xa11y

xa11y is a Playwright-style UI automation library designed for driving native desktop applications across macOS, Windows, and Linux. It enables users to interact with desktop apps by leveraging the accessibility tree, supporting use cases such as end-to-end testing, building computer-use agents, and developing assistive tools. The tool is positioned for those who need to automate or test desktop software interfaces in a cross-platform manner.

Key features include the ability to read the accessibility tree, identify nodes, and perform actions within desktop applications. xa11y allows for the synthesis of mouse and keyboard events and can capture screenshots of specific elements or regions within an application. Its API is described as small and intuitive, aiming to provide a straightforward interface for developers. The tool supports querying accessibility trees using a CSS-like selector syntax, such as button[name='Submit'] or group button, which enhances flexibility in targeting UI elements.

xa11y offers a single API that works across the three major desktop operating systems by utilizing their respective accessibility frameworks: AXUIElement for macOS, UI Automation for Windows, and AT-SPI2 for Linux. This approach allows users to write automation scripts once and apply them on any supported platform without modification. js (npm), and it also provides a command-line interface (CLI).

The project is released under the MIT license and uses permissively licensed dependencies, making it suitable for both commercial and open-source projects. The library is built openly and is available for integration into various development and testing workflows.