Accessibility

Is Mel accessible with a screen reader and the keyboard? Mel names its own buttons, chips, sidebar rows and cards for screen readers, in the same words you see on them, so VoiceOver on macOS and Narrator on Windows can read them. You can reach Mel's actions from the keyboard, make everything larger, and dictate instead of typing.

Screen readers

Most of Mel's interface is drawn by Mel itself, not by standard system controls. Mel gives each of those pieces a role and a name a screen reader can read:

• the titlebar icons, and buttons that show a count say it, for example the bell's unread count
• the chips above the prompt, by what each one shows
• the sidebar's tab rows, and which one is selected
• a block's buttons
• approval and question cards, and their buttons
• the Runs screen and its rows ("Fix the flaky test, Local · api, Needs your approval")

A button that is also a switch, such as the open sidebar or an active filter, says whether it's on. Mel only builds this description when your screen reader asks for it, so it costs nothing when no screen reader is running.

The keyboard

• Command palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (⌃P or ⌘P on a Mac) finds Mel's main actions and every on/off setting by name.
• Cheat sheet: Ctrl+/ (⌘/ on a Mac) shows the shortcuts.
• Change any shortcut in Settings ▸ Keyboard shortcuts: click a row, press the keys you want, save. A key that's already taken is outlined.
• Focus is visible: a control Mel draws shows an outline when the keyboard is on it.
• Approval cards: Esc denies. Enter approves only when the message box is empty and not focused, and a step that can't be undone needs a click or Ctrl+Enter (⌘Enter on a Mac), so a stray Enter never runs it.

The full list is in Keyboard shortcuts.

Bigger text and calmer screens

Open Settings ▸ Appearance:

A colour always means the same thing in every theme: green for done and for anything that needs you, pink for a problem, red for a failure. A state never relies on colour alone; it also has its own mark and words, such as Needs you. See Appearance.

Speak instead of typing

Voice input lets you dictate a prompt to the agent instead of typing it.

Delays that protect you

When an approval card first appears, and again when you switch back to Mel, its Allow button waits a moment (about half a second) before it accepts a click or a key. Deny and Esc work at once. This stops a key you were already pressing from approving something you haven't read.

FAQ

Does Mel work with VoiceOver and Narrator? Yes. Mel names its own controls for screen readers, by the words shown on them.

Can I use Mel without a mouse? Mostly. The command palette, shortcuts you can rebind and the keyboard keys on approval cards cover the main actions.

How do I make the text bigger? Use Zoom for the whole interface, or Font size for terminal and editor text, in Settings ▸ Appearance.

Something isn't read out. What should I do? Tell us which control it is at hello@openmel.dev, or through the contact form.