Placeholder text contrast is below 4.5:1 for “Enter Your Answer” input field in Light and Dark (2026) theme:A11y_VisualStudioCode_Improved UI for MCP elicitation_Keyboard

[kapilvaishna]

GitHub Tags

#A11yTCS;#Visual Studio Code Client; #SH_Integrated browser features_Win32_JUNE2026;#DesktopApp;#FTP;#Win32;#A11ySev3;#A11yMAS;#WCAG1.4.3;  #ES Chat_Deeplink; #Contrast;

Issue Subcategory

Placeholder text insufficient contrast

User Experience

Users with low vision cannot read placeholder text that provides input hints or instructions. They may not understand what data to enter in the field.

Repro Steps

Open VS Code > Trigger an elicitation form in copilot chat > Enter your answer > Observe the issue: Placeholder text contrast is below 4.5:1 for “Enter Your Answer” input field in Light and Dark (2026) theme

Actual Result

The placeholder text “Enter Your Answer” in the input field has insufficient color contrast against its background in both Light and Dark (2026) themes. The observed contrast ratio is below 4.5:1, causing the text to appear faint and difficult to read.

Expected Result

Placeholder text should have a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1.

How to Fix

Increase the contrast of placeholder text via ::placeholder CSS. Better yet, use persistent visible labels above or beside the input rather than relying on placeholders alone.

Environment details

Application Name: VS Code
VS Code version: 1.124.2
Edition Windows 11 Enterprise
Version 25H2
OS build 26200.8390

Note:

• Please do not close this bug. This bug should only be closed by TCS, C+AI Accessibility tester after bug verification.
• Try ES Chat to learn more about the MAS rule and how to fix the issue. If you need more help, use our Teams channel or office hours.
• "Check out Accessibility Insights! - Identify accessibility bugs before check-in and make bug fixing faster and easier."

Attachment

[meganrogge]

@mrleemurray should this be closd?

[meganrogge]

The problem with changing placeholder text to have sufficient contrast is it adds cognitive burden - a different accessibility issue, for users, as it's very tough to distinguish between the placeholder text and what has been typed.

We already have high contrast in placeholder text in our high contrast themes. I suggest reverting this change and closing this issue as designed.

[amunger]

thought this was a bug #324544

[kapilvaishna]

Discuss with internal SME and found it as low severity issue so downgrading this issue to Sev3.