GitHub is helping shape more accessible CLI experiences through inclusive research
As AI-powered workflows become more common in terminals and command-line tools, GitHub wanted to understand better how people with disabilities experience CLI environments. Through user research with assistive technology users, they got practical insights to help improve accessibility across CLI tools and the broader open-source ecosystem.
GitHub is helping shape more accessible CLI experiences through inclusive research
As AI-powered workflows become more common in terminals and command-line tools, GitHub wanted to understand better how people with disabilities experience CLI environments. Through user research with assistive technology users, they got practical insights to help improve accessibility across CLI tools and the broader open-source ecosystem.
Accessibility standards for CLI environments are still emerging
As AI-powered development tools become more integrated into terminals and command-line interfaces (CLI), accessible CLI experiences are becoming increasingly important. Unlike the web and mobile ecosystems, there are few shared standards or established conventions for accessible CLI experiences. Accessibility often depends on individual tool authors, terminal configurations, or community workarounds.
To help address that gap, GitHub partnered with Fable on inclusive user research to better understand:
The resulting Community-Led CLI Accessibility Standards Usability Research Study surfaced practical insights for CLI authors, terminal developers, and the broader open-source ecosystem.
For GitHub, this work supports a broader commitment to improving accessibility in open source and helping more developers with disabilities participate in modern development workflows.
“As AI-powered developer tools become more integrated into terminal workflows, accessibility in CLI environments matters more than ever. We wanted to invest in research now because adoption is growing quickly, but shared accessibility guidance for terminals and CLIs is still emerging.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
“As AI-powered developer tools become more integrated into terminal workflows, accessibility in CLI environments matters more than ever. We wanted to invest in research now because adoption is growing quickly, but shared accessibility guidance for terminals and CLIs is still emerging.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
Why CLI accessibility matters now
As command-line tools and AI-powered workflows become more central to modern software development, accessibility gaps in CLI environments carry greater consequences.
For assistive technology users, the fragmented standards create inconsistent experiences and unnecessary barriers. Participants described needing to adapt workflows, rely on workarounds, or navigate tools that were not designed with accessibility in mind.
For many people with disabilities, the command line can be a faster, more predictable, and more efficient way to work than graphical interfaces. GitHub saw an opportunity to better understand these experiences in practice and help inform a broader conversation about accessible CLI design.
Moving beyond assumptions
This research grew out of broader accessibility conversations within the open source community. At the inaugural Open Source Accessibility Summit in 2025, Andy Feller, Software Engineer at GitHub, presented a lightning talk on accessible CLIs that sparked a broader question about the future of accessibility in terminal environments.
“How do we build delightful, accessible CLIs in a terminal world without formal standards and with only loose, emerging conventions?”
Andy Feller, Software Engineer at GitHub
That question aligned closely with GitHub’s broader accessibility commitments. Through its pledge to help improve the accessibility of open source software at scale, GitHub has committed to:
Rather than rely only on assumptions or technical discussions, GitHub wanted to learn directly from people using assistive technologies in terminal environments today.
The approach
GitHub partnered with Fable to bring lived experience into the research process.
Through Fable’s Community of people with disabilities, GitHub connected with assistive technology users with experience using:
Participants shared how they use CLI tools in practice, the barriers they encounter, and the workarounds they rely on today.
Fable supported participant recruitment and inclusive research engagement throughout the study. This helped GitHub learn directly from people using assistive technologies in real-world development workflows. By centering lived experience throughout the research, the study surfaced practical insights for CLI authors, terminal developers, and the broader open source community.
Research overview
The Community-Led CLI Accessibility Standards Usability Research Study used generative research interviews to explore accessibility challenges and opportunities within terminal and CLI experiences.
Research goals
- Identify accessibility barriers in terminal environments
- Understand how assistive technology users navigate CLI workflows today
- Surface improvements that could make CLI experiences more accessible
- Explore opportunities for shared accessibility conventions and guidance
Study overview
- Seven one-hour user interviews were conducted over video
- Participants with a range of access needs
- Assistive technologies represented included:
- JAWS on Windows
- NVDA on Windows
- OS magnification on macOS
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking on Windows
The study focused on both CLI users and CLI developers. Participants shared not only what was difficult, but also what worked well, where they adapted, and where they saw opportunities for meaningful improvement.
“Partnering with Fable helped us learn directly from assistive technology users who already had experience with CLI tools, which made the research especially valuable and grounded in real-world workflows. Their lived experience helped us better understand both the barriers they face and the opportunities to make CLI experiences more accessible by design.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
“Partnering with Fable helped us learn directly from assistive technology users who already had experience with CLI tools, which made the research especially valuable and grounded in real-world workflows. Their lived experience helped us better understand both the barriers they face and the opportunities to make CLI experiences more accessible by design.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
What the research revealed
The study surfaced several themes that can help shape more accessible CLI experiences across tools and platforms.
Accessible CLIs can be an efficient path
For some assistive technology users, command-line tools can be easier to use than graphical interfaces. Participants described the CLI as more predictable and, in some cases, more empowering than a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Participants noted that when graphical interfaces introduce barriers, CLI workflows can become the more dependable option. The predictable structure of the CLI helps users work with greater independence and efficiency.
“I couldn’t get to the buttons in the AWS GUI, but once I set up the CLI, it felt like MS DOS — I could just work again
John, JAWS user
Key Insight
The CLI should not be treated as a secondary or fallback experience. For many people, it is the preferred path, so accessibility needs to be built into CLI tools by design.
Structured and predictable experiences reduce friction
Long, dense, or poorly organized command output made CLI use harder across multiple assistive technologies. Participants described losing orientation in verbose outputs, navigating cluttered layouts, or needing to repeatedly configure accessibility settings.
Participants highlighted the value of:
- structured outputs
- predictable interaction patterns
- persistent accessibility settings
- clear feedback and state communication
“The most helpful is when the important stuff is right above where I’m working — errors at the bottom, not scattered at the top.
John, JAWS user
“If I could just set export_dash_mode=true in my environment, I wouldn’t have to turn it on every time — I’d just be set up.”
Taylor, NVDA user
Key Insight
Simple, predictable experiences help assistive technology users stay oriented and work more efficiently over time.
Documentation and onboarding matter
Participants often described creating their own workarounds because tools and documentation did not sufficiently support their needs. Some copied outputs into external editors to make them easier to navigate. Others struggled to find practical guidance for using CLI tools with assistive technologies.
Participants also noted that many tutorials rely heavily on visual instruction without explaining what assistive technology users should hear, expect, or experience during workflows.
“I’d love a reference sheet for using Dragon with CLIs. Right now, I just assume it doesn’t exist and don’t even bother looking.”
Michael, Dragon NaturallySpeaking user
“Most YouTube tutorials skip describing what’s on screen. When we teach, we make sure we never speak over the screen reader and explain what users should hear and expect.”
Jeff, JAWS user
Key Insight
Accessibility support extends beyond interface behavior. Accessible documentation, onboarding, and learning resources all shape how usable a tool feels in practice.
Turning research into action
Building on this research, GitHub used the findings to help inform accessibility features included in GitHub Copilot CLI and released a guide for Using Git, GitHub CLI, and Copilot CLI with a Screen Reader for users who want to work with Git and GitHub entirely from the command line.
The guide was a direct outcome of the research and provides a practical reference for accessible CLI workflows.
GitHub also identified opportunities for continued collaboration and exploration, including:
Building more accessible developer tools together
This research does not attempt to define a final accessibility standard for CLI environments. Instead, it centers the experiences of people with disabilities and offers grounded input from assistive technology users navigating terminal workflows today.
As terminals become increasingly important to modern development, CLI accessibility cannot remain an afterthought. CLI developers have an opportunity to use this research to reduce barriers, improve usability, and build tools that better reflect how people with disabilities actually work.
This work reflects the first principle of accessibility at GitHub: Nothing about us without us.
Inclusive research helps move accessibility work beyond assumptions and creates a stronger foundation for collaboration across the CLI and open source ecosystem.
This work will only move forward through continued collaboration with people with disabilities, researchers, maintainers, and CLI developers. If you build command-line tools, now is the time to learn from this research, work alongside disabled users, and help grow a more accessible open source ecosystem.
Join the open source accessibility movement
- Follow the Open Source Accessibility organization
- Use the research findings to identify barriers and opportunities in your own CLI workflows
- Contribute to practical, community-led guidance for accessible CLI design and development
- Help shape shared accessibility conventions across terminals, CLIs, and developer tools
- Join the conversation in the Open Source Accessibility Slack
Help shape more accessible developer experiences
People with disabilities interested in sharing their experiences with GitHub products and developer tooling can join Fable’s Community to participate in future research opportunities
“Accessible CLI experiences won’t come from any one tool or organization alone. We hope this work helps contribute to a broader, community-led effort to make terminal-based developer tools more accessible by design.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
“Accessible CLI experiences won’t come from any one tool or organization alone. We hope this work helps contribute to a broader, community-led effort to make terminal-based developer tools more accessible by design.”
Maria Lamardo
Sr. Accessibility Program Manager
