I38

Accessibility setup script for the i3 window manager.

i38.sh

Released under the terms of the GPL License Version 3: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/ This is a Stormux project: https://stormux.org

Why the name?

An uppercase I looks like a 1, 3 from i3, and 8 because the song We Are 138 rocks!

Requirements

Required for the setup script and generated I38 configuration:

• dialog: For terminal setup prompts.
• i3-wm: The i3 window manager.
• jq: For reading i3 state.
• pandoc or markdown: To generate html files.
• python-i3ipc: For i3 integration scripts.
• yad: For screen reader accessible dialogs.
• xdotool: For X11 window interaction.

Optional features use these packages when installed:

• acpi: [optional] for battery status. It will still work even without this package, but uses it if it is installed. Required for the battery monitor with sound alerts.
• bc: For the information panel.
• dex: [optional] Alternative method for auto starting applications.
• libnotify: For sending notifications
• magic-wormhole: [optional] for file sharing with magic-wormhole GUI
• notification-daemon: To handle notifications
• pamixer: for the mute-unmute script
• pcmanfm: [optional] Graphical file manager.
• playerctl: music controls
• python-gobject: for applications menu.
• python-pillow: For OCR
• python-pytesseract: For OCR
• remind: [optional] For reminder notifications, Requires notify-daemon and notify-send for automatic reminders.
• scrot: For OCR
• sox: for sounds.
• tesseract: For OCR
• xprintidle: [optional] For screen lock autolock on X11/i3
• tesseract-data-eng: For OCR
• udiskie: [optional] for automatically mounting removable storage
• x11bell: [optional] Bell support if you do not have a PC speaker. Available from https://github.com/jovanlanik/x11bell
• xbacklight: [optional] for screen brightness adjustment
• xclip: Clipboard support
• xfce4-notifyd: For sending notifications. Replaces notification-daemon
• xorg-setxkbmap: [optional] for multiple keyboard layouts
• xzoom: [optional] lightweight X11 magnifier bound by I38 when installed

AI Assistant (Optional)

• python-requests: For Ollama integration
• claude: [optional] Claude Code CLI for Claude AI integration. Install from https://claude.ai/code
• ollama: [optional] Local AI models. Install from https://ollama.ai

Voice Mode (Optional)

• python-speechrecognition: For voice input recognition
• python-pyaudio: For audio recording
• pocketsphinx: [optional] For offline speech recognition fallback
• flac: [optional] For better audio encoding in speech recognition

I38 will try to detect your browser, file manager, and text editor and present you with a list of options to bind to their launch keys. It will also create bindings for pidgin and mumble if they are installed. Additionally, you can now add custom applications with your own keybindings during the setup process. To use the bindings, press your ratpoison mode key which is set when you run the i38.sh script. Next, press the binding for the application you want; w for web browser, e for text editor, f for file manager, m for mumble, etc. To learn all the bindings, find and read the mode ratpoison section of ~/.config/i3/config or use the help binding key, alt or super depending on your settings with Shift+F1.

Ratpoison mode is now enabled by default for better accessibility and ease of use.

During setup, the screen reader picker includes Cthulhu, Orca, and None. If no supported screen reader is installed, I38 assumes None and skips screen-reader startup. Setup also asks for the generated i3 window-title font size, defaulting to 12. I38 applies a larger mouse cursor size at startup when xrdb is available. If xzoom is installed when the i3 config is generated, I38 binds it as a lightweight magnifier. I38 also includes a keybinding to move the mouse pointer to the center of the focused window.

GTK Application Sound Themes (Optional)

This section is completely optional and separate from I38's window manager sounds. If you want GTK-based applications (like file managers, terminal emulators, text editors, etc.) to play sounds for their own events (button presses, menu navigation, dialog boxes, etc.), you can configure a GTK sound theme.

Sound themes can be configured using GTK configuration files or gsettings. Replace "name" with the name of the theme you want to use.

Note that if you enable all sound events as shown below, you'll hear sounds when interacting with GTK applications - things like moving around menus, clicking buttons, typing in terminals, opening dialogs, etc, if the sound theme has sounds for those events.

To configure the theme name with gsettings, do as follows:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound theme-name name

If you'd like all sound types enabled:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound input-feedback-sounds true

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds true

To configure with a config file, edit or create ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini

[Settings]
gtk-enable-event-sounds=1
gtk-enable-input-feedback-sounds=1
gtk-sound-theme-name=name
gtk-modules=canberra-gtk-module

You can apply the same configuration to GTK2 apps. Create or edit ~/.gtkrc-2.0

gtk-enable-event-sounds=1
gtk-enable-input-feedback-sounds=1
gtk-sound-theme-name=name
gtk-modules=canberra-gtk-module

Usage:

• With no arguments, create the i3 configuration.
• -h: Help screen.
• -u: Copy over the latest version of scripts.
• -x: Generate ~/.xinitrc and ~/.xprofile.
• -X: Generate ~/.xprofile only.

Ratpoison Mode

I38 is an adaptation of the old Strychnine project which was based on the Ratpoison window manager. Ratpoison is a screen-like window manager, and the important concept from that, which applies to I38, is adding keyboard shortcuts without conflicting application shortcuts. This is done with an "escape key".

When creating I38, I really wanted to port that functionality over, because it is very powerful and allows for lots and lots of shortcuts while minimizing collisions between shortcuts. So, for example, if you have chosen brave as your web browser, and selected alt+escape as your ratpoison mode key, you can quickly launch brave by pressing alt+escape followed by the letter w.

AI Assistant

I38 includes an integrated AI assistant accessible through ratpoison mode with the 'a' key. The AI assistant provides accessibility-focused AI interaction with support for multiple providers:

Features

• Multiple AI Providers: Support for Claude Code and Ollama
• Voice Input & Output: Hands-free voice interaction with speech recognition and synthesis
• Wake Word Detection: Continuous listening mode with customizable wake phrases
• Contextual Questions: Ask questions about the currently focused window
• File Analysis: Share files with the AI for analysis
• Image Description: Take screenshots and get AI descriptions for accessibility
• Selected Text Analysis: Analyze selected text or screen content using OCR
• Action Confirmation: Optional confirmation dialogs for AI-suggested actions
• Keyboard Shortcuts: F4 for voice input, F5 for continuous listening toggle
• Accessibility First: Full screen reader compatibility with keyboard navigation

Usage

1. Press your ratpoison mode key (e.g., Alt+Escape)

2. Press 'a' to launch the AI assistant

3. Use Tab to navigate between the Interaction and Settings tabs

4. In the Interaction tab:

   • Enter your question in the text area
   • Use "Ask AI Question" for general queries
   • Use "Ask About Focused Window" to include window context
   • Use "Request AI Action" for step-by-step instructions
   • Use "Browse" to select files for analysis
   • Use "Describe Screenshot" for visual content
   • Use "Analyze Selected Text/Screen Content" to analyze selected text or perform OCR

5. Voice Mode (if enabled):

   • Press F4 or click "🎤 Voice Question" to speak your question
   • Toggle continuous listening with F5 or "👂 Continuous Listen"
   • Say your wake phrase (default: "hey assistant") when continuous listening is active
   • Responses are automatically spoken if voice output is enabled

Configuration

The AI assistant stores its configuration in ~/.config/stormux/I38/ai.conf using XDG directory standards. Settings include:

• AI provider selection (Claude Code or Ollama)
• Ollama model selection and host configuration
• Action confirmation preferences
• Voice input/output settings
• Wake word customization
• Voice recognition timeout settings

Providers

Claude Code: Requires the Claude Code CLI to be installed and authenticated. Supports text, code, and image analysis.

Ollama: Requires Ollama service to be running locally. Automatically discovers available models and supports text analysis.

Personal Mode

Personal Mode is a user-defined mode where you can add your own keybindings without worrying about them being overwritten when you update I38.

Setup

When you run i38.sh, you are prompted to choose a personal mode key (or you can skip it). If you selected one, pressing that key enters Personal Mode.

Adding Custom Bindings

Edit ~/.config/i3/customizations to add your own shortcuts. This file is never overwritten by I38. Inside the mode "personal" { ... } block, add i3 bindsym commands and end each one with , mode "default" so the mode exits after the action.

Example:

mode "personal" {
    bindsym f exec firefox, mode "default"
    bindsym Shift+f exec firefox --private-window, mode "default"
    bindsym Escape mode "default"
    bindsym Control+g mode "default"
}

With this example, pressing your personal mode key followed by f opens Firefox. Shift+f opens a private window.

Default Bindings

• F1 — Show personal mode keybindings
• Escape or Control+g — Exit Personal Mode

Panel Mode

Very similar to ratpoison, accessed with Alt+Control+Tab. It contains items that would normally be found in a traditional desktop's panel. For example, it has a simple note app, system information, weather, bluetooth and power options, and remind.

I38 Help

To get help for I38, you can press the top level keybinding alt+shift+F1. It is also available by pressing the ratpoison mode key followed by question mark. A limitation of yad, which is used to display the help text means that the cursor starts at the bottom of the text. Please press control+home to jump to the top. You can navigate with the arrow keys, and use control+f to find text within the document.

The help text is a modified version of the configuration file itself that is intended to be easier to read. I have tried to add in comments that should also serve to make things more clear.