k6 CLI progress bar lacks accessible plain‑text output for screen‑reader users

The default k6 progress bar relies on ANSI escape codes and colour‑coded symbols to convey load‑test stages visually. Screen‑reader users receive only the raw text stream, which lacks semantic markers that distinguish initialization, execution, and completion phases. Providing a plain‑text, machine‑readable output mode would allow assistive technologies to interpret progress information without depending on visual cues.

Any new mode must remain optional to preserve compatibility with existing scripts that parse the human‑readable bar for logging or alerting. It is unclear whether k6 already offers a hidden flag or environment variable to switch to such output, or whether a structured‑log format (e.g., JSON lines) would need to be added. Introducing structured logs could improve accessibility but raises concerns about output size and downstream parsing adjustments.

Is there a flag or environment variable that enables a plain‑text, machine‑parseable progress mode in k6? If not, what would be the impact of adding such a mode on existing tooling that expects the current ANSI output? How could structured logs be incorporated without breaking current usage?