diff --git a/README.asciidoc b/README.asciidoc
index c6468772..347b2840 100644
--- a/README.asciidoc
+++ b/README.asciidoc
@@ -594,12 +594,15 @@ line using:
 :echo %sh{ ls -l $kak_bufname }
 -------------------------------
 
+Configuration & Autoloading
+---------------------------
+
 Kakrc
------
+~~~~~
 
 If not launched with the `-n` switch, Kakoune will source the
-`../share/kak/kakrc` file (relative to the `kak` binary), which
-will in turn source additional files:
+`../share/kak/kakrc` file relative to the `kak` binary, which
+will source additional files:
 
 If the `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/kak/autoload` directory exists, load every
 `*.kak` files in it, and load recursively any subdirectory.
@@ -614,6 +617,15 @@ In order to continue autoloading site-wide files with a local autoload
 directory, just add a symbolic link to `../share/kak/autoload/` into
 your local autoload directory.
 
+Color Schemes
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Kakoune ships with some color schemes that are installed to
+`../share/kak/colors/`. If `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/kak/colors/` is present
+the builtin commmand `colorscheme` will offer completion for those
+color schemes. If a scheme is duplicated in userspace it will take
+precedence.
+
 Options
 -------
 
diff --git a/share/kak/kakrc b/share/kak/kakrc
index beccc284..3e91e3d5 100644
--- a/share/kak/kakrc
+++ b/share/kak/kakrc
@@ -34,14 +34,20 @@ def -shell-params -docstring "colorscheme <name>: enable named colorscheme" \
   -shell-completion %{
     prefix=${1:0:${kak_pos_in_token}}
     (
-      for col in ${kak_runtime}/colors/*.kak; do
+      localconfdir=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-${HOME}/.config}/kak
+      for col in ${kak_runtime}/colors/*.kak ${localconfdir}/colors/*.kak; do
           expr $(basename "${col}" .kak) : "^\(${prefix}.*\)$"
       done
-    ) | grep -v '^$'
+    ) | sort -u | grep -v '^$'
   } \
   colorscheme %{ %sh{
+    localconfdir=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-${HOME}/.config}/kak
     if [ $# -eq 1 ]; then
-        echo "source '${kak_runtime}/colors/$1.kak'"
+        if [ -f "${localconfdir}/colors/$1.kak" ];then
+            echo "source '${localconfdir}/colors/$1.kak'"
+        else
+            echo "source '${kak_runtime}/colors/$1.kak'"
+        fi
     else
         echo -color Error 'Usage: colorscheme <scheme name>'
     fi
@@ -60,12 +66,7 @@ def -shell-params -docstring "colorscheme <name>: enable named colorscheme" \
         done
     }
 
-    if [ -n "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}" ]; then
-       localconfdir="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/kak"
-    else
-       localconfdir="$HOME/.config/kak"
-    fi
-
+    localconfdir=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-${HOME}/.config}/kak
     if [ -d "${localconfdir}/autoload" ]; then
         autoload ${localconfdir}/autoload
     elif [ -d "${kak_runtime}/autoload" ]; then