Valentus: chrome that fixes the defaults

Want the whole stack — mast, header, layout, VCS icons, dark mode — in one release bundle? That is Valentus. It is not a dark-mode-only overlay. It is composed doc-site chrome for teams that want a finished UI, not a kit of parts.

Brand polish is the easy sell. The sharper pitch is what Valentus already softens in Default UI and Lunr: permalink hit areas that only respond to heading text, nav overscroll that traps the wheel, search dropdowns clipped by overflow, multi-click selection broken under the nav panel, condensed drawers that show page content through a transparent backdrop. Those are daily friction. Valentus ships fixes while upstream trackers stay open.

That dual track is intentional. Prefer fixing Default UI and Lunr when maintainers accept the change. Keep Valentus as the place authors can use the fix today. The value-proposition page lists the problems, the Valentus behavior, and the upstream issues side by side. Use it when you pitch the theme — or when you file the next upstream report.

Recent chrome work tightens the details: condensed font-size switcher, blood-drop brand mark, search dropdown edges, scope labels that collapse cleanly, section permalink hit area, opaque nav backdrop on small screens. Small pieces. Same product rule: the site should feel finished without asking authors to fork the Default UI.

Need dark mode on an existing theme instead? Use antora-dark-mode. Need the full Valentus stack? Take the Valentus bundle. Do not layer both and wonder why the toggle fights itself.