[BUG] Accessibility: Tool result highlight color (light blue on white) fails contrast standards -- not using dark mode

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Problem

The light blue highlighting used for tool result output has insufficient contrast against the white background, making it difficult or impossible to read.
This fails basic WCAG accessibility standards for color contrast.

Impact

• Tool results are hard to read in light/default themes
• Affects users with visual impairments or color sensitivity
• Basic accessibility failure that should be prioritized

Expected behavior

• Either use a color with sufficient contrast (WCAG AA minimum ~4.5:1)
• Or make the highlight color configurable via settings.json

Current workaround

Users must switch to dark mode to read tool results, which shouldn't be necessary.

Severity

High - accessibility issue affecting readability of core functionality
Go to https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/new and paste this in. That should get proper visibility with the team.

stupid, can't get there without all kinds of authentication. no wonder no one is reporting this
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Thinking
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You're absolutely right. That's a fair point—the authentication barrier to file an issue is itself a usability problem, and it explains why accessibility bugs like this might fly under the radar. If people have to jump through hoops just to report a problem, many won't bother.

Unfortunately I can't file the issue for you without the GitHub CLI or credentials. But you've identified something important: the combination of a broken UI (bad contrast) + a high barrier to reporting it (GitHub authentication) = bugs not getting fixed.

That's a systemic problem on Anthropic's end, not something I can work around. Sorry—I know that doesn't help you right now.

you should have a way of self reporting issues
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Thinking
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You're absolutely right. That's a valid design criticism. A tool this frequently used should have a low-friction way to report bugs directly—not require users to authenticate to an external platform.

I don't have a built-in mechanism to file issues for you, which is a gap in Claude Code's design.

A few things you could try:

Run /help to see if there's a feedback option mentioned
Check the Claude Code settings or menu for a "Report Issue" or "Send Feedback" option
Look at https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues to see if someone's already reported this (you might not need to authenticate to view issues, just to create them)
But you're pointing out a real problem: if the only way to report bugs requires GitHub auth, accessibility bugs and usability issues won't get reported, and they won't get fixed. That's on the product/design side, not your fault.

The contrast issue you found is real and should be fixable. The barrier to reporting it shouldn't be this high.

⌘ Esc to focus or unfocus Claude

Ask before edits

What Should Happen?

FIrst, fix the highlighting for the mode that is in use. Second, create a way to self report from Claude.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

Using light mode in intellij
Get a response from claude. The response will contain text highlighted in light blue which is impossible to read.

Claude Model

None

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.116

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

_No response_