Why a universal engine still needs hostname formulas
ForcedSkin’s default mapper covers a large share of CSS UI. Some products use unusual tokens, layered overlays, or component trees that look better with extra declared rules. Adapters are those rules, not a second theming philosophy.
The schema name is forcedskin-adapter-formula/v1. Catalog entries live at site adapters. This knowledge-base article is the search landing; the adapter development guide is the writing spec.
What an adapter is allowed to do
An adapter matches hostnames and applies layer coloring on top of the same CSS recolor model: still not invert, still not a layout rewrite, still not an ad blocker. Photos and video remain media. Closed Shadow DOM and bitmap-only UI stay unreachable even with a formula.
Community adapters improve popular sites when reviewers accept them. They do not grant access to chrome:// or the Chrome Web Store. If a page should stay native, use exclusions rather than an empty adapter.
- Schema: forcedskin-adapter-formula/v1
- Matching + layered color rules
- Optional sync of the adapter list after sign-in
Authoring, requests, and the builder
The extension can help contributors pick elements when filing adapter requests. JSON is still the source of truth — paste complete v1 documents as the guide describes. Themes remain separate JSON; do not mix palette tokens into adapter files unless the spec says so.
Browse themes for color, adapters for hostname behavior. Together they implement custom website themes more cleanly on stubborn origins.
Adapters cannot lift platform limits
Formulas cannot restyle closed Shadow DOM, invent CSS where only a canvas exists, or theme protected browser pages. Local theming still does not upload page HTML just because an adapter ran.
Read how ForcedSkin works before writing selectors you expect to pierce every abstraction. Privacy of catalog fetch versus page content is in the privacy policy.
Common questions
Do I need an adapter for every website?
No. The universal CSS engine is the default. Adapters are optional refinements for specific hostnames.
What is forcedskin-adapter-formula/v1?
The declarative JSON schema for ForcedSkin adapters: hostname matching and layered coloring rules. See the adapter guide.
Will an adapter change layout or hide ads?
No. Adapters only refine coloring. ForcedSkin does not redesign pages or block navigation.
How do adapters get onto my browser?
Published adapters can be pulled with the extension catalog. Signing in on forcedskin.com can sync your adapter list; theming still runs locally.