accessibility_audit

The accessibility_audit tool performs an automated accessibility audit on the currently displayed screen of a booted simulator. It inspects the view hierarchy for common accessibility issues such as missing labels, insufficient contrast ratios, unsupported Dynamic Type, small touch targets, and elements hidden from assistive technologies. The audit leverages Xcode’s built-in accessibility testing framework, introduced in Xcode 15.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`deviceId`	string	Yes	—	UDID of the booted simulator to audit. Must be running iOS 17+ runtime.

Usage Examples

Audit the current screen

“Run an accessibility audit on my simulator”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890"
}

Audit after navigating to a specific screen

“Run an accessibility audit on the settings screen of my app in the simulator”

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890"
}

Audit in dark mode

“Switch to dark mode and run an accessibility audit to check contrast”

First call device_appearance to set dark mode, then run the audit:

{
  "deviceId": "A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890"
}

Example Output

Accessibility Audit Results
Device: iPhone 16 Pro (A1B2C3D4-E5F6-7890-ABCD-EF1234567890)
Screen: SettingsView

Issues found: 5

[WARNING] Missing accessibility label
  Element: UIButton at (24, 142, 44, 44)
  Description: Image-only button with no accessibility label set.
  Suggestion: Add an accessibilityLabel describing the button's action (e.g., "Close" or "Settings").

[ERROR] Insufficient contrast ratio
  Element: UILabel "Last updated 2 min ago" at (16, 308, 343, 18)
  Contrast ratio: 2.8:1 (minimum required: 4.5:1 for normal text)
  Foreground: #A0A0A0, Background: #F2F2F7
  Suggestion: Darken the text color to at least #767676 to meet WCAG AA requirements.

[WARNING] Small touch target
  Element: UIButton "Clear cache" at (280, 520, 60, 28)
  Size: 60 x 28 pt (minimum recommended: 44 x 44 pt)
  Suggestion: Increase the tappable area to at least 44 x 44 points.

[WARNING] Missing accessibility trait
  Element: Custom UIView at (16, 410, 343, 80)
  Description: Interactive element missing .button or .link trait.
  Suggestion: Add the appropriate accessibility trait so VoiceOver announces the element correctly.

[INFO] Dynamic Type not supported
  Element: UILabel "Version 2.4.1" at (16, 680, 200, 16)
  Description: Fixed font size (13pt) does not respond to Dynamic Type settings.
  Suggestion: Use a scalable text style (e.g., .footnote) or UIFontMetrics for custom fonts.

Summary: 1 error, 3 warnings, 1 info

screenshot — Capture a screenshot of the screen being audited to visually document issues.
device_appearance — Switch between light and dark mode to test contrast and readability in both appearances.
app_launch — Launch the app and navigate to the target screen before running the audit.
xcode_test — Run automated UI tests that include programmatic accessibility assertions.