Swift Accessibility

Scan, fix, and audit accessibility in Swift projects. Detects missing VoiceOver labels, Dynamic Type issues, WCAG violations, and generates XCTest audit code. Supports both SwiftUI and UIKit with auto-detection per file. Covers all 9 Apple Accessibility Nutrition Label categories.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Working on iOS/macOS projects that need accessibility support
• Adding VoiceOver, Voice Control, or Switch Control support
• Running an accessibility audit or a11y review
• Fixing Dynamic Type, contrast, or WCAG compliance issues
• Preparing for App Store Accessibility Nutrition Labels

Rule Categories by Priority

Priority	Category	Impact	Prefix
1	Missing VoiceOver Labels	CRITICAL	p0-
2	Missing Context and Discoverability	HIGH	p1-
3	Visual, Interaction, and System Setting Compliance	MEDIUM	p2-

Quick Reference

1. Missing VoiceOver Labels (CRITICAL)

• p0-images-without-labels — Images without .accessibilityLabel are invisible to VoiceOver
• p0-icon-only-buttons — Buttons with only an image and no label

2. Missing Context and Discoverability (HIGH)

• p1-missing-hints — Interactive elements without .accessibilityHint
• p1-missing-identifiers — Testable elements without .accessibilityIdentifier
• p1-missing-input-labels — Missing accessibilityInputLabels for Voice Control support
• p1-small-touch-targets — Touch targets below 44x44pt minimum (HIG requirement)
• p1-color-only-information — Color used as the only way to convey information

3. Visual, Interaction, and System Setting Compliance (MEDIUM)

• p2-hardcoded-fonts — Hardcoded font sizes that break Dynamic Type
• p2-ungrouped-elements — Related elements not grouped for VoiceOver
• p2-missing-header-traits — Section headers without .isHeader trait
• p2-decorative-elements-visible — Decorative elements not hidden from VoiceOver
• p2-contrast-insufficient — Colors that fail WCAG AA contrast ratios
• p2-reduce-motion-ignored — Animations that ignore the Reduce Motion setting
• p2-bold-text-ignored — Custom fonts that don't respond to Bold Text setting
• p2-custom-actions-missing — Gesture-only interactions without accessible alternatives
• p2-dynamic-content-not-announced — Content changes not posted as accessibility notifications
• p2-modal-focus-management — Custom modals without proper focus management or escape support

Apple Accessibility Nutrition Label Coverage

Nutrition Label	Rules Covering It
VoiceOver	p0-*, p1-missing-hints, p1-missing-identifiers, p2-ungrouped-elements, p2-missing-header-traits, p2-decorative-elements-visible, p2-custom-actions-missing, p2-dynamic-content-not-announced, p2-modal-focus-management
Voice Control	p1-missing-input-labels, p1-missing-hints, p2-custom-actions-missing
Larger Text (Dynamic Type)	p2-hardcoded-fonts
Sufficient Contrast	p2-contrast-insufficient
Dark Interface	p2-contrast-insufficient (checks both modes)
Differentiate Without Color Alone	p1-color-only-information
Reduced Motion	p2-reduce-motion-ignored
Bold Text	p2-bold-text-ignored
Touch Target Size	p1-small-touch-targets

Workflow

Execute these 5 phases in order. Load rule files on-demand — only read a rule when its content is needed for the current phase.

Phase 1: Project Discovery

1. Glob for **/*.swift to find all Swift source files
2. Classify each file as SwiftUI (import SwiftUI), UIKit (import UIKit), or mixed
3. Grep for existing accessibility usage to understand current coverage:
   • SwiftUI: .accessibilityLabel, .accessibilityHint, .accessibilityIdentifier, .accessibilityHidden, .accessibilityInputLabels, accessibilityReduceMotion
   • UIKit: isAccessibilityElement, accessibilityLabel, accessibilityIdentifier, UIAccessibility.isReduceMotionEnabled, adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory
4. Report: total files, framework breakdown, current accessibility coverage percentage

Phase 2: Issue Detection

Scan files for anti-patterns. Read rules from rules/ directory for detection patterns.

For each issue found, record: file path, line number, priority, description, and suggested fix.

Phase 3: Automated Fixes

Apply fixes using Edit tool, following these rules:

1. Never overwrite existing accessibility code — only add missing properties
2. Add [VERIFY] comment markers on generated labels where semantic accuracy needs human review:

   .accessibilityLabel("Settings icon") // [VERIFY] confirm label matches intent
   

3. Preserve formatting — match the indentation and style of surrounding code
4. Group related fixes — apply all fixes to a single view/element together

Fix application order:

1. P0 Critical fixes first
2. P1 High fixes
3. P2 Medium fixes (comprehensive mode only)

Phase 4: Audit Test Generation

Load assets/audit-template.swift and generate an XCTest file for the project.

1. Create AccessibilityAuditTests.swift in the project's test target directory
2. Add a test method for each view/screen that was modified
3. Use performAccessibilityAudit() with appropriate audit types
4. Include navigation setup to reach each view being tested

Match the project's existing test framework and patterns.

Phase 5: Report

Output a structured summary:

## Accessibility Audit Report

### Issues Found
| Priority | Category | Count |
|----------|----------|-------|
| P0 Critical | ... | ... |
| P1 High | ... | ... |
| P2 Medium | ... | ... |

### Changes Applied
- **Files modified**: [list]
- **Issues fixed**: [count] of [total]
- **Test file generated**: [path]

### Accessibility Nutrition Label Readiness
| Feature | Status |
|---------|--------|
| VoiceOver | Ready / Needs Work |
| Voice Control | Ready / Needs Work |
| Larger Text | Ready / Needs Work |
| Sufficient Contrast | Needs Manual Review |
| Differentiate Without Color | Ready / Needs Work |
| Reduced Motion | Ready / Needs Work |

### Manual Review Required
Items marked with [VERIFY] that need human confirmation:
- [list of VERIFY items with file:line references]

### Next Steps
- [ ] Run VoiceOver testing (see assets/checklist.md)
- [ ] Review [VERIFY] markers and update labels
- [ ] Run generated accessibility tests
- [ ] Test with Dynamic Type at all sizes (up to AX5)
- [ ] Test in both Light and Dark modes
- [ ] Enable Increase Contrast + Bold Text + Reduce Transparency and verify
- [ ] Enable Reduce Motion and verify animations
- [ ] Test with Voice Control ("Show Names", "Show Numbers")

Configuration

• Standard mode (default): Fixes P0 and P1 issues, reports P2
• Comprehensive mode: Fixes all priority levels — invoke with "comprehensive" or "full audit"

Supporting Files

Loaded on-demand during execution:

• rules/ — Individual detection and fix rules per issue category (16 rules)
• references/swiftui-patterns.md — Full SwiftUI accessibility modifier catalog
• references/uikit-patterns.md — Full UIKit accessibility API catalog
• references/wcag-guidelines.md — WCAG AA and Apple HIG reference
• assets/audit-template.swift — XCTest accessibility audit template
• assets/checklist.md — Manual verification checklist