---
title: "color-scheme is not declared (design/color-scheme-missing)"
description: "design/color-scheme-missing: Without color-scheme, native controls, scrollbars and the canvas default stay light even on a dark theme, causing flashes and…"
canonical: https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/color-scheme-missing
lastModified: 2026-09-16
---

# color-scheme is not declared

`design/color-scheme-missing` · severity **info** · category Design · detected by `void design` and `void audit`

## Why it matters

Without color-scheme, native controls, scrollbars and the canvas default stay light even on a dark theme, causing flashes and mismatched form controls.

## How to fix it

Declare the color schemes your page supports on :root and in a color-scheme meta tag, so the browser can theme built-in UI before CSS loads.

## Example

```
:root { color-scheme: light dark; }
<meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark">
```

## More design rules

`void design` reports 19 rules in this category. Measured design heuristics from computed styles: font families, type scale, line length, palette and accent sprawl, spacing grid, radius sprawl, dark mode and the tells of generated UI.

- `gradient-text` Gradient-filled heading text — [design/gradient-text](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/gradient-text)
- `purple-gradient` Purple/indigo gradient background — [design/purple-gradient](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/purple-gradient)
- `emoji-icons` Emoji used as icons — [design/emoji-icons](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/emoji-icons)
- `spacing-off-grid` Spacing values are off the 4px grid — [design/spacing-off-grid](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/spacing-off-grid)
- `radius-sprawl` Too many different corner radii — [design/radius-sprawl](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/radius-sprawl)
- `no-dark-mode` No dark mode support — [design/no-dark-mode](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/no-dark-mode)
- `selection-unstyled` ::selection is not styled — [design/selection-unstyled](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/selection-unstyled)
- `horizontal-overflow` Page scrolls horizontally at 375px — [design/horizontal-overflow](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/design/horizontal-overflow)

Detected by `void design` and `void audit`. Explain it in a terminal: `void rules design/color-scheme-missing`