Why My Monokai Theme Looked Faded in Cursor v1.0.0 and How I Fixed It with a Simple Workaround

After updating my Cursor IDE to version 1.0.0, I nearly panicked. My trusty Monokai theme looked like it had been left in the sun too long – all washed out and faded. PHP keywords lost their punch, everything looked dimmer, and coding on my Windows machine suddenly became an eye-squinting marathon. I missed that vibrant syntax highlighting I’d come to rely on, so I rolled up my sleeves to find a fix.

What Actually Broke

Something fundamental changed in how Monokai rendered after the update. Code lost its pop – “function” and “return” stopped appearing bold, colors got muddy, and contrast tanked. It wasn’t my imagination either. Side-by-side screenshots proved it: identical themes looked crisp in VS Code but faded in Cursor. Windows users seemed hit hardest, especially those of us working with PHP and YAML files where the lack of definition really hurt.

How I Got My Colors Back

After some tinkering, I found a way to force the boldness and boost contrast through custom settings. Here’s exactly what worked for me:

• Open Cursor’s settings with Ctrl+, (or through File > Preferences > Settings) and switch to JSON view
• Add token customizations under “editor.tokenColorCustomizations”. This snippet brings back bold keywords in PHP, YAML, and more:
  {
"editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
"textMateRules": [
{
"scope": ["keyword", "storage.modifier.php", "storage", "entity.name.tag"],
"settings": {
"fontStyle": "bold"
}
}
]
}
}
• For extra pop, I used Cursor’s built-in inspection tool. Hit Ctrl+Shift+P, run “Developer: Inspect Tokens”, then click elements in your code to see their scopes. I made PHP variables brighter with this:
  {
"scope": ["punctuation.definition.variable.php", "variable.scss"],
"settings": {
"foreground": "#F92670"
}
}

Does This Fix Everything?

This customization saved my daily workflow – no more eye strain! But it’s not magic. You’re essentially rebuilding parts of the theme, so some elements might still feel slightly off compared to the original. Start with the bold keywords rule first – that made the biggest difference for me. Tweak colors gradually using the inspect tool as needed.

While we wait for an official fix from the Cursor team, this approach keeps Monokai usable. If your theme looks dull after the update, try these steps. Your eyes (and sanity) will thank you!