Customizing better-osm-org Changeset Colors using Stylus
Posted by FajrAl on 10 June 2026 in English.If you use the amazing better-osm-org browser extension/userscript to review changesets, you are probably familiar with its default red, green, and yellow diff highlighting.
While the default colors are great, sometimes you want a custom color scheme that feels more comfortable for your eyes during long validation sessions. For instance, changing the added tags to a cool cyan, keeping deleted tags red, and making modified tags a soft cream/yellow.
Since the script dynamically manages light/dark themes, the easiest way to override these colors globally without messing up the extension’s code is by using custom CSS via the Stylus extension.
How to Apply It:
- Install the Stylus extension (Chrome/Firefox/Edge).
- Go to openstreetmap.org.
- Click the Stylus extension icon and select ”(+) Write style for: openstreetmap.org”.
- Paste the CSS code below into the editor, give it a name (e.g., Better OSM Custom Colors), and hit Save.
The CSS Code:
/* 1. MODIFIED TAGS -> SOFT CREAM / YELLOW */
tr.quick-look-modified-tag th,
tr.quick-look-modified-tag td {
background: rgba(255, 235, 150, 0.7) !important;
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* 2. DELETED TAGS -> RED */
tr.quick-look-deleted-tag th,
tr.quick-look-deleted-tag td {
background: rgba(238, 51, 9, 0.6) !important;
color: #000000 !important;
}
/* 3. NEW TAGS -> CYAN */
tr.quick-look-new-tag th,
tr.quick-look-new-tag td,
tr.quick-look-added-tag th,
tr.quick-look-added-tag td {
background: rgba(0, 200, 220, 0.6) !important;
color: #000000 !important;
}
Discussion
Comment from Lumikeiju on 11 June 2026 at 03:22
There’s also a colorblind palette option in the settings!
Comment from FajrAl on 11 June 2026 at 10:33
Thanks for mentioning it! I’m aware of the colorblind palette option. What I had in mind is a wider color customization system that would let users choose and adjust colors more freely.
Comment from TrickyFoxy on 9 July 2026 at 23:39
If you want to be able to change the colors of objects on the map, I’m currently experimenting with setting up a palette:
I know the current table’s UX isn’t very user-friendly, but at least you can export the palette and edit it in something like VSCode.
If this feature is important to you, you can leave your comments or suggestions on GitHub: https://github.com/deevroman/better-osm-org/issues/645#issuecomment-4929028298
Comment from FajrAl on 10 July 2026 at 00:10
Hey, I just dropped a comment! Thank you so much for taking a look at this diary entry!