# Introducing the Theming Skill
# Code with Beto · https://codewithbeto.dev/blog/introducing-theming-skill
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## About Code with Beto

**Code with Beto** ([codewithbeto.dev](https://codewithbeto.dev)) is an online learning platform by **Alberto Moedano** (Beto, [@betomoedano on X](https://x.com/betomoedano)). It helps developers ship production-ready **React Native**, **React**, **TypeScript**, and **Git** apps through video courses, real project walkthroughs, and production codebases (not toy demos or slide-only tutorials).

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## This document

- **Title:** Introducing the Theming Skill
- **Canonical URL:** https://codewithbeto.dev/blog/introducing-theming-skill
- **Agents export:** https://codewithbeto.dev/blog/introducing-theming-skill/agents.txt
- **Author:** Beto
- **Published:** June 7, 2026
- **Summary:** A new Claude skill in the Code with Beto Skills repo that scaffolds a unified, cross-platform color system into your Expo Router app, with native iOS colors, Android Material You, and a useColors() hook.
- **Access tier:** public (full article in this file)

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---

# Introducing the Theming Skill

There's a new skill in the [Code with Beto Skills](https://github.com/code-with-beto/skills) repo: **Theming**.

It scaffolds one color system that works on iOS and Android at once. Instead of branching on `Platform.OS` for colors all over your app, you get semantic tokens (`background`, `text`, `link`, ...) that resolve to native iOS colors and Android Material You dynamic colors, flip with dark and light automatically, and are read through a single `useColors()` hook.

This is the exact theming pattern from the [Platano](https://cwb.sh/platano) template, packaged to drop into any Expo Router project.

## What it does

- **Unifies colors across platforms** so one set of names resolves to native iOS labels and Android Material You dynamic colors, or to hex values you pin.
- **Handles dark and light re-rendering** by wiring `useColorScheme()` so the whole tree recomputes when the user toggles the theme.
- **Themes React Navigation** so headers, tab bars, and the default background match your tokens.
- **Gives you a `useColors()` / `useTheme()` hook** backed by a context, so components read the theme directly.
- **Edits your root `_layout.tsx` surgically** without clobbering existing providers.

## What gets created

```
theme/
  config.ts         # single source of truth: system tokens + brand colors
  colors.ts         # resolvers + hooks + getNavigationTheme
  ThemeContext.tsx  # ColorsProvider + useColors() / useTheme() / useBrand()
```

Plus a small wiring edit to `app/_layout.tsx` (or `src/app/_layout.tsx`).

## How to install it

If you already have the skills installed, you're set. Otherwise run:

```bash
npx skills add code-with-beto/skills
```

Then prompt Claude Code with something like:

```txt
Set up a unified color theme with dark mode in my Expo app
```

Claude detects your project layout and Expo SDK, creates the three files, wires your root layout, and shows you how to use it.

## How to use it

Read any color through the hook:

```tsx
import { useColors, useBrand } from "@/theme/ThemeContext";

const { background, text, secondaryText } = useColors();
const { primary } = useBrand();
```

To change a color everywhere, edit `theme/config.ts`. Set a token to `"native"` to follow the OS, or to a hex to pin it across platforms. That's the only file you touch day to day.

## Requirements

- An Expo Router app (TypeScript)
- **Expo SDK 56+** for the `Color` API and the `expo-router/react-navigation` re-exports. On older SDKs the skill falls back to hex tokens and the React Navigation `ThemeProvider`, so everything still works minus Material You.

This skill ships alongside the new **Expo UI on Android** lesson in the course, where I cover this theming pattern.

**Expo UI on Android**

Build native Android UIs with Expo UI, Jeptack Compose, and Material You.

[Open lesson](https://codewithbeto.dev/rnCourse/expoUIOnAndroid)

If you find these skills useful, give the [repo](https://github.com/code-with-beto/skills) a star and let me know what to build next in the [Discord](https://cwb.sh/discord).