| name | axe-accessibility |
| description | Accessibility testing and remediation using the axe MCP Server. Use when creating or modifying UI code (HTML, JSX, TSX, Vue, Svelte, CSS) to ensure accessibility compliance. Triggers on tasks involving web pages, components, forms, navigation, modals, tables, images, or any user-facing markup. Also use when explicitly asked to check accessibility or run an axe scan. |
axe Accessibility Skill
Test web pages for accessibility violations and get AI-powered remediation guidance using the axe DevTools MCP Server.
Prerequisites
- Docker running locally
AXE_API_KEY environment variable set- Docker image pulled:
dequesystems/axe-mcp-server:latest
Tools
The wrapper script at scripts/axe-mcp.js (Node.js — no extra dependencies) provides two tools:
analyze
Scan a live web page for accessibility violations. Requires a URL (works with localhost).
node scripts/axe-mcp.js analyze <url>
Returns JSON-RPC response. The violations are in result.content[0].text (JSON string) under the data array. Each violation has: rule, impact, description, selector, source, helpUrl.
remediate
Get AI-powered fix guidance for a specific violation. Handles HTML with quotes/brackets safely.
node scripts/axe-mcp.js remediate <ruleId> <elementHtml> <issueRemediation> [pageUrl]
Returns general_description, remediation, and code_fix in result.content[0].text.
tools-list
List available MCP tools.
node scripts/axe-mcp.js tools-list
Workflow
When modifying UI code and a live page is available:
- Analyze —
node scripts/axe-mcp.js analyze <url>
- Parse — extract violations from the JSON response
- Remediate — for each unique rule violation, call remediate with ruleId, element HTML, and issue description
- Apply — implement the recommended code fixes in source
- Verify — re-run analyze to confirm zero violations
When no live page is available (static code review), apply accessibility best practices directly:
- Images:
alt text (or alt="" for decorative)
- Forms: inputs need associated
<label> elements
- Interactive elements: keyboard accessible, visible focus
- Color contrast: WCAG AA (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text)
- ARIA: valid, complete, not redundant with native semantics
- Headings: proper hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3)
- Dynamic content: focus management for modals, SPAs, live regions
Notes
- Each
remediate call uses AI credits from your organization's allocation
- The analyze tool spins up a real browser in Docker — allow ~30s for results
- Works with localhost URLs for local development testing
Note: Requires a paid Axe DevTools for Web subscription.
Support
For technical support, bug reports, and feature requests:
Pricing & Sales
About Deque
Deque Systems is the trusted leader in digital accessibility.
