STYLUS to LESS
Paste indentation-based Stylus and get a best-effort LESS translation with braces, semicolons, and variable syntax converted.
Example
Stylus input:
primary = #4287f5
.card
color primary
.title
font-size 18px
LESS output:
@primary: #4287f5;
.card {
color: primary;
.title {
font-size: 18px;
}
}How it works
It reconstructs block braces from Stylus indentation, restores property colons and statement semicolons, and rewrites variables and mixin calls to LESS form. Many advanced Stylus features cannot be translated syntactically, so always review the result.
Good to know
This tool takes indentation-based Stylus stylesheets and rewrites them into LESS syntax directly in your browser. It reconstructs the curly braces that Stylus omits, puts back the colons between properties and values, terminates statements with semicolons, and converts Stylus variable assignments (name = value) and interpolation ({x}) into their LESS equivalents (@name: value; and @{x}). It is aimed at front-end developers migrating an older Stylus codebase to LESS, or anyone who needs a fast first-pass conversion instead of hand-editing every line.
Reach for it when you have inherited Stylus partials, are consolidating a project onto a single preprocessor, or just want to read a Stylus snippet in a more familiar braced syntax. Because it is a purely syntactic transform and not a real compiler, treat the output as a starting draft: it handles the mechanical brace-and-punctuation work so you can focus your attention on the parts that need human judgment.
Read the result as "structurally correct, semantically unverified." The indentation-to-brace nesting and the variable mapping are usually reliable, but the converter does not evaluate logic or built-in functions. Watch specifically for these areas that pass through untranslated or only partially mapped:
- Stylus conditionals (
if/else), iteration (for), and @block constructs - Built-in functions such as
darken(), lighten(), or rgba() math, which LESS expresses differently - Implicit/property-lookup selectors and mixins whose calling semantics differ between the two languages
A practical tip: normalize your indentation before pasting. Because Stylus is whitespace-significant, the tool infers nesting from leading spaces and tabs (it counts a tab as two spaces), so mixed tabs and spaces or irregular indent widths can shift blocks into the wrong scope. Convert one file at a time, then compile the LESS output with a real LESS compiler to confirm it builds and renders as expected.
Frequently asked questions
Does this fully compile any Stylus file to LESS?
No. There is no reliable browser-based Stylus-to-LESS compiler, so this is a best-effort syntactic transform. It reconstructs braces from indentation, adds colons and semicolons, and maps variable/mixin syntax. Advanced Stylus features (conditionals, @block, iteration, built-in functions like darken, and implicit selectors) may need manual cleanup.
How are Stylus variables and mixins handled?
A top-level assignment like primary = #4287f5 becomes @primary: #4287f5;, and Stylus interpolation {x} becomes LESS @{x}. A name(args) line with an indented body becomes a LESS mixin definition .name(args) { ... }, while a bare name(args) statement becomes a .name(args); call. Verify each, since Stylus and LESS mixin semantics differ.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No — this tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input never leaves your device and it works offline once loaded.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up and no limits.
People also ask
What is the difference between Stylus and LESS?
Both are CSS preprocessors that add variables, nesting, and mixins. Stylus has a flexible, optional syntax where braces, colons, and semicolons can be omitted and indentation defines structure, while LESS uses CSS-like braces and semicolons and prefixes variables with @. Stylus also has richer built-in functions and language features such as conditionals and iteration.
How do you write a variable in LESS?
In LESS a variable is declared with an @ prefix and a colon, for example @primary: #4287f5;. You then reference it by name, such as color: @primary;. This is the form Stylus assignments like primary = #4287f5 are converted into.
Can you convert Stylus to LESS automatically?
You can automate the mechanical syntax changes, but there is no fully reliable browser-based compiler that translates every Stylus feature to LESS. Logic, iteration, and built-in functions generally need manual rewriting because the two languages handle them differently, so any automated output should be reviewed and tested.
Is Stylus still maintained in 2026?
Stylus is an open-source project that still receives occasional updates, but it has far less active development and community momentum than it once had. Many teams have migrated to Sass, LESS, or plain modern CSS with custom properties, which is a common reason to convert existing Stylus files.
Does converting Stylus to LESS keep my nesting structure?
Yes, the nesting is preserved because the converter reads the indentation of each Stylus line and rebuilds the corresponding braces. Consistent indentation in the source produces the most accurate nested output; mixed tabs and spaces can cause blocks to be placed at the wrong nesting level.
How are Stylus mixin calls converted to LESS?
A Stylus mixin call written as name(args) is rewritten as a LESS .name(args); call, and a name(args) line with an indented body becomes a LESS mixin definition .name(args) { ... }. Because Stylus and LESS mixin semantics differ, each converted mixin should be checked manually.
Is it safe to paste proprietary stylesheets into this converter?
The conversion runs entirely in your browser and the input is not uploaded to any server, and it works offline once the page has loaded. As with any tool, you remain responsible for your own data-handling policies when working with proprietary or confidential code.
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