#Warp accessibility (screen readers)

4 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

outer ocean
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This is a message I just sent to the Warp email, but perhaps I can get a response on Discord too.

Hello,

I just tried Warp today and I like the general idea of it, especially a terminal that agents can use. However, this UI is completely inaccessible with screen readers.

We must use OCR (optical character recognition) to get anything out of it, and this isn't much at all. I can't figure out how to open an existing project, for example. I prompted for an accessible Snake game, but it seems as though it made a UI similar to Warp's inaccessible one.

I'd love to help you with implementing accessibility into Warp.

Thank you.

jagged ruinBOT
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Hi @outer ocean. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:

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Thank you for your feedback and for reaching out about accessibility in Warp.

Currently, Warp's accessibility—especially for screen reader users—is limited. The UI is built on a custom rendering layer, which means standard screen readers like VoiceOver (on macOS) or UI Automation (on Windows) cannot access or navigate the UI elements as they would in native applications. As a result, users often have to rely on OCR to get any information from the interface, which is far from ideal and makes many features, including project navigation, inaccessible for blind and visually impaired users.

Warp has implemented some accessibility features, such as announcing certain events and actions using macOS's NSAccessibility notifications, but this does not provide full screen reader support or element navigation. There is currently no way to navigate between different UI elements using standard screen reader key combinations, and the app does not expose its element tree to the operating system's accessibility APIs. This is a known limitation, and the Warp team has acknowledged that their current approach is not the final or ideal state for accessibility. They are aware of the need for improvement and have expressed openness to feedback and collaboration from the community to make Warp more accessible in the future Accessibility documentation, Github Issue: Accessibility and screenreader users.

At this time, there is no built-in, out-of-the-box support for screen readers on Windows, and even on macOS, the experience is limited. The team has received similar feedback from other users and is tracking these issues, but there is no indication in the knowledge sources of a timeline for comprehensive screen reader support or a fully accessible UI.

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If you are interested in helping improve accessibility in Warp, the team welcomes feedback and contributions. You can share your suggestions or offer to collaborate via their GitHub issues or by contacting them directly, as you have done.

In summary:

  • Warp is currently not accessible with screen readers on either macOS or Windows.
  • OCR is sometimes the only way to get information from the UI.
  • The team is aware of these limitations and is open to feedback and collaboration, but there is no full solution yet.

Thank you again for highlighting this important issue and offering your help. Your input is valuable as Warp continues to work toward better accessibility for all users.

Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon: