axe-core Automated a11y Tests

Why axe-core

Deque's axe-core is the engine powering Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, and Microsoft Accessibility Insights. It runs in Node, browsers, and any CI runner — no browser extension required.

Install

Playwright fixture

import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';
import AxeBuilder from '@axe-core/playwright';

export const test = base.extend<{
  axe: AxeBuilder;
}>({
  axe: async ({ page }, use) => {
    await use(new AxeBuilder({ page }));
  },
});

Write a test

test('homepage has no detectable a11y violations', async ({
  page,
  axe,
}) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  const results = await axe.analyze();
  expect(results.violations).toEqual([]);
});

CI integration

Run alongside your existing Playwright suite. Fail the build on violations. Tag critical paths with axeBuilder.include('#main-content') to scope scans and reduce noise.

Rules reference