[FEATURE] Read-only "view response" action and hotkey for screen reader users #109207

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Ctrl+G already lets you move a long prompt into an external editor to read and edit it. Long replies have the same problem, even in screen reader mode and with object navigation, and there is no equivalent for reading output.

/copy is close. It puts a reply on the clipboard, and its w key writes it to a file. But nothing opens that file, and a keybinding can only run a slash command, so a screen reader user still has to find the file, open an editor, and paste or load it. There is no way to go from a reply to reading it in a separate window with one keystroke.

Proposed Solution

The smallest change: an o key in the /copy picker, next to w, that writes the reply to a file and opens it in the user's editor. For a single keystroke it would also need a bindable action.

The fuller version is a built-in action, for example chat:viewResponse, with a /view command:

• Opens the Nth-latest reply, counted from the bottom as /copy N does, and a range such as /view 1-5 in one window.
• Writes to a per-session temp file, so concurrent sessions don't collide.
• Opens it in the configured editor without blocking.
• Rewrites the same file on each use and never deletes it while the session runs. An editor with the file open reports a missing file if it is deleted, which interrupts reading while typing the next prompt. Files older than a day are swept when a session starts.
• Is rebindable in keybindings.json, and ships with a default key.

Alternative Solutions

/copy and then pasting into Notepad, or screen reader object navigation. Neither is one keystroke.

I think this should be a native feature, given how useful it is to anyone reading long replies and that it removes an accessibility barrier for screen reader users. I built it as a mod as a 'Show, Don't Tell' prototype to make that easier for the maintainers, not as the intended solution: https://github.com/Aarushb/claude-code-view-last. Running it as a mod also has a limit, since a mod can't ship a default keybinding and every user has to bind a key themselves.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

1. Claude answers with a long explanation.
2. I press one key.
3. Notepad opens with the reply, and I read and search it with my screen reader.
4. I type my next prompt while the window is still open. Nothing is deleted under it.

Additional Context

Environment: NVDA, Windows 11, classic console (conhost), Claude Code CLI.

Related: #83236 asked for a keyboard-accessible way to copy a message and was closed as stale.

Notes from building the mod: Ctrl+Shift+G can't be told apart from Ctrl+G in the classic Windows console (so I use Alt+G), and the mod API can't tell when an editor window closes, so cleanup is by file age.