Accessibility

Tuochat is designed to be usable without sight. This page explains what is available today and how to configure it.

Blind / screen reader mode

Enable blind-friendly mode with any of:

  • global --blind flag: tuochat --blind repl
  • Config: chat.blind = true
  • Slash command mid-session: /blind on

In blind mode, tuochat:

  • Suppresses the startup logo
  • Suppresses clear-screen operations that would scroll past content
  • Uses linear numbered pickers instead of cursor-driven menus
  • Makes /help fall through to the numbered help menu automatically
  • Presents prompts as plain text with numbered options and simple verbs such as pick, list, and back

Blind prompt toolkit behavior

Tuochat's blind-first picker system is designed for linear screen-reader use rather than cursor navigation:

  • Small lists are read out in full immediately.
  • Medium lists announce the count and let you type a number, an exact name, or ask for list.
  • Large lists encourage filtering first, then paging through matches.
  • Common commands include list, next, prev, pick 3, back, status, and help.
  • Tree and file pickers announce the current path and each child item so you can move through a directory or project structure without relying on arrow keys.

This same linear style is used for file picking, template/skill selection, conversation resume lists, and other menu-driven workflows.

Numbered selection throughout

Every list-based interaction supports picking by number. This works in both normal and blind mode, but is especially important for screen reader users who navigate by announced text.

/resume
  1. 2024-06-01 - Refactor auth module
  2. 2024-05-30 - Explain database schema
  3. 2024-05-28 - Write unit tests
Pick: 2

Commands that use numbered selection include /resume, /search, /delete, /unarchive, /model, /skill, /template, /custom, /files, /gl issue list, and /gl mr list.

Picker modes

The picker system is configurable for users who want an even more predictable interaction style:

[picker]
mode = "auto"      # or "paged" or "ask_one"
page_size = 10
  • auto - show short lists all at once and page large ones
  • paged - always show numbered pages
  • ask_one - present one item at a time

If blind mode is enabled, auto becomes paged automatically.

Help menu

/help-menu presents the help system as a numbered list of sections rather than a table:

Help sections:
  1. Session and Setup
  2. Attachments and Context
  3. Conversation History
  4. Output and Safety
  5. Exit and Cleanup
Enter section number (or press Enter to exit):

This is announced clearly by most screen readers without requiring the user to navigate a table.

No-clear-screen

Normal mode clears the terminal screen in some situations. Blind mode suppresses all clear operations so content is never scrolled out of the screen reader's buffer.

Notification bell

For long-running requests, tuochat rings the terminal bell rather than relying on a visual spinner. Configure the threshold:

[notifications]
long_request_bell_enabled = true
long_request_bell_seconds = 20

Progress dots

An alternative to the notification bell is the progress dot timer, which prints a . every second while waiting:

/dot-timer on

Or in config:

[chat]
dot_timer = true

Multiline input

Tuochat does not require readline or any terminal library for multiline input. Use:

  • Linux/macOS: Ctrl-D on a blank line to submit
  • Windows: Ctrl-Z then Enter to submit

Verbose context diagnostics

/verbose on causes tuochat to print a token budget summary before each response:

Context: 4 200 / 200 000 tokens used (2%)

This lets you track prompt size by listening to output rather than reading a visual meter.

Accessibility skill

Tuochat ships with a bundled skill that instructs Duo to assist blind users with tuochat itself:

/skill blind-accessibility

Load it at the start of a session to have Duo produce output suited to being read aloud.

GUI accessibility

The Tkinter GUI (tuochat gui) uses standard Tkinter widgets plus a tabbed notebook for chat, files, context, search, help, usage, observability, Git, GitLab, Jira, transcript, and errors. Slash commands such as /help, /usage, /observability, /search, /context, and /attach route focus to those tabs automatically.

Screen readers that support Tkinter (for example NVDA on Windows) can read the transcript, input box, and tab content. Keyboard navigation uses Alt-key shortcuts:

Shortcut Action
Alt+S Send
Alt+H Help
Alt+T Status
Alt+Q Quit

Planned improvements

An HTML interface is still on the roadmap. Real-world blind users have reported that browser-based interfaces are often more accessible than terminal emulators for screen reader workflows.