Add a setting in config to enable or disable screen reader mode (AXScreenReader)

Status Open
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 1 comment · opened Aug 16, 2026

Preflight Checklist

  • [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
  • [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

It is impossible to enable screen reader mode using the /config configuration moduile in Claude Code

Proposed Solution

Right now, users must add a line into Claude Code's settings.json file or by issuing an environment variable assignment "export" "env" in their OS of choice. This is not hard to do for me, but as a screen reader user myself, it would have been helpful to be able to know that this feature actually existed when it came out. Also users who have less computer and settings file / linux file editing may find this task difficult--a misentered field could cause Claude to crash and leave the user in the lurch, worse off than they were with accessibility mode turned off. One way to ease the process for enabling axScreenReader word of mouth notwithstanding, would be to allow users to enable or disable the mode in /config. It is such a game changer for screen reader users, that it should be placed in a place of prominence, toward the top of the configuration page, to allow screen readers to find it and enable it. It is not impossible to use /config with axScreenReader turned off, but if it were near the top or alphabetical (not sure which way is your preferred), the user does not need to arrow down through the field with items repeating while arrowing and all kinds of screen reader craziness to happen. I could code this and add it to Claude myself as a pr, but I think the more official way to do it is to file an issue so taht you all can fix it in due time and let users know that this amazing feature exists. It helps my workflow so much it's not even funny.

Alternative Solutions

Add a way to enable it via the installer/detect screen readers (popular ones are voiceover, NVDA, JAWS, Orca, terminal) Detection is not failsafe or easy on some operating systems. Also publicize the hell out of this thing, for people who use Claude on a daily basis, this is literally life changing and will speed my workflow substantially.

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

Use case is for a user who does not know this feature exists / is not comfortable with editing settings JSON files properly. Claude can help do this task for sure, but not unless the user knows it exists.

Additional Context

no additional context, described above

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