diff --git a/src/vs/platform/theme/common/colorRegistry.ts b/src/vs/platform/theme/common/colorRegistry.ts
index 77e1e320fa19..d339017945c1 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/theme/common/colorRegistry.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/theme/common/colorRegistry.ts
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class ColorRegistry implements IColorRegistry {
 	public registerColor(id: string, defaults: ColorDefaults | null, description: string, needsTransparency = false, deprecationMessage?: string): ColorIdentifier {
 		let colorContribution: ColorContribution = { id, description, defaults, needsTransparency, deprecationMessage };
 		this.colorsById[id] = colorContribution;
-		let propertySchema: IJSONSchema = { type: 'string', description, format: 'color-hex', default: '#ff0000' };
+		let propertySchema: IJSONSchema = { type: 'string', description, format: 'color-hex', defaultSnippets: [{ body: '#ff0000' }] };
 		if (deprecationMessage) {
 			propertySchema.deprecationMessage = deprecationMessage;
 		}