cremote/GRADIENT_CONTRAST_FIX.md

Gradient Contrast Detection Fix

Problem

The contrast checking tool was reporting false positives for text on gradient backgrounds. Two specific issues were identified:

Issue 1: White-on-White False Positives

Example: Vision Leadership sponsor page (https://visionleadership.org/sponsor-opportunities/)

• Reported: White text rgb(255, 255, 255) on white background rgb(255, 255, 255) = 1:1 ratio (FAIL)
• Reality: White text on gradient background linear-gradient(rgb(12, 90, 201) 0%, rgb(0, 0, 0) 100%)
• Actual Contrast: 6.32:1 to 21:1 (PASS)

Root Cause: The gradient was on a parent container (.et_pb_section), not directly on the text elements. The tool only checked the element itself for gradients, not parent elements.

Issue 2: Gradient Applied to Wrong Elements

After the initial fix, the tool became too aggressive:

• Reported: 54 elements with blue background rgb(12, 90, 201) (from gradient)
• Reality: Those elements were on light gray rgb(252, 252, 252) background
• Root Cause: Gradient detection walked up the tree but didn't stop when it encountered solid backgrounds

Solution

Modified the gradient detection logic in daemon/daemon.go to:

1. Walk up the DOM tree to find gradient backgrounds on parent elements
2. Stop at solid backgrounds - if a solid background color is found before a gradient, use the solid color
3. Only apply gradients when no solid background exists between the element and the gradient

Code Changes

1. Enhanced analyzeGradientContrast Function (Lines 9152-9220)

Before: Only checked the element itself for gradients

After:

• Walks up the DOM tree looking for gradients
• Checks for solid backgrounds at each level
• Returns null if a solid background is found (gradient doesn't apply)
• Only returns gradient info if no solid background blocks it

function analyzeGradientContrast(element, textColor) {
    let current = element;
    while (current && current !== document.documentElement.parentElement) {
        const style = window.getComputedStyle(current);
        
        // Check for solid background first - if found, gradient doesn't apply
        const bgColor = style.backgroundColor;
        if (!isTransparent(bgColor)) {
            return null; // Solid background found
        }

        // Check for gradient
        const bgImage = style.backgroundImage;
        if (bgImage && bgImage.includes('gradient')) {
            // Extract and analyze gradient colors...
            return gradientInfo;
        }

        current = current.parentElement;
    }
    return null;
}

2. Updated Background Detection Logic (Lines 9305-9340)

Before: Always checked for gradients, even when solid backgrounds were found

After:

• Tier 1: Check for solid backgrounds via DOM tree walking
• Tier 2: Check for solid backgrounds via stacking context
• Tier 3: Only check for gradients if no solid background found
• Fallback: Use white if nothing found

// Tier 1: DOM tree walking for solid colors
bgColor = getEffectiveBackgroundDOMTree(element);

// Tier 2: Stacking context analysis (if Tier 1 failed)
if (!bgColor) {
    bgColor = getBackgroundFromStackingContext(element);
}

// Tier 3: Check for gradients (only if no solid color found)
if (!bgColor) {
    gradientInfo = analyzeGradientContrast(element, fgColor);
    if (gradientInfo) {
        bgColor = gradientInfo.colors[0];
    }
}

// Fallback to white
if (!bgColor) {
    bgColor = 'rgb(255, 255, 255)';
}

Testing

After deploying the fix, test on:

1. Vision Leadership sponsor page - Should correctly detect gradient and report passing contrast
2. Elements with solid backgrounds - Should not incorrectly apply gradients from parent containers
3. Nested backgrounds - Should use the closest background (solid or gradient)

Expected Results

Vision Leadership Hero Section

• H1 "Sponsorship Opportunities That Work For You"
  • Detection method: gradient-analysis
  • Gradient colors: rgb(12, 90, 201) to rgb(0, 0, 0)
  • Worst contrast: 6.32:1 (PASS AA for large text)
  • Best contrast: 21:1 (PASS AAA)

Elements with Solid Backgrounds

• Text on light gray rgb(252, 252, 252)
  • Detection method: dom-tree or stacking-context
  • Should NOT use gradient from parent
  • Should calculate contrast against actual gray background

Deployment

1. Build the daemon: make daemon
2. Build the MCP server: make mcp
3. Restart the cremote daemon (deployment-specific process)
4. Restart the MCP server or Augment extension to pick up changes

Files Modified

• daemon/daemon.go - Lines 9152-9220 (gradient analysis function)
• daemon/daemon.go - Lines 9305-9340 (background detection logic)