CI Integration

GitHub Actions example

name: Accessibility Gate

on:
  pull_request:
    paths: ["src/**", "cli/**"]

jobs:
  a11y:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: "3.12"

      - name: Install tools
        run: pip install a11y-lint a11y-ci

      - name: Capture CLI output
        run: ./your-cli --help > cli_output.txt 2>&1 || true

      - name: Lint and gate
        run: |
          a11y-lint scan cli_output.txt --json > a11y.scorecard.json
          a11y-ci gate --current a11y.scorecard.json --baseline baseline/a11y.scorecard.json

Updating the baseline

When you intentionally change CLI output, update the baseline:

a11y-lint scan output.txt --json > baseline/a11y.scorecard.json
git add baseline/a11y.scorecard.json
git commit -m "Update a11y baseline"

How it works

Scorecard JSON ──► Parse findings + normalize severities
                       │
Allowlist JSON ──► Suppress matching IDs, flag expired entries
                       │
Baseline JSON  ──► Compare counts + detect new IDs
                       │
                   ┌───┴───┐
                   │ Gate  │  severity + regression + expiry
                   └───┬───┘
                       │
                   PASS (exit 0) or FAIL (exit 3)

Best practices

1. Gate on errors, not grades — use exit codes
2. Enable specific rules for WCAG compliance
3. Track baselines to detect regressions
4. Keep allowlist expiry dates short