Audit WCAG 2.1 accessibility on every pull request (free GitHub Action)

--- title: Audit WCAG 2.1 accessibility on every pull request (free GitHub Action) published: true description: tags: accessibility, github, webdev, devops # cover_image: https://direct_url_to_image.jpg # Use a ratio of 100:42 for best results. # published_at: 2026-04-24 18:01 +0000 --- I build web apps and I always mean to audit accessibility before shipping, and I never do. axe-core DevTools is great but it's a browser extension I have to remember to open. So I built the thing I actually wanted: a GitHub Action that runs axe-core on every PR and fails the job if it finds serious violations. ## The install ```yaml on: pull_request jobs: a11y: runs-on: ubuntu-latest permissions: { contents: read, pull-requests: write } steps: - uses: jpatel3/a11yscout@v1 with: urls: https://your-preview-url.example.com level: AA fail-on: serious ``` That's it. You'll get a PR comment like: > **3 violations (2 critical, 1 serious)** > - `button-name` — Buttons must have discernible text (WCAG 4.1.2 A) > - `image-alt` — Images must have alternative text (WCAG 1.1.1 A) > - `link-name` — Links must have discernible text (WCAG 2.4.4 A) ## The optional source-mapping plugin axe-core reports violations by CSS selector — `button.sc-dkPtRN` — which is useless. a11yscout ships an optional Vite plugin that makes the violations say `src/components/Button.tsx:12:4` instead: ```ts import { a11yscout } from "@a11yscout/vite-plugin"; export default defineConfig({ plugins: [react(), a11yscout()], }); ``` The plugin injects a `data-a11yscout-src` attribute at build time, and the scanner reads it back. ## What it doesn't do (yet) - Next.js / webpack plugins — only Vite - Auto-detect Vercel/Netlify preview URLs — you pass them explicitly - AI fix suggestions - Persistent history ## Links - Marketplace: https://github.com/marketplace/actions/a11yscout - Source: https://github.com/jpatel3/a11yscout - License: MIT It's day one. Feedback welcome — especially on which framework plugin to build next.