diff --git a/build.zig.zon b/build.zig.zon
index c41c109..284c2cc 100644
--- a/build.zig.zon
+++ b/build.zig.zon
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
             .hash = "thespian-0.0.1-owFOjnUTBgBUlBtQ-SbN_6S7bXE6e2mKmCgk4A-RGBMA",
         },
         .themes = .{
-            .url = "https://github.com/neurocyte/flow-themes/releases/download/master-59bf204551bcb238faddd06779063570e7e6d431/flow-themes.tar.gz",
-            .hash = "N-V-__8AAM9UFwCaITo5LqgOpcfd4SXnFhuwJ4rEuZ253yt6",
+            .url = "https://github.com/neurocyte/flow-themes/releases/download/master-ac2e3fe2df3419b71276f86fa9c45fd39d668f23/flow-themes.tar.gz",
+            .hash = "N-V-__8AAEtaFwAjAHCmWHRCrBxL7uSG4hQiIsSgS32Y67K6",
         },
         .fuzzig = .{
             .url = "https://github.com/fjebaker/fuzzig/archive/44c04733c7c0fee3db83672aaaaf4ed03e943156.tar.gz",
diff --git a/src/main.zig b/src/main.zig
index ffcb840..00091d8 100644
--- a/src/main.zig
+++ b/src/main.zig
@@ -671,6 +671,34 @@ pub fn list_keybind_namespaces(allocator: std.mem.Allocator) ![]const []const u8
     return result.toOwnedSlice();
 }
 
+pub fn read_theme(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, theme_name: []const u8) ?[]const u8 {
+    const file_name = get_theme_file_name(theme_name) catch return null;
+    var file = std.fs.openFileAbsolute(file_name, .{ .mode = .read_only }) catch return null;
+    defer file.close();
+    return file.readToEndAlloc(allocator, 64 * 1024) catch null;
+}
+
+pub fn write_theme(theme_name: []const u8, content: []const u8) !void {
+    const file_name = try get_theme_file_name(theme_name);
+    var file = try std.fs.createFileAbsolute(file_name, .{ .truncate = true });
+    defer file.close();
+    return file.writeAll(content);
+}
+
+pub fn list_themes(allocator: std.mem.Allocator) ![]const []const u8 {
+    var dir = try std.fs.openDirAbsolute(try get_theme_directory(), .{ .iterate = true });
+    defer dir.close();
+    var result = std.ArrayList([]const u8).init(allocator);
+    var iter = dir.iterateAssumeFirstIteration();
+    while (try iter.next()) |entry| {
+        switch (entry.kind) {
+            .file, .sym_link => try result.append(try allocator.dupe(u8, std.fs.path.stem(entry.name))),
+            else => continue,
+        }
+    }
+    return result.toOwnedSlice();
+}
+
 pub fn get_config_dir() ![]const u8 {
     return get_app_config_dir(application_name);
 }
@@ -723,6 +751,9 @@ fn get_app_config_dir(appname: []const u8) ConfigDirError![]const u8 {
     var keybind_dir_buffer: [std.posix.PATH_MAX]u8 = undefined;
     std.fs.makeDirAbsolute(try std.fmt.bufPrint(&keybind_dir_buffer, "{s}/{s}", .{ config_dir, keybind_dir })) catch {};
 
+    var theme_dir_buffer: [std.posix.PATH_MAX]u8 = undefined;
+    std.fs.makeDirAbsolute(try std.fmt.bufPrint(&theme_dir_buffer, "{s}/{s}", .{ config_dir, theme_dir })) catch {};
+
     return config_dir;
 }
 
@@ -868,6 +899,28 @@ pub fn get_keybind_namespace_file_name(namespace_name: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
     return try std.fmt.bufPrint(&local.file_buffer, "{s}/{s}.json", .{ dir, namespace_name });
 }
 
+const theme_dir = "themes";
+
+fn get_theme_directory() ![]const u8 {
+    const local = struct {
+        var dir_buffer: [std.posix.PATH_MAX]u8 = undefined;
+    };
+    const a = std.heap.c_allocator;
+    if (std.process.getEnvVarOwned(a, "FLOW_THEMES_DIR") catch null) |dir| {
+        defer a.free(dir);
+        return try std.fmt.bufPrint(&local.dir_buffer, "{s}", .{dir});
+    }
+    return try std.fmt.bufPrint(&local.dir_buffer, "{s}/{s}", .{ try get_app_config_dir(application_name), theme_dir });
+}
+
+pub fn get_theme_file_name(theme_name: []const u8) ![]const u8 {
+    const dir = try get_theme_directory();
+    const local = struct {
+        var file_buffer: [std.posix.PATH_MAX]u8 = undefined;
+    };
+    return try std.fmt.bufPrint(&local.file_buffer, "{s}/{s}.json", .{ dir, theme_name });
+}
+
 fn restart() noreturn {
     var executable: [:0]const u8 = std.mem.span(std.os.argv[0]);
     var is_basename = true;
diff --git a/src/tui/tui.zig b/src/tui/tui.zig
index 49d6e11..9339dd1 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui.zig
+++ b/src/tui/tui.zig
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ commands: Commands = undefined,
 logger: log.Logger,
 drag_source: ?*Widget = null,
 theme_: Widget.Theme,
+parsed_theme: ?std.json.Parsed(Widget.Theme),
 idle_frame_count: usize = 0,
 unrendered_input_events_count: usize = 0,
 init_timer: ?tp.timeout,
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ fn init(allocator: Allocator) InitError!*Self {
     var conf, const conf_bufs = root.read_config(@import("config"), allocator);
     defer root.free_config(allocator, conf_bufs);
 
-    const theme_ = get_theme_by_name(conf.theme) orelse get_theme_by_name("dark_modern") orelse return error.UnknownTheme;
+    const theme_, const parsed_theme = get_theme_by_name(allocator, conf.theme) orelse get_theme_by_name(allocator, "dark_modern") orelse return error.UnknownTheme;
     conf.theme = theme_.name;
     conf.whitespace_mode = try allocator.dupe(u8, conf.whitespace_mode);
     conf.input_mode = try allocator.dupe(u8, conf.input_mode);
@@ -135,6 +136,7 @@ fn init(allocator: Allocator) InitError!*Self {
         .theme_ = theme_,
         .no_sleep = tp.env.get().is("no-sleep"),
         .query_cache_ = try syntax.QueryCache.create(allocator, .{}),
+        .parsed_theme = parsed_theme,
     };
     instance_ = self;
     defer instance_ = null;
@@ -687,6 +689,19 @@ fn refresh_input_mode(self: *Self) command.Result {
     self.input_mode_ = new_mode;
 }
 
+fn set_theme_by_name(self: *Self, name: []const u8) !void {
+    const old = self.parsed_theme;
+    defer if (old) |p| p.deinit();
+    self.theme_, self.parsed_theme = get_theme_by_name(self.allocator, name) orelse {
+        self.logger.print("theme not found: {s}", .{name});
+        return;
+    };
+    self.config_.theme = self.theme_.name;
+    self.set_terminal_style();
+    self.logger.print("theme: {s}", .{self.theme_.description});
+    try save_config();
+}
+
 const cmds = struct {
     pub const Target = Self;
     const Ctx = command.Context;
@@ -709,32 +724,19 @@ const cmds = struct {
         var name: []const u8 = undefined;
         if (!try ctx.args.match(.{tp.extract(&name)}))
             return tp.exit_error(error.InvalidSetThemeArgument, null);
-        self.theme_ = get_theme_by_name(name) orelse {
-            self.logger.print("theme not found: {s}", .{name});
-            return;
-        };
-        self.config_.theme = self.theme_.name;
-        self.set_terminal_style();
-        self.logger.print("theme: {s}", .{self.theme_.description});
-        try save_config();
+        return self.set_theme_by_name(name);
     }
     pub const set_theme_meta: Meta = .{ .arguments = &.{.string} };
 
     pub fn theme_next(self: *Self, _: Ctx) Result {
-        self.theme_ = get_next_theme_by_name(self.theme_.name);
-        self.config_.theme = self.theme_.name;
-        self.set_terminal_style();
-        self.logger.print("theme: {s}", .{self.theme_.description});
-        try save_config();
+        const name = get_next_theme_by_name(self.theme_.name);
+        return self.set_theme_by_name(name);
     }
     pub const theme_next_meta: Meta = .{ .description = "Next color theme" };
 
     pub fn theme_prev(self: *Self, _: Ctx) Result {
-        self.theme_ = get_prev_theme_by_name(self.theme_.name);
-        self.config_.theme = self.theme_.name;
-        self.set_terminal_style();
-        self.logger.print("theme: {s}", .{self.theme_.description});
-        try save_config();
+        const name = get_prev_theme_by_name(self.theme_.name);
+        return self.set_theme_by_name(name);
     }
     pub const theme_prev_meta: Meta = .{ .description = "Previous color theme" };
 
@@ -967,6 +969,13 @@ const cmds = struct {
     }
     pub const open_keybind_config_meta: Meta = .{ .description = "Edit key bindings" };
 
+    pub fn open_custom_theme(self: *Self, _: Ctx) Result {
+        const file_name = try self.get_or_create_theme_file(self.allocator);
+        try tp.self_pid().send(.{ "cmd", "navigate", .{ .file = file_name } });
+        self.logger.print("restart flow to use changed theme", .{});
+    }
+    pub const open_custom_theme_meta: Meta = .{ .description = "Customize theme" };
+
     pub fn run_async(self: *Self, ctx: Ctx) Result {
         var iter = ctx.args.buf;
         var len = try cbor.decodeArrayHeader(&iter);
@@ -1173,33 +1182,38 @@ pub fn theme() *const Widget.Theme {
     return &current().theme_;
 }
 
-pub fn get_theme_by_name(name: []const u8) ?Widget.Theme {
+pub fn get_theme_by_name(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, name: []const u8) ?struct { Widget.Theme, ?std.json.Parsed(Widget.Theme) } {
+    if (load_theme_file(allocator, name) catch null) |parsed_theme| {
+        std.log.info("loaded theme from file: {s}", .{name});
+        return .{ parsed_theme.value, parsed_theme };
+    }
+
     for (Widget.themes) |theme_| {
         if (std.mem.eql(u8, theme_.name, name))
-            return theme_;
+            return .{ theme_, null };
     }
     return null;
 }
 
-pub fn get_next_theme_by_name(name: []const u8) Widget.Theme {
+fn get_next_theme_by_name(name: []const u8) []const u8 {
     var next = false;
     for (Widget.themes) |theme_| {
         if (next)
-            return theme_;
+            return theme_.name;
         if (std.mem.eql(u8, theme_.name, name))
             next = true;
     }
-    return Widget.themes[0];
+    return Widget.themes[0].name;
 }
 
-pub fn get_prev_theme_by_name(name: []const u8) Widget.Theme {
+fn get_prev_theme_by_name(name: []const u8) []const u8 {
     var prev: ?Widget.Theme = null;
     for (Widget.themes) |theme_| {
         if (std.mem.eql(u8, theme_.name, name))
-            return prev orelse Widget.themes[Widget.themes.len - 1];
+            return (prev orelse Widget.themes[Widget.themes.len - 1]).name;
         prev = theme_;
     }
-    return Widget.themes[Widget.themes.len - 1];
+    return Widget.themes[Widget.themes.len - 1].name;
 }
 
 pub fn find_scope_style(theme_: *const Widget.Theme, scope: []const u8) ?Widget.Theme.Token {
@@ -1342,3 +1356,32 @@ pub fn render_match_cell(self: *renderer.Plane, y: usize, x: usize, theme_: *con
     cell.set_style(theme_.editor_match);
     _ = self.putc(&cell) catch {};
 }
+
+fn get_or_create_theme_file(self: *Self, allocator: std.mem.Allocator) ![]const u8 {
+    const theme_name = self.theme_.name;
+    if (root.read_theme(allocator, theme_name)) |content| {
+        allocator.free(content);
+    } else {
+        var buf = std.ArrayList(u8).init(self.allocator);
+        defer buf.deinit();
+        try std.json.stringify(self.theme_, .{ .whitespace = .indent_2 }, buf.writer());
+        try root.write_theme(
+            theme_name,
+            buf.items,
+        );
+    }
+    return try root.get_theme_file_name(theme_name);
+}
+
+fn load_theme_file(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, theme_name: []const u8) !?std.json.Parsed(Widget.Theme) {
+    return load_theme_file_internal(allocator, theme_name) catch |e| {
+        std.log.err("loaded theme from file failed: {}", .{e});
+        return e;
+    };
+}
+fn load_theme_file_internal(allocator: std.mem.Allocator, theme_name: []const u8) !?std.json.Parsed(Widget.Theme) {
+    _ = std.json.Scanner;
+    const json_str = root.read_theme(allocator, theme_name) orelse return null;
+    defer allocator.free(json_str);
+    return try std.json.parseFromSlice(Widget.Theme, allocator, json_str, .{ .allocate = .alloc_always });
+}