How to set a dark theme for logs while using a light UI theme?

[Zonkerus]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Question

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Misc

Discussion Details

Hello,

I'm using the light theme for the GitHub UI. For a long time, my Actions logs were displayed with a dark background, which I found very convenient and easy to read.

Recently, the logs started following the main UI theme, so they are now on a light background as well. I would like to revert this just for the logs, but keep the rest of the GitHub interface in the light theme.

Is there a setting I might be missing, or is there a way to configure the log viewer to use a dark theme independently?

Thank you!

Screenshot

Translated into English by Gemini

[Keshavkumar04]

You're not missing anything — GitHub recently updated the UI so that the Actions logs now follow the main site theme. There’s currently no built-in way to set a separate theme for the logs.

[Zonkerus]

Damn, this sucks... Thanks for the answer

[GioKhvedelidze]

As of now, GitHub does not provide a built-in setting to customize the GitHub Actions log viewer theme independently of the overall UI theme. The logs simply follow your selected site-wide theme (light/dark/system).

If you prefer to have a light theme for GitHub UI but keep dark background for logs, here are a few possible workarounds:

🔧 Workarounds:
Use a browser extension for custom CSS:

Extensions like Stylus (available for Chrome and Firefox) allow you to inject your own styles into specific parts of a webpage.

You can target GitHub Actions log elements and force a dark background using CSS like:

.Box-body .logs-container {
    background-color: #1e1e1e !important;
    color: #d4d4d4 !important;
}

Switch themes temporarily:

If you're okay switching themes just for log viewing, you can:

Open GitHub

Click on your profile picture → Appearance

Temporarily change to Dark theme

View the logs

Switch back to light when done

[albertdick]

This is the typical change made by a dev who has never used a terminal in his life.

[sagar-18-07-2006]

You can still enjoy the classic design vibe by customizing the CSS via your browser's Inspect tool! Tweak colors, fonts, and layouts live — no coding setup needed.by

[hepcat72]

This sucks. The logs are not as easy to read/navigate. The original mixed theme should be an option (and the default). GitHub got it right the first(?) time. IIABDFI

[thepraveenrajput]

To set a dark theme specifically for logs while using a light UI theme, you can isolate the log section using custom CSS. If you're working on a platform like GitHub there's no built-in way to theme logs separately. However, browser extensions like Stylus allow you to inject custom styles into specific parts of the page. For example, you can target the log container using CSS selectors and apply a dark background with light text and monospaced fonts. This approach ensures that the overall interface stays light-themed while the logs appear in a more readable dark mode. If you're building your own app, simply wrap your log viewer in a container and apply dark theme styles locally to that component.

[noronhagabriel]

To set a dark theme for logs while using a light UI theme in GitHub Actions (or similar tools), you typically need to rely on your terminal or browser extension settings, as GitHub does not natively support separate theming for logs. However, you can use browser extensions like Stylus or Dark Reader to apply custom CSS that targets only the log output area and forces a dark background with light text, while keeping the rest of the UI in a light theme. This allows for better readability of logs without changing the overall interface theme.