Website accessibility monitoring with WCAG alerts
Monity runs axe-core on your page as it really renders, colour contrast included, on every check. When a release adds a WCAG failure, the alert names the rule, not the backlog you already know about.
- On the free plan
- Colour contrast included
- Only new failures alert
In the page as it renders
axe-core in a real browser, so contrast is tested too.
Many checkers parse the HTML and skip every rule that needs the page drawn, colour contrast above all, which is one of the most common WCAG failures. Monity runs axe-core, the open-source engine behind many accessibility tools, inside the browser that just loaded your page, with its real stylesheets and layout. Pages behind a login are tested as the signed-in visitor sees them.
- WCAG 2.1 AA by default; WCAG 2.2 AA is one setting away
- Each failing rule with the elements it fails on
- Rules that need a human decision are listed, not guessed
The deploy that broke it, not the backlog
You hear about what got worse, not the same list every day.
The first check records the page as it is. After that, an alert goes out only when a WCAG rule starts failing, or fails on more elements than it did on the check before. The failures you already know about stay in the report without alerting again, so the alert means a release just made the page harder to use.
- Want to hear about any failure at all? Switch on “Failing WCAG rules above”
- Changing the standard starts a fresh baseline, so it doesn’t alert
European Accessibility Act
The EAA has applied since 28 June 2025. Keeping a page accessible is the hard part.
The European Accessibility Act covers many consumer services, online shops and banking among them, and its harmonised standard, EN 301 549, points to WCAG 2.1 AA for web content. Getting a site there is a project; staying there means catching each release that slips back. A check on every release-critical page does that, with a dated record of what failed and when.
- Checkout, sign-up, account and contact pages first
- WCAG 2.1 AAA on paid plans, for public-sector and procurement work
Alert rules
Three rules. The useful one is on.
“New or worsened accessibility failures” is the regression alarm. The other two hold the page to a number, new failures or not. These are the defaults a new task starts with.
Accessibility (WCAG AA)
Every plan, free included| Rule | New tasks | Default | What it catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| New or worsened accessibility failures | On | Any new or worse failure | A WCAG rule that started failing since the previous check, or now fails on more elements. Problems the page already had do not alert again. |
| Failing WCAG rules above | Off | 0, so any failing rule | Alerts when the page fails more WCAG rules than this, new or not, once per episode. |
| Accessibility score below | Off | 80/100 | The accessibility score for a check, out of 100. |
Accessibility (WCAG AAA)
Paid plans| Rule | New tasks | Default | What it catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| New or worsened accessibility failures | On | Any new or worse failure | A WCAG rule that started failing, or now fails on more elements. |
| Failing WCAG rules above | Off | 0, so any failing rule | Any failure at all, new or not, once per episode. |
| Accessibility score below | Off | 80/100 | The accessibility score for a check, out of 100. |
Automated tests find only some WCAG problems: keyboard use, focus order and whether alt text makes sense still need a person. Treat a clean scan as a good sign, not a conformance statement.
Examples
Ask for it in a sentence. Hear about the release that slipped.
Tell the assistant what to watch, or switch the skill on in a task’s settings. Alerts go to the channels you turn on for the task.
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Check the Northwind checkout for new WCAG AA failures after every release
1 new or worsened WCAG failure — Form elements must have labels. The new delivery-date field went out without a label.
Slack · #accessibility
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Hold coastalcrm.com/pricing to WCAG 2.2 AA
1 new or worsened WCAG failure — All touch targets must be 24px large, or leave sufficient space. A 2.2 rule; it runs once the task’s standard is set to WCAG 2.2 AA.
Microsoft Teams · Web · Design system
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Tell me if the Fieldnote sign-up page has any WCAG failure at all
Failing WCAG rules above: 3 (threshold 0). The backlog rule: any failure, new or not, once per episode.
Email · product@fieldnote.com
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Watch our help centre for new accessibility failures
2 new or worsened WCAG failures — Images must have alternative text; Links must have discernible text. The webhook carries a skillAlerts list that an automation turns into a ticket.
Webhook · Issue tracker
Coastal CRM, Northwind and Fieldnote are example companies.
Free tools
Test a page now, then keep it passing.
The free checkers test a page or a pair of colours once. Monitoring runs the same axe-core rules on every check and tells you when a release adds a failure.
FAQ
Questions about website accessibility monitoring
What is website accessibility monitoring?
Which WCAG version and level does it test?
Does it make my site compliant?
Why doesn’t every failure alert?
Is colour contrast tested?
Is it on the free plan?
Catch the release that makes your site harder to use.
Add Accessibility (WCAG AA) to your key pages and Monity alerts you the day a WCAG rule starts failing.
- Free plan: 3 tasks, no card
- 7-day Business trial
- Every alert channel on every plan