Wallpapers and color

Use Settings → Appearance → Background to work with the desktop background. Wallpaper files are user media: theme packs can refer to them, but third-party images are not automatically downloaded when you select a theme. This keeps theme changes usable offline and avoids an unexpected network fetch.

Set a local wallpaper

The CLI applies an image already present on your machine. Preview the action first, then confirm it:

horneroctl wallpaper current
horneroctl wallpaper set "$HOME/Pictures/Wallpapers/night.jpg" --dry-run
horneroctl wallpaper set "$HOME/Pictures/Wallpapers/night.jpg" --yes

horneroctl wallpaper current reports the resolved current image. The path can be a file in Pictures or another readable location. horneroctl wallpaper reload --yes re-runs the color pipeline for the current image; it does not choose a different one.

Curated wallpaper collection

The public dotfiles repository includes optional wallpaper artwork for personal Arch workstations. The collection ranges from Neon City and Vapor Dreams to Patagonia, Fin del Mundo, Quebrada, Iberá, and Buenos Aires Nocturno. These Hornero Originals translate glacial water, Beagle light, high-altitude mineral bands, subtropical wetlands, and rain-lit city streets into distinct visual palettes. They are original generated artworks, not documentary photographs. When the optional wallpaper profile is applied, images are linked under ~/Pictures/Wallpapers/<collection>/. The Hornero Config package owns theme metadata and does not fetch these images.

The website Themes gallery pairs wallpaper artwork across several visual directions with verified desktop captures in the Showroom. Captions distinguish running-desktop screenshots from original generated wallpaper art. Argentine landscapes and city atmospheres sit alongside synthwave, cyberpunk, and softer natural scenes; Pampa is one Hornero look among a wider collection.

How wallpaper and colors work together

The desktop wallpaper is a visual choice. The shell can also analyse its colors and derive a palette for dynamic appearances. Hornero keeps the image and generated shell palette as separate, user-visible choices. A wallpaper change can therefore alter shell accents and surfaces while keeping the look name and light or dark mode. Hornero Dark, Hornero Light, and Pampa use curated semantic roles; five other Hornero Originals and the wider wallpaper-led collection can use generated colors. The Appearance guide explains the difference and the advanced controls.

Check the current state without changing it:

horneroctl wallpaper current
horneroctl appearance scheme status
horneroctl appearance colors status
horneroctl appearance doctor

When a theme wallpaper is unavailable

A theme’s manifest can identify a default image and a wallpaper collection without shipping the image itself. If that media is not present, the theme is still a theme pack; it is not evidence that the shell or theme catalog is broken. Choose one of the images already installed or point the CLI at a local file. Hornero does not fetch an arbitrary image on your behalf.

To inspect pack wallpaper metadata:

horneroctl appearance theme list --full
horneroctl appearance theme show vapor-dreams

The canonical theme and wallpaper manifest are maintained in HorneroOS/config. For a real product comparison across color and image directions, visit the Showroom.