Accessibility
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Accessibility — Gnomad Desktop Assistant
Status: Alpha improvements (June 2026) — not a full WCAG 2.2 audit
Target: v1.0 general availability pass
Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘⇧Space / Ctrl+Shift+Space | Show/hide Gnomad (global, OS-level) |
| Escape | Close topmost overlay (gate modal → about → onboarding → settings → knowledge) |
| ⌘K / Ctrl+K or ⌘L / Ctrl+L | Focus message composer |
| ⌘, / Ctrl+, | Open Settings |
| ⌘N / Ctrl+N | New chat |
Shortcuts are disabled while typing in inputs unless combined with ⌘/Ctrl. Gate modals (Sudo / Path) only handle Escape.
Implemented (alpha)
- Focus visible —
:focus-visiblering on interactive controls - Composer —
aria-label="Message Gnomad", stable#gnomad-composer-inputid - Modals —
role="dialog",aria-modal="true", focus trap on Sudo Gate, Path Gate, About, Onboarding - Skip link — windowed/fullscreen: “Skip to main content” jumps to
#gnomad-main-content - Terminal — debounced
aria-livesummaries for xterm output (full stream not read line-by-line) - Knowledge tabs —
role="tablist"/role="tab"/aria-selected - Existing labels — provider/model selects, send button, tray actions (see component
aria-labelattributes)
Known gaps (v1.0)
- Full WCAG 2.2 AA contrast audit not complete
- Screen reader testing limited (VoiceOver / NVDA / Orca)
- Live terminal: debounced summaries only (not full stream narration)
Testing checklist
[ ] Tab through Settings without mouse
[ ] Escape closes settings and knowledge overlay
[ ] ⌘K focuses composer from chat view
[ ] Sudo Gate: Tab cycles Deny / Approve; Escape denies
[ ] Focus ring visible on buttons and tabs (keyboard only)
[ ] Onboarding: Tab through provider cards and form fields
[ ] Windowed mode: Tab to “Skip to main content” → main chat
Related
- USER_GUIDE.md
- ROADMAP.md — v1.0 WCAG pass
- CROSS_PLATFORM_CHECKLIST.md
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