diff --git a/cmd/author_colors_repo/main.go b/cmd/author_colors_repo/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cebfaa39b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/author_colors_repo/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+// author_colors_repo creates a git repository for checking that the colors
+// lazygit gives to authors are readable.
+//
+// If gui.authorColors names no color for an author, lazygit derives one from a
+// hash of their name. The authors of an ordinary repository rarely land near the
+// edges of the range that this color is picked from. Every commit in the
+// repository created here is by an author at one of those edges: the lowest or
+// highest lightness, combined with the lowest or highest saturation, at twelve
+// hues around the color wheel. The commit subject says which edge it is.
+//
+// Usage:
+//
+//	go run ./cmd/author_colors_repo <path>
+//
+// Then open the repository with lazygit in each terminal theme you want to check.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"math"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/gui/presentation/authors"
+)
+
+type extreme int
+
+const (
+	lowest extreme = iota
+	highest
+)
+
+func (self extreme) String() string {
+	if self == lowest {
+		return "min"
+	}
+	return "max"
+}
+
+func (self extreme) matches(fraction float64) bool {
+	if self == lowest {
+		return fraction < 0.01
+	}
+	return fraction >= 0.99
+}
+
+const (
+	numHues = 12
+
+	// Small enough that the windows of neighbouring hues don't overlap
+	hueTolerance = 0.02
+)
+
+type commit struct {
+	author  string
+	subject string
+}
+
+func main() {
+	if len(os.Args) != 2 {
+		log.Fatalf("usage: %s <path>", os.Args[0])
+	}
+	path := os.Args[1]
+	if _, err := os.Stat(path); err == nil {
+		log.Fatalf("%s already exists", path)
+	}
+
+	extremes := []extreme{lowest, highest}
+	commits := make([]commit, 0, len(extremes)*len(extremes)*numHues)
+	for _, lightness := range extremes {
+		for _, saturation := range extremes {
+			for i := range numHues {
+				hue := float64(i) / numHues
+				author, actualHue := findAuthor(lightness, saturation, hue)
+				subject := fmt.Sprintf("lightness %s, saturation %s, hue %.0f°", lightness, saturation, actualHue*360)
+				commits = append(commits, commit{author: author, subject: subject})
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if err := runGit("", nil, "init", "-q", path); err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Commit in reverse, so that the commits panel lists them in the order above
+	startTime := time.Date(2026, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	for i := range commits {
+		c := commits[len(commits)-1-i]
+		date := fmt.Sprintf("%d +0000", startTime.Add(time.Duration(i)*time.Hour).Unix())
+		env := []string{
+			"GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=" + c.author,
+			"GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL=author@example.com",
+			"GIT_AUTHOR_DATE=" + date,
+			"GIT_COMMITTER_NAME=" + c.author,
+			"GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL=author@example.com",
+			"GIT_COMMITTER_DATE=" + date,
+		}
+		if err := runGit(path, env, "commit", "-q", "--allow-empty", "-m", c.subject); err != nil {
+			log.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	fmt.Printf("Created %s with %d commits\n", path, len(commits))
+}
+
+// findAuthor returns the first name of the form "L<lightness> S<saturation> <n>"
+// whose color lies at the given extremes of lightness and saturation, and close
+// to the given hue. It also returns the hue that the name lands on.
+//
+// Every name of this form has the same initials, so the color is the only
+// thing that differs between authors in the commits panel.
+func findAuthor(lightness extreme, saturation extreme, hue float64) (string, float64) {
+	for n := 1; ; n++ {
+		name := fmt.Sprintf("L%s S%s %d", lightness, saturation, n)
+		h, s, l := authors.ColorPosition(name)
+		if lightness.matches(l) && saturation.matches(s) && hueDistance(h, hue) <= hueTolerance {
+			return name, h
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// hueDistance is the distance between two hues on the color wheel, where each
+// hue is a fraction of a full turn.
+func hueDistance(a float64, b float64) float64 {
+	d := math.Abs(a - b)
+	return math.Min(d, 1-d)
+}
+
+func runGit(dir string, env []string, args ...string) error {
+	cmd := exec.Command("git", args...)
+	cmd.Dir = dir
+	// Keep the user's git config out of it, so that hooks, commit signing and
+	// the like don't apply, and every run creates the same commits
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL="+os.DevNull, "GIT_CONFIG_NOSYSTEM=1")
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, env...)
+	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
+	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+	return cmd.Run()
+}
diff --git a/pkg/gui/presentation/authors/authors.go b/pkg/gui/presentation/authors/authors.go
index 6d2c4f428..f420044d5 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/presentation/authors/authors.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/presentation/authors/authors.go
@@ -106,6 +106,8 @@ func trueColorStyle(str string) style.TextStyle {
 	return style.New().SetFg(style.NewRGBColor(color.RGB(uint8(c.R*255), uint8(c.G*255), uint8(c.B*255))))
 }
 
+// To check the colors at the edges of the ranges below, run
+// `go run ./cmd/author_colors_repo <path>` and open the repository it creates.
 func colorAtPosition(hue, saturation, lightness float64) colorful.Color {
 	return colorful.Hsl(hue*360.0, 0.6+0.4*saturation, 0.4+lightness*0.2)
 }