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The Accessibility class provides methods to capture snapshots of the accessibility tree. This is useful for automated accessibility testing and understanding how assistive technologies perceive your page.

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Overview

import { test } from '@playwright/test';

test('capture accessibility tree', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  console.log(snapshot);
});
Note: The Accessibility API is primarily available in Chromium-based browsers. It provides access to the browser’s accessibility tree, which is what screen readers and other assistive technologies use.

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Methods

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snapshot(options?)

Capture a snapshot of the accessibility tree.
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options.interestingOnly
boolean
default:"true"
Filter out nodes that are not interesting for most accessibility tests. When false, returns the full tree including nodes that are typically ignored by screen readers.
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options.root
ElementHandle
Root element to capture the snapshot from. If not specified, captures the entire page.
Returns: Promise<AccessibilityNode | null> Returns a JSON representation of the accessibility tree. Returns null if the root element is not accessible.

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AccessibilityNode Structure

interface AccessibilityNode {
  role: string;                    // ARIA role
  name?: string;                   // Accessible name
  value?: string | number;         // Current value (for inputs, etc.)
  description?: string;            // Accessible description
  keyshortcuts?: string;          // Keyboard shortcuts
  roledescription?: string;       // Role description
  valuetext?: string;             // Value text
  disabled?: boolean;             // Whether the element is disabled
  expanded?: boolean;             // Expanded state
  focused?: boolean;              // Focus state
  modal?: boolean;                // Modal state
  multiline?: boolean;            // Multiline state
  multiselectable?: boolean;      // Multiselectable state
  readonly?: boolean;             // Readonly state
  required?: boolean;             // Required state
  selected?: boolean;             // Selected state
  checked?: boolean | 'mixed';    // Checked state
  pressed?: boolean | 'mixed';    // Pressed state
  level?: number;                 // Heading level
  valuemin?: number;              // Minimum value
  valuemax?: number;              // Maximum value
  autocomplete?: string;          // Autocomplete attribute
  haspopup?: string;              // Has popup attribute
  invalid?: string;               // Invalid state
  orientation?: string;           // Orientation
  children?: AccessibilityNode[]; // Child nodes
}

​
Examples

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Basic Snapshot

test('basic accessibility snapshot', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  console.log(JSON.stringify(snapshot, null, 2));
});

​
Snapshot Specific Element

test('snapshot specific element', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  
  const button = await page.locator('button').elementHandle();
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ root: button });
  
  expect(snapshot?.role).toBe('button');
  expect(snapshot?.name).toBe('Submit');
});

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Full Tree Snapshot

test('full accessibility tree', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  
  // Include all nodes, even non-interesting ones
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ 
    interestingOnly: false 
  });
  
  console.log('Full tree:', JSON.stringify(snapshot, null, 2));
});

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Verify Button Accessibility

test('verify button accessibility', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent(`
    <button aria-label="Close dialog">X</button>
  `);
  
  const button = await page.locator('button').elementHandle();
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ root: button });
  
  expect(snapshot).toMatchObject({
    role: 'button',
    name: 'Close dialog',
  });
});

​
Check Form Accessibility

test('check form accessibility', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent(`
    <form>
      <label for="username">Username</label>
      <input id="username" type="text" required>
      
      <label for="password">Password</label>
      <input id="password" type="password" required>
      
      <button type="submit">Login</button>
    </form>
  `);
  
  const form = await page.locator('form').elementHandle();
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ root: form });
  
  // Verify form structure
  expect(snapshot?.children).toBeDefined();
  
  // Find input fields in the tree
  const findByRole = (node: any, role: string): any[] => {
    const results: any[] = [];
    if (node?.role === role) results.push(node);
    if (node?.children) {
      for (const child of node.children) {
        results.push(...findByRole(child, role));
      }
    }
    return results;
  };
  
  const textboxes = findByRole(snapshot, 'textbox');
  expect(textboxes).toHaveLength(2);
  expect(textboxes[0]).toMatchObject({
    role: 'textbox',
    name: 'Username',
    required: true,
  });
});

test('navigate accessibility tree', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent(`
    <nav>
      <ul>
        <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
        <li><a href="/contact">Contact</a></li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
  `);
  
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  
  // Recursively find all links
  function findLinks(node: any): any[] {
    let links: any[] = [];
    if (node?.role === 'link') {
      links.push(node);
    }
    if (node?.children) {
      for (const child of node.children) {
        links.push(...findLinks(child));
      }
    }
    return links;
  }
  
  const links = findLinks(snapshot);
  expect(links).toHaveLength(3);
  expect(links.map(l => l.name)).toEqual(['Home', 'About', 'Contact']);
});

​
Verify ARIA Attributes

test('verify ARIA attributes', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent(`
    <div role="tablist">
      <button role="tab" aria-selected="true" aria-controls="panel1">
        Tab 1
      </button>
      <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel2">
        Tab 2
      </button>
    </div>
    <div id="panel1" role="tabpanel">Content 1</div>
    <div id="panel2" role="tabpanel" hidden>Content 2</div>
  `);
  
  const tablist = await page.locator('[role="tablist"]').elementHandle();
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ root: tablist });
  
  // Verify tab structure
  expect(snapshot?.role).toBe('tablist');
  const tabs = snapshot?.children || [];
  
  expect(tabs[0]).toMatchObject({
    role: 'tab',
    name: 'Tab 1',
    selected: true,
  });
  
  expect(tabs[1]).toMatchObject({
    role: 'tab',
    name: 'Tab 2',
    selected: false,
  });
});

​
Check Heading Hierarchy

test('check heading hierarchy', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent(`
    <h1>Main Title</h1>
    <h2>Section 1</h2>
    <h3>Subsection 1.1</h3>
    <h2>Section 2</h2>
  `);
  
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  
  function findHeadings(node: any): any[] {
    let headings: any[] = [];
    if (node?.role === 'heading') {
      headings.push({ name: node.name, level: node.level });
    }
    if (node?.children) {
      for (const child of node.children) {
        headings.push(...findHeadings(child));
      }
    }
    return headings;
  }
  
  const headings = findHeadings(snapshot);
  expect(headings).toEqual([
    { name: 'Main Title', level: 1 },
    { name: 'Section 1', level: 2 },
    { name: 'Subsection 1.1', level: 3 },
    { name: 'Section 2', level: 2 },
  ]);
});

​
Use Cases

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Automated Accessibility Testing

test('accessibility audit', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  
  const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  
  // Custom accessibility checks
  function auditTree(node: any, issues: string[] = []): string[] {
    // Check for images without alt text
    if (node?.role === 'img' && !node.name) {
      issues.push('Image without accessible name');
    }
    
    // Check for buttons without labels
    if (node?.role === 'button' && !node.name) {
      issues.push('Button without accessible name');
    }
    
    // Recurse through children
    if (node?.children) {
      for (const child of node.children) {
        auditTree(child, issues);
      }
    }
    
    return issues;
  }
  
  const issues = auditTree(snapshot);
  expect(issues).toHaveLength(0);
});

​
Compare Before and After

test('compare accessibility changes', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.setContent('<button>Click me</button>');
  
  const before = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  
  // Make changes
  await page.evaluate(() => {
    document.querySelector('button')!.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Submit form');
  });
  
  const after = await page.accessibility.snapshot();
  
  // Compare snapshots
  expect(before?.children?.[0]?.name).toBe('Click me');
  expect(after?.children?.[0]?.name).toBe('Submit form');
});

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Best Practices

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Combine with Role Locators

Use accessibility snapshots together with role-based locators: 
// Use role locators for interaction
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();

// Use snapshots for detailed inspection
const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot();

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Focus on Interesting Nodes

Keep interestingOnly: true (default) for most tests to avoid noise from decorative elements.

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Use for Screen Reader Testing

Snapshots show what screen readers will announce: 
const button = await page.locator('button').elementHandle();
const snapshot = await page.accessibility.snapshot({ root: button });

// This is what a screen reader will announce
console.log(`Role: ${snapshot?.role}, Name: ${snapshot?.name}`);

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Limitations

  • Primarily supported in Chromium-based browsers
  • May not capture all platform-specific accessibility information
  • Does not replace manual accessibility testing with real assistive technologies
  • The tree structure is a snapshot at a point in time

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Browser Compatibility

BrowserSupport
Chromium✅ Full support
Firefox⚠️ Limited support
WebKit⚠️ Limited support

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