenta = "0xf5c2e7"; cyan = "0x94e2d5"; white = "0xa6adc8";
-          };
-        };
-      in if isLightTheme then lightColors else darkColors;
     };
   };
 
+  # Writable copy (not a symlink to the store — cp in the sync script must replace a real file).
+  home.activation.alacrittySystemTheme = lib.hm.dag.entryAfter [ "writeBoundary" ] ''
+    MOCHA="${config.xdg.configHome}/alacritty/catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml"
+    ACTIVE="${config.xdg.configHome}/alacritty/active-colors.toml"
+    if [ ! -f "$ACTIVE" ]; then
+      $DRY_RUN_CMD cp "$MOCHA" "$ACTIVE"
+    fi
+    $DRY_RUN_CMD ${pkgs.bash}/bin/bash "${../../../scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh}" || true
+  '';
+
 
   # TODO: Put user-installed binaries here if you want HM to own them (optional)
   # Fonts

nixos/hosts/macos.nix

@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 { config, lib, pkgs, ... }:
 
-{
+let
+  alacrittySyncSystemTheme = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "alacritty-sync-system-theme"
+    (builtins.readFile ../../scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh);
+in {
   # Apple Silicon + nix-darwin basics
   nixpkgs.hostPlatform = "aarch64-darwin";
   nix.enable = false; # Determinate manages Nix
@@ -48,6 +51,19 @@
   # User-specific packages and environment variables are now in home-manager (home.nix)
   # Only system-level packages should remain here if needed
 
+  environment.systemPackages = [ alacrittySyncSystemTheme ];
+
+  # Poll macOS appearance; updates ~/.config/alacritty/active-colors.toml (Alacritty live_config_reload).
+  launchd.user.agents.alacritty-system-theme = {
+    serviceConfig = {
+      RunAtLoad = true;
+      StartInterval = 30;
+      ProgramArguments = [ "${alacrittySyncSystemTheme}/bin/alacritty-sync-system-theme" ];
+      StandardOutPath = "/tmp/alacritty-theme-sync.log";
+      StandardErrorPath = "/tmp/alacritty-theme-sync-error.log";
+    };
+  };
+
   # Keep for darwin as well (tracks defaults across upgrades)
   # current max per nix-darwin; bump only if a release notes says so
   system.stateVersion = 6;

scripts/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Keep Alacritty in sync with macOS light/dark appearance.
+# No Nix rebuild: copies a palette into active-colors.toml; Alacritty reloads via live_config_reload.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+[[ "$(uname -s)" == "Darwin" ]] || exit 0
+
+XDG_CONFIG_HOME="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}"
+ALACRITTY_DIR="$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/alacritty"
+ACTIVE="$ALACRITTY_DIR/active-colors.toml"
+MARKER="$ALACRITTY_DIR/.last-system-theme"
+
+LIGHT="$ALACRITTY_DIR/catppuccin-latte-colors.toml"
+DARK="$ALACRITTY_DIR/catppuccin-mocha-colors.toml"
+
+if [[ ! -f "$LIGHT" || ! -f "$DARK" ]]; then
+  echo "alacritty-sync-system-theme: missing $LIGHT or $DARK (run home-manager switch first)" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+appearance="$(defaults read -g AppleInterfaceStyle 2>/dev/null || true)"
+if [[ "$appearance" == "Dark" ]]; then
+  want="dark"
+else
+  want="light"
+fi
+
+if [[ -f "$MARKER" ]] && [[ "$(tr -d '\n' <"$MARKER")" == "$want" ]]; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+mkdir -p "$ALACRITTY_DIR"
+printf '%s' "$want" >"$MARKER"
+
+if [[ "$want" == "light" ]]; then
+  cp "$LIGHT" "$ACTIVE"
+else
+  cp "$DARK" "$ACTIVE"
+fi

scripts/setup-simple-theme-sync.sh

@@ -1,27 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-
+# One-shot sync of Alacritty palette + nvim marker from current macOS appearance.
-# Simple setup for Alacritty theme synchronization
-# This creates the theme file and rebuilds the Nix configuration
-
 set -e
-
-# Get the directory where this script is located
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-
+echo "Syncing from system appearance..."
-echo "Setting up simple Alacritty theme synchronization..."
+"$SCRIPT_DIR/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh"
-
-# Run the theme sync script to create the initial theme file
-echo "Detecting current system theme..."
-"$SCRIPT_DIR/sync-alacritty-theme.sh"
-
 echo ""
-echo "Setup complete!"
+echo "Done. Alacritty reloads colors automatically if live_config_reload is enabled."
-echo ""
+echo "A LaunchAgent (nix-darwin: launchd.user.agents.alacritty-system-theme) runs this every 30s."
-echo "To apply the theme to Alacritty, run:"
-echo "  cd nixos && sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#Daniel-Macbook-Air"
-echo ""
-echo "To sync themes when your system theme changes:"
-echo "  $SCRIPT_DIR/sync-alacritty-theme.sh && cd nixos && sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#Daniel-Macbook-Air"
-echo ""
-echo "For automatic theme switching, you can set up a LaunchAgent or"
-echo "run the sync script manually when needed."

scripts/switch-alacritty-theme.sh

@@ -1,80 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# Switch Alacritty theme by updating the Nix configuration
-# This script changes the isLightTheme variable in home.nix and rebuilds
-
-set -e
-
-# Get the directory where this script is located
-SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-DOTFILES_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
-HOME_NIX="$DOTFILES_DIR/nixos/home/danny/home.nix"
-
-# Check if home.nix exists
-if [ ! -f "$HOME_NIX" ]; then
-    echo "Error: home.nix not found at $HOME_NIX"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-# Function to switch to light theme
-switch_to_light() {
-    echo "Switching to light theme (Catppuccin Latte)..."
-    sed -i '' 's/isLightTheme = false;/isLightTheme = true;/' "$HOME_NIX"
-}
-
-# Function to switch to dark theme
-switch_to_dark() {
-    echo "Switching to dark theme (Catppuccin Mocha)..."
-    sed -i '' 's/isLightTheme = true;/isLightTheme = false;/' "$HOME_NIX"
-}
-
-# Function to show current theme
-show_current() {
-    if grep -q "isLightTheme = true" "$HOME_NIX"; then
-        echo "Current theme: Light (Catppuccin Latte)"
-    else
-        echo "Current theme: Dark (Catppuccin Mocha)"
-    fi
-}
-
-# Function to rebuild the configuration
-rebuild() {
-    echo "Rebuilding configuration..."
-    cd "$DOTFILES_DIR/nixos"
-    sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#Daniel-Macbook-Air
-}
-
-# Main logic
-case "${1:-}" in
-    "light")
-        switch_to_light
-        rebuild
-        ;;
-    "dark")
-        switch_to_dark
-        rebuild
-        ;;
-    "toggle")
-        if grep -q "isLightTheme = true" "$HOME_NIX"; then
-            switch_to_dark
-        else
-            switch_to_light
-        fi
-        rebuild
-        ;;
-    "status"|"current")
-        show_current
-        ;;
-    *)
-        echo "Usage: $0 {light|dark|toggle|status}"
-        echo ""
-        echo "Commands:"
-        echo "  light   - Switch to light theme (Catppuccin Latte)"
-        echo "  dark    - Switch to dark theme (Catppuccin Mocha)"
-        echo "  toggle  - Toggle between light and dark themes"
-        echo "  status  - Show current theme"
-        echo ""
-        show_current
-        exit 1
-        ;;
-esac

scripts/sync-alacritty-theme.sh

@@ -1,31 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-
+# Back-compat wrapper: sync Alacritty + nvim marker from macOS appearance.
-# Sync Alacritty theme with system theme
-# This script detects the current system theme and updates the theme file that Nix reads
-
 set -e
-
-# Get the directory where this script is located
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-
+exec "$SCRIPT_DIR/alacritty-sync-system-theme.sh"
-# Paths
-THEME_DETECTION_SCRIPT="$SCRIPT_DIR/detect-system-theme.sh"
-THEME_FILE="/Users/danny/.local/share/nvim_color_scheme"
-
-# Create the directory if it doesn't exist
-mkdir -p "$(dirname "$THEME_FILE")"
-
-# Detect current system theme
-if [ ! -f "$THEME_DETECTION_SCRIPT" ]; then
-    echo "Error: Theme detection script not found at $THEME_DETECTION_SCRIPT"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-CURRENT_THEME=$("$THEME_DETECTION_SCRIPT")
-echo "Current system theme: $CURRENT_THEME"
-
-# Write the theme to the file that Nix reads
-echo "$CURRENT_THEME" > "$THEME_FILE"
-
-echo "Theme file updated: $THEME_FILE"
-echo "Run 'home-manager switch' to apply the new theme to Alacritty"

scripts/theme.sh

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ show_usage() {
   echo ""
   echo "This command switches themes for:"
   echo "  - Neovim (via nvim_color_scheme file)"
-  echo "  - Alacritty (via Nix configuration on macOS)"
+  echo "  - Alacritty on macOS follows System Settings (LaunchAgent sync)"
   echo "  - Windows Terminal (via settings.json on WSL)"
   echo "  - Windows system theme (on WSL)"
 }
@@ -43,19 +43,11 @@ show_status() {
   elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
     echo "  Platform: macOS"
 
-    # Check Alacritty theme from Nix config
+    marker="$HOME/.config/alacritty/.last-system-theme"
-    SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+    if [ -f "$marker" ]; then
-    DOTFILES_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
+      echo "  Alacritty: follows system (active palette: $(tr -d '\n' <"$marker"))"
-    HOME_NIX="$DOTFILES_DIR/nixos/home/danny/home.nix"
-
-    if [ -f "$HOME_NIX" ]; then
-      if grep -q "isLightTheme = true" "$HOME_NIX"; then
-        echo "  Alacritty: light (Catppuccin Latte)"
-      else
-        echo "  Alacritty: dark (Catppuccin Mocha)"
-      fi
     else
-      echo "  Alacritty: config file not found"
+      echo "  Alacritty: follows system (sync after next login or run alacritty-sync-system-theme)"
     fi
   else
     echo "  Platform: other"
@@ -67,17 +59,10 @@ toggle_theme() {
   current_theme=""
 
   if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-    # On macOS, check the Nix config for current theme
+    if [[ "$(defaults read -g AppleInterfaceStyle 2>/dev/null)" == "Dark" ]]; then
-    SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+      current_theme="dark"
-    DOTFILES_DIR="$(dirname "$SCRIPT_DIR")"
+    else
-    HOME_NIX="$DOTFILES_DIR/nixos/home/danny/home.nix"
+      current_theme="light"
-
-    if [ -f "$HOME_NIX" ]; then
-      if grep -q "isLightTheme = true" "$HOME_NIX"; then
-        current_theme="light"
-      else
-        current_theme="dark"
-      fi
     fi
   fi
 
@@ -183,18 +168,8 @@ if [[ -n "$WSL_DISTRO_NAME" ]]; then
   powershell.exe -Command "Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\AppEvents\Schemes -Name '(Default)' -Value '.None'"
 
 elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-  # macOS platform - handle Alacritty theme
   echo "Detected macOS platform"
-
+  echo "Alacritty follows System Settings → Appearance (no rebuild). Neovim theme file updated above."
-  # Use the existing Alacritty theme switching script
-  alacritty_script="$DOTFILES_DIR/scripts/switch-alacritty-theme.sh"
-  if [ -f "$alacritty_script" ]; then
-    echo "Switching Alacritty theme to: $color_scheme"
-    "$alacritty_script" "$color_scheme"
-  else
-    echo "Warning: Alacritty theme script not found at $alacritty_script"
-    echo "Theme file updated, but Alacritty theme not switched"
-  fi
 
 else
   # Other platforms - just update the theme file