diff --git a/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.colors.md b/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.colors.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b812f3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.colors.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<!-- Do not edit this file. It is automatically generated by API Documenter. -->
+
+[Home](./index.md) &gt; [cautious-journey](./cautious-journey.md) &gt; [SyncOptions](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.md) &gt; [colors](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.colors.md)
+
+## SyncOptions.colors property
+
+<b>Signature:</b>
+
+```typescript
+colors: Array<string>;
+```
diff --git a/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.md b/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.md
index d6d7900..2817b9b 100644
--- a/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.md
+++ b/docs/api/cautious-journey.syncoptions.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export interface SyncOptions
 
 |  Property | Type | Description |
 |  --- | --- | --- |
+|  [colors](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.colors.md) | Array&lt;string&gt; |  |
 |  [flags](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.flags.md) | Array&lt;[FlagLabel](./cautious-journey.flaglabel.md)<!-- -->&gt; |  |
 |  [logger](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.logger.md) | Logger |  |
 |  [project](./cautious-journey.syncoptions.project.md) | string |  |
diff --git a/src/labels.ts b/src/labels.ts
index a8a9a03..2154cb7 100644
--- a/src/labels.ts
+++ b/src/labels.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import { doesExist, InvalidArgumentError } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
+import { randomItem } from './utils';
+
 /**
  * A reference to another label.
  */
@@ -113,3 +116,32 @@ export function prioritizeLabels<TLabel extends BaseLabel>(labels: Array<TLabel>
     }
   });
 }
+
+/**
+ * Pick a label color, preferring the label data if set, falling back to a randomly selected color.
+ *
+ * TODO: this is a terrible overload
+ */
+export function colorizeLabel(flag: FlagLabel, colors: Array<string>): string;
+export function colorizeLabel(state: StateLabel, value: StateValue, colors: Array<string>): string;
+export function colorizeLabel(label: BaseLabel, colorsOrValue: Array<string> | StateValue, maybeColors?: Array<string>): string {
+  if (Array.isArray(colorsOrValue)) {
+    const { color } = label;
+    if (doesExist(color)) {
+      return color;
+    } else {
+      return randomItem(colorsOrValue);
+    }
+  } else {
+    if (!Array.isArray(maybeColors)) {
+      throw new InvalidArgumentError();
+    }
+
+    const { color = colorsOrValue.color } = label;
+    if (doesExist(color)) {
+      return color;
+    } else {
+      return randomItem(maybeColors);
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index c870c1f..0d7d560 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { InvalidArgumentError, isNil, doesExist } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
+import { doesExist, InvalidArgumentError, isNil } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
 import { createSchema } from '@apextoaster/js-yaml-schema';
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, realpathSync } from 'fs';
 import { DEFAULT_SAFE_SCHEMA, safeLoad } from 'js-yaml';
@@ -57,25 +57,29 @@ export async function main(argv: Array<string>): Promise<number> {
   }, 'startup environment');
 
   for (const project of config.projects) {
-    if (doesExist(args.project) && !args.project.includes(project.name)) {
-      logger.info({ project: project.name }, 'skipping project');
+    const { colors, flags, name, states } = project;
+
+    if (doesExist(args.project) && !args.project.includes(name)) {
+      logger.info({ project: name }, 'skipping project');
       continue;
     }
 
     const remote = new GithubRemote({
-      ...project.remote,
-      dryrun: args.dryrun,
+      data: project.remote.data,
+      dryrun: args.dryrun || project.remote.dryrun,
       logger,
+      type: project.remote.type,
     });
     await remote.connect();
 
     // mode switch
     const options: SyncOptions = {
-      flags: project.flags,
+      colors,
+      flags,
       logger,
-      project: project.name,
+      project: name,
       remote,
-      states: project.states,
+      states,
     };
     switch (mode) {
       case Commands.ISSUES:
@@ -85,7 +89,7 @@ export async function main(argv: Array<string>): Promise<number> {
         await syncLabels(options);
         break;
       default:
-        throw new InvalidArgumentError('unknown mode');
+        throw new InvalidArgumentError('unknown command');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/sync.ts b/src/sync.ts
index 675dc77..6219d5c 100644
--- a/src/sync.ts
+++ b/src/sync.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import { doesExist, mustExist } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
 import { Logger } from 'noicejs';
 
-import { FlagLabel, getLabelNames, StateLabel, valueName } from './labels';
+import { colorizeLabel, FlagLabel, getLabelNames, StateLabel, valueName } from './labels';
 import { LabelUpdate, Remote } from './remote';
 import { resolveLabels } from './resolve';
-import { defaultTo } from './utils';
+import { defaultTo, defaultUntil } from './utils';
 
 export interface SyncOptions {
+  colors: Array<string>;
   flags: Array<FlagLabel>;
   logger: Logger;
   project: string;
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ export async function createLabel(options: SyncOptions, name: string) {
   const flag = options.flags.find((it) => name === it.name);
   if (doesExist(flag)) {
     await options.remote.createLabel({
-      color: mustExist(flag.color),
+      color: colorizeLabel(flag, options.colors),
       desc: mustExist(flag.desc),
       name,
       project: options.project,
@@ -102,8 +103,8 @@ export async function createLabel(options: SyncOptions, name: string) {
     const value = state.values.find((it) => valueName(state, it) === name);
     if (doesExist(value)) {
       await options.remote.createLabel({
-        color: defaultTo(defaultTo(value.color, state.color), ''),
-        desc: defaultTo(defaultTo(value.desc, state.desc), ''),
+        color: colorizeLabel(state, value, options.colors),
+        desc: defaultUntil(value.desc, state.desc, ''),
         name: valueName(state, value),
         project: options.project,
       });
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ export async function syncSingleLabel(options: SyncOptions, label: LabelUpdate):
   const flag = options.flags.find((it) => label.name === it.name);
   if (doesExist(flag)) {
     await syncLabelDiff(options, label, {
-      color: defaultTo(flag.color, label.color),
+      color: colorizeLabel(flag, options.colors),
       desc: defaultTo(flag.desc, label.desc),
       name: flag.name,
       project: options.project,
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ export async function syncSingleLabel(options: SyncOptions, label: LabelUpdate):
     const value = state.values.find((it) => valueName(state, it) === label.name);
     if (doesExist(value)) {
       await syncLabelDiff(options, label, {
-        color: defaultTo(value.color, label.color),
+        color: colorizeLabel(state, value, options.colors),
         desc: defaultTo(value.desc, label.desc),
         name: valueName(state, value),
         project: options.project,
diff --git a/src/utils.ts b/src/utils.ts
index ee20c81..f25ac25 100644
--- a/src/utils.ts
+++ b/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { doesExist, Optional } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
+import { doesExist, Optional, mustExist } from '@apextoaster/js-utils';
 
 export function defaultTo<T>(a: Optional<T>, b: T): T {
   if (doesExist(a)) {
@@ -7,3 +7,13 @@ export function defaultTo<T>(a: Optional<T>, b: T): T {
     return b;
   }
 }
+
+export function defaultUntil<T>(...items: Array<Optional<T>>): T {
+  const result = items.reduce(defaultTo, undefined);
+  return mustExist(result);
+}
+
+export function randomItem<T>(items: Array<T>, source = Math.random): T {
+  const idx = Math.floor(source() * items.length);
+  return items[idx];
+}
diff --git a/test/TestUtils.ts b/test/TestUtils.ts
index 91d1ec9..01fdc2e 100644
--- a/test/TestUtils.ts
+++ b/test/TestUtils.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { expect } from 'chai';
 
-import { defaultTo } from '../src/utils';
+import { defaultTo, defaultUntil } from '../src/utils';
 
 const TEST_TRUE = 'foo';
 const TEST_FALSE = 'bar';
@@ -14,4 +14,15 @@ describe('utils', () => {
       expect(defaultTo(TEST_TRUE, TEST_FALSE)).to.equal(TEST_TRUE);
     });
   });
+
+  describe('default until value helper', () => {
+    it('should return the first defined value', () => {
+      /* eslint-disable-next-line no-null/no-null */
+      expect(defaultUntil(null, null, TEST_TRUE)).to.equal(TEST_TRUE);
+      /* eslint-disable-next-line no-null/no-null */
+      expect(defaultUntil(null, undefined, TEST_TRUE)).to.equal(TEST_TRUE);
+      expect(defaultUntil(undefined, TEST_TRUE, undefined, undefined, TEST_FALSE)).to.equal(TEST_TRUE);
+      expect(defaultUntil(undefined, undefined, TEST_TRUE, undefined)).to.equal(TEST_TRUE);
+    });
+  });
 });