Automation Guides

Python · Playwright + axe-core

Runs a basic axe scan on a page (or after an interaction). Fails the test on violations.

# requirements: playwright, pytest, axe-core-js via CDN or local bundle
# Example uses Playwright Python and injects axe.min.js

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
import json, sys

AXE_CDN = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/axe-core/4.9.1/axe.min.js"

def run_axe(page):
    page.add_script_tag(url=AXE_CDN)
    # Configure rules if needed, e.g., to disable color-contrast while stabilizing CI
    result = page.evaluate("""async () => {
      return await axe.run(document, { resultTypes: ['violations'] })
    }""")
    return result

def main():
    with sync_playwright() as p:
        browser = p.chromium.launch()
        page = browser.new_page()
        page.goto("https://example.com")
        result = run_axe(page)
        violations = result.get("violations", [])
        if violations:
            print(json.dumps(violations, indent=2))
            browser.close()
            sys.exit(1)
        browser.close()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Tip: Start with p.wait_for_selector before scanning to avoid false positives on loading states.

C# · Playwright + axe-core

Same idea in .NET—inject axe, run, and fail on violations.

using Microsoft.Playwright;
using System.Text.Json;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public class AxeResult { public List<object> violations { get; set; } = new(); }

public static class Program
{
    public static async Task Main()
    {
        using var pw = await Playwright.CreateAsync();
        await using var browser = await pw.Chromium.LaunchAsync(new() { Headless = true });
        var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
        await page.GotoAsync("https://example.com");

        var axeCdn = "https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/axe-core/4.9.1/axe.min.js";
        await page.AddScriptTagAsync(new() { Url = axeCdn });

        var json = await page.EvaluateAsync<string>(@"async () => {
          const res = await axe.run(document, { resultTypes: ['violations'] });
          return JSON.stringify(res);
        }");

        var result = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<AxeResult>(json)!;
        if (result.violations.Count > 0)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(json);
            Environment.Exit(1);
        }
    }
}

Alternative: If your org prefers Selenium, inject axe using IJavaScriptExecutor and run similarly.

GitHub Actions

name: a11y-checks
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  axe:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with: { python-version: '3.12' }
      - run: |
          pip install playwright
          python -m playwright install --with-deps chromium
      - run: python scripts/axe_check.py

Keep it fast: run on PRs, scope to changed apps, and fail hard on critical violations.

Azure DevOps

trigger:
- main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

steps:
- checkout: self
- task: UsePythonVersion@0
  inputs:
    versionSpec: '3.12'
- script: |
    pip install playwright
    python -m playwright install --with-deps chromium
    python scripts/axe_check.py
  displayName: 'Run axe check'

Start with a single “smoke route” per app. Expand coverage after you stabilise noise.