diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES.md b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
index 4ce02c09..e4d0087e 100644
--- a/RELEASE-NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ Version: 1.7.0
 
   - cligen/mslice.initSep allows eliding backslash for special chars: 0, t, n
 
+  - BREAKING CHANGE only under -d:cgCfgToml & in config.toml:[color] section
+    where color specification becomes like the `[render]` section and more
+    like non-TOML color specs instead of a more awkward TOML list of strings.
+    Existing TOML users likely need to simplify just 1 file in a user config
+    (although running under `NO_COLOR=1` is another option).
+
 Version: 1.6.18
 ---------------
   - Add cligen/mslice.within to test if one slice entirely brackets another
diff --git a/cligen/clCfgToml.nim b/cligen/clCfgToml.nim
index 2fa822cd..f54ecaa7 100644
--- a/cligen/clCfgToml.nim
+++ b/cligen/clCfgToml.nim
@@ -60,11 +60,10 @@ proc apply(c: var ClCfg, cfgFile: string, plain=false) =
         else:
           stderr.write(&"{cfgFile}: unknown keyword {k2} in the [{k1}] section\n")
     of "color":
-      stderr.write "toml parsing\n"
       if not plain:
         for k2, v2 in v1.getTable().pairs:
-          let val = textAttrOn(v2.getElems().mapIt(it.getStr()))
-          var on = ""; var off = textAttrOff
+          let val = v2.getStr()
+          var on, off: string
           if ';' in val:
             let c = val.split(';')
             if c.len != 2:
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ proc apply(c: var ClCfg, cfgFile: string, plain=false) =
             on  = textAttrOn(c[0].strip.split, plain)
             off = textAttrOn(c[1].strip.split, plain)
           else:
-            on = textAttrOn(val.split, plain)
+            on = textAttrOn(val.strip.split, plain); off = textAttrOff
           case k2.toLowerAscii()
           of "optkeys", "options", "switches", "optkey", "option", "switch":
             c.helpAttr["clOptKeys"] = on; c.helpAttrOff["clOptKeys"] = off
diff --git a/configs/config.toml b/configs/config.toml
index 56aad84b..ab68ff9a 100644
--- a/configs/config.toml
+++ b/configs/config.toml
@@ -9,13 +9,13 @@
 #   includes = ["LC_THEME"] # This can define aliases like: colors = "fhot5 = RED"
 
 [color]
-  switches = ["RED"]               # These example colors are likely very ugly to you.
-  valtype = ["CYAN"]               # The full syntax for all these color/attr specs is..
-  defaultvalue = ["GREEN", "bold"] # .. implemented in `cligen/humanUt.nim:textAttrParse`
-  description = ["PURPLE"]         # .. `cligen/humanUt.nim:attrNames` is a good start.
-  command = ["bold"]               # Command name in one-liners & in multi-cmd tables
-  doc = ["YELLOW"]                 # Overall documentation
-  args = ["RED"]                   # Positional args in one-liners
+  switches = "RED"            # These example colors are likely very ugly to you.
+  valtype = "CYAN"            # The full syntax for all these color/attr specs is..
+  defaultvalue = "GREEN bold" # .. implemented in `cligen/humanUt.nim:textAttrParse`
+  description = "PURPLE"      # .. `cligen/humanUt.nim:attrNames` is a good start.
+  command = "bold"            # Command name in one-liners & in multi-cmd tables
+  doc = "YELLOW"              # Overall documentation
+  args = "RED"                # Positional args in one-liners
 
 [render]
   singleStar = "italic     ; -italic"