🎉 ZorinOS 18 / GNOME 46+ Version (v2.5.3) Latest Stable: Manual Icon Theme Override + Dynamic Shadow-Strength
CSS Gnommé is a powerful GNOME Shell extension for Zorin OS 18 (GNOME 46+) that creates a dynamic overlay theme system with automatic wallpaper color extraction, advanced blur effects, and customizable transparency. It enhances your desktop appearance without modifying the original theme files, making it completely reversible.
- Latest Stable: v2.5.3 (GNOME 46+) - Icon Override + Shadow-Strength Fix
- Legacy Version: v1.5.4 (GNOME 43-44) - Available for ZorinOS 17.3
- ✅ Dynamic Shadow-Strength - Fixed non-functional control (bug since v2.0!)
- ✅ Manual Icon Theme Override - Select icon theme independently from GTK theme
- ✅ Preferences UI Reorganization - Cleaner layout, Zorin features grouped
- ✅ Zorin Menu Layout Control - 5 layout styles (v2.5.2)
- ✅ Quick Settings Enhancements - Border-radius sync, compact height, dynamic updates (v2.5.1)
- ✅ Minimal Mode - Wallpaper accent ONLY for core widgets (v2.5.0)
- ✅ Constants Refactoring - 35+ magic numbers eliminated (v2.5.0)
- ✅ 6x Performance Boost - Accent color cache (97.3% hit rate)
- Non-Destructive: Creates a custom theme overlay that inherits from your current GTK theme
- Live Updates: Automatically updates CSS when settings change
- One-Click Toggle: Enable/disable the overlay system without losing your configuration
- Theme Preservation: Automatically restores your original theme when disabling the overlay
- Smart Analysis: Automatically extracts dominant and accent colors from your desktop background using advanced K-means clustering algorithm
- Intelligent Application: Applies extracted colors to panel backgrounds, popup menus, and accent borders
- Light/Dark Detection: Automatically adjusts color intensity based on your theme brightness
- Manual Control: Extract colors on-demand with one click from the system tray menu
- Full Backdrop Control: Adjust blur radius (1-50px), saturation, contrast, and brightness independently
- Custom Tinting: Apply semi-transparent color overlays for unique glass effects
- Border Customization: Define border color, width, and opacity for framed appearance (0-5px)
- Shadow Control: Dynamic shadow-strength (0.0-1.0) with ratio-based scaling for visual hierarchy ✨ NEW in v2.5.3
- Universal Application: Effects apply to panels, popup menus, Alt+Tab switcher, and other shell elements
- Taskbar Enhancement: Special integration with Zorin Taskbar for consistent styling
- Panel Margin Control: Adjust panel margins for floating mode (0-32px)
- Opacity Sync: Synchronize opacity with Zorin Taskbar settings
- Border Radius: Synchronize rounded corners for modern appearance (0-25px)
- Tint Control: Adjust Zorin theme color tint intensity (0-100%) for more neutral or vibrant appearance
- Menu Layout Control: Choose from 5 Zorin Menu layout styles (ALL, MINT, APP_GRID, APPS_ONLY, SYSTEM_ONLY)
- Icon Theme Override: Select icon theme independently from GTK theme ✨ NEW in v2.5.3
- Panel Opacity: Control main taskbar/panel transparency (0-100%)
- Menu Opacity: Separate opacity control for popup menus
- Color Overrides: Manually set panel and popup background colors with full RGBA support
- Border Radius: Apply rounded corners for modern appearance (0-25px)
- Quick Settings Sync: Quick Settings elements match panel border-radius with scaling factors
Additional Screenshots:
Supported GNOME Shell Versions:
- GNOME 45, 46, or 47
- ZorinOS 18 (recommended for full Zorin Taskbar integration)
- Any modern Linux distribution with GNOME 46+ should work
Tested On:
- ZorinOS 18 Core (Primary target)
- Visit extensions.gnome.org
- Search for "CSS Gnommé"
- Click the toggle switch to install
- Enable in GNOME Extensions app
# Download latest release
wget https://github.com/drdrummie/CSSGnomme-ZorinOS18/releases/[email protected]
# Install extension
gnome-extensions install [email protected]
# Enable extension
gnome-extensions enable [email protected]
# Restart GNOME Shell
# X11: Alt+F2, type 'r', press Enter
# Wayland: Log out and log back ingit clone https://github.com/drdrummie/CSSGnomme-ZorinOS18.git
cd CSSGnomme-ZorinOS18
make installThen restart GNOME Shell and enable the extension.
- Enable the Extension: Use GNOME Extensions app or the system tray icon
- Open Preferences: Click the system tray icon → "Open Settings"
- Enable Overlay: Toggle "Enable Overlay Theme" to activate
- Extract Colors: Click "Extract Colors from Wallpaper" for automatic theming
- Customize: Adjust transparency, blur effects, and colors to your liking
- Extract Colors from Wallpaper: One-click color extraction
- Enable/Disable Overlay: Quick toggle without opening preferences
- Open Settings: Open full settings dialog
For detailed setup instructions, see Quick Guide.
Extension not appearing after install:
- Restart GNOME Shell (Alt+F2 → 'r' on X11, or logout/login on Wayland)
- Check if enabled:
gnome-extensions list --enabled | grep cssgnomme
Colors not extracting:
- Ensure wallpaper is set (not solid color background)
- Try manual extraction via extension menu
- Check logs:
journalctl -f -o cat /usr/bin/gnome-shell | grep CSSGnomme
Zorin integration not working:
- Ensure Zorin Taskbar extension is enabled
- Check both extensions are on same GNOME Shell version
- Restart GNOME Shell after enabling both
Performance issues:
- Reduce blur radius (lower values = better performance)
- Disable "Auto-extract on wallpaper change" if not needed
Advanced Troubleshooting:
# Check extension logs
journalctl -f -o cat /usr/bin/gnome-shell | grep CSSGnomme
# Reset all settings
dconf reset -f /org/gnome/shell/extensions/cssgnomme/
# List enabled extensions
gnome-extensions list --enabled- Theme Compatibility: Overlay theme inherits from current GTK theme (some themes may have compatibility issues)
- Fluent GTK Themes: Missing icons if Fluent icon theme not installed → SOLVED with manual icon override (v2.5.3)
- Color Extraction: Requires valid image wallpaper (not solid colors or gradients)
- Zorin Integration: Full integration requires ZorinOS 18 / GNOME 46+
- Zorin Taskbar Border-Radius: Zorin taskbar uses inline styles and javascript, border-radius has step of 5 (flat | 5px | 10px | 15px - default | 20px | 25px+). CSS Gnommé uses normal border radius but tries to adapt to Zorin taskbar. Setting border-radius to zero returns default Zorin's 15px (even without extension installed).
- Performance: Complex blur effects may impact performance on older hardware
Best Performance:
- Use moderate blur radius (10-20px) for best balance
- Disable auto-color extraction if you don't change wallpapers often
- Adjust shadow-strength to balance visual appeal and performance
Visual Consistency:
- Match border-radius across all elements for cohesive look
- Use extracted colors for best integration with wallpaper
- Adjust saturation for more vibrant or muted appearance
Power User Features:
- Use Manual Icon Theme Override for themes without matching icon packs
- Adjust Zorin Menu layout for different workflows (MINT, APP_GRID, etc.)
- Fine-tune shadow-strength (0.1 for minimal, 0.4 default, 1.0 for max glow)
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later - see LICENSE for details.
drdrummie
- GitHub: @drdrummie
- Repository: CSSGnomme-ZorinOS18
- GNOME Shell team for the extension API
- Zorin OS team for the excellent desktop environment
- Open Bar extension for color extraction inspiration
- CSS Panels extension (Cinnamon)
Enjoy your customized GNOME Shell experience! ✨