Accessibility engine for automated Web UI testing
This report summarizes scanner evidence for dequelabs/axe-core, a HTML project with 7,734 GitHub stars. SynthScan examined 238,041 lines of code across 1998 source files, recording 158 pattern matches distributed across 7 syntactic categories. The legacy adjusted pattern signal is 0.8 (Low pattern signal); it is not an authorship estimate.
Use the findings to ask whether maintainers can explain intent, verify dependencies, simplify unnecessary scaffolding, and focus review effort. Risk Payload v1 adds ownership, supply-chain, over-engineering, and review-effort vectors when available. These are prompts for human verification, not probabilities, security findings, or measured maintenance costs.
Use each vector to guide manual verification of the underlying findings.
Payload schema: 1.0.0 · Engine: 2.0.0 · Scoring: heuristic-density-v1 · Scan date: 2026-10-31.
Can maintainers explain intent, assumptions, and trade-offs? 132 finding(s).
Are imports declared and package/API names verified? 24 finding(s).
Are wrappers, guards, and repeated structures necessary? 115 finding(s).
Which changes need focused human review? 158 finding(s).
This chart tracks the legacy adjusted pattern score across scan runs. Changes can reflect source changes, scan coverage, or detector/scoring versions; they do not measure AI adoption or prove that a team refactored code. Compare runs only when their scoring versions are compatible. The dashed line tracks the raw pattern-hit count.
Groups findings by configured severity weight. Severity is not a confidence estimate, security rating, or proof that a package is missing. Verify imports against the project's manifests and inspect each finding in its local design context.
This horizontal bar chart shows where configured pattern scores accumulate across directories. Treat the bars as locations to inspect, not as evidence of authorship or code quality. Use the file-level findings to decide whether a directory needs a focused ownership, dependency, complexity, or review check.
The scanner identified 158 distinct pattern matches across 7 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a detector match to inspect in context. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.
Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the configured finding weight (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — legacy comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 score weight. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier under the legacy scoring model.
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | test/core/utils/get-selector.js | 8 | function makeShadowTreeGetSelector(node) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/core/utils/get-selector.js | 25 | function makeNonuniqueLongAttributes(fixture) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/checks/landmarks/landmark-is-unique-after.js | 10 | function createResultWithSameRelatedNodes(result, data) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/checks/landmarks/landmark-is-unique-after.js | 16 | function createResultWithProvidedRelatedNodes(result, data, relatedNodes) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/checks/aria/aria-conditional-attr.js | 265 | function asIndeterminateVirtualNode(markup) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/preload-cssom/preload-cssom.js | 90 | function commonTestsForRootNodeAndNestedFrame(root) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 2556 | function getContentFromAnonymousElement(tagName, html, force) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 3378 | function checkElementPrototypeDeficiency(tagName) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7367 | function getOrCreateRegistryFor(element, uid) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7374 | function destroyRegistryForElement(element, uid) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7479 | function stopObservingStandardEvent(element, eventName, responder) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7668 | function isSimulatedMouseEnterLeaveEvent(eventName) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7690 | function createResponderForCustomEvent(uid, eventName, handler) { | CODE |
| LOW | test/integration/full/contrast/prototype-lib-1.7.3.js | 7704 | function createMouseEnterLeaveResponder(uid, eventName, handler) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/selector-cache.js | 15 | export function getNodesMatchingExpression(domTree, expressions, filter) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/send-command-to-frame.js | 50 | const timeout = setTimeout(function collectResultFramesTimeout() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/parse-crossorigin-stylesheet.js | 16 | function parseCrossOriginStylesheet( | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/matches.js | 242 | function optimizedMatchesExpression(vNode, expressions, index, matchAnyParent) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/pollyfill-elements-from-point.js | 2 | export function pollyfillElementsFromPoint() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/parse-sameorigin-stylesheet.js | 15 | function parseSameOriginStylesheet( | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/get-element-source.js | 55 | function getTruncatedElementSource(elm, { maxLength, attrLimit }) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/preload-cssom.js | 162 | function getStylesheetsFromDocumentFragment(rootNode, convertDataToStylesheet) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/preload-cssom.js | 193 | function getStylesheetsFromDocument(rootNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/preload-cssom.js | 210 | function filerStyleAndLinkAttributesInDocumentFragment(node) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/preload-cssom.js | 242 | function filterStylesheetsWithSameHref(sheets) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/is-context.js | 48 | export function isLabelledShadowDomSelector(selector) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/get-selector/features.js | 169 | export function getThreeLeastCommonFeatures(elm, selectorData) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/reporters/helpers/incomplete-fallback-msg.js | 6 | export default function incompleteFallbackMessage() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/base/audit.js | 691 | export function createIncompleteErrorResult( | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/base/context/normalize-context.js | 90 | function assertLabelledFrameSelector(selector) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/core/base/context/normalize-context.js | 107 | function assertLabelledShadowDomSelector(selector) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/color/get-stroke-colors-from-shadows.js | 20 | export default function getStrokeColorsFromShadows( | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/color/get-foreground-color.js | 107 | function calculateBlendedForegroundColor(fgColor, context, stackingContexts) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/aria/is-aria-role-allowed-on-element.js | 13 | function isAriaRoleAllowedOnElement(node, role) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/aria/get-roles-with-name-from-contents.js | 11 | function getRolesWithNameFromContents() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/get-target-rects.js | 43 | function isDescendantNotInTabOrder(vAncestor, vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/is-visible-to-screenreader.js | 23 | function isVisibleToScreenReadersMemoized(vNode, isAncestor) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/create-grid.js | 419 | function getContainingBlockMemoized(vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/create-grid.js | 452 | function isAbsolutePositioningContainingBox(vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/create-grid.js | 476 | function isFixedPositioningContainingBox(vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/get-overflow-hidden-ancestors.js | 11 | function getOverflowHiddenAncestorsMemoized(vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/reduce-to-elements-below-floating.js | 10 | function reduceToElementsBelowFloating(elements, targetNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/is-hidden-for-everyone.js | 72 | function isHiddenAncestorsMemoized(vNode, isAncestor) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/get-visible-child-text-rects.js | 18 | function getVisibleChildTextRectsMemoized(vNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/is-visible-on-screen.js | 34 | function isVisibleOnScreenMemoized(vNode, isAncestor) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/visibility-methods.js | 260 | function hasPositionedAncestorBetween(child, ancestor) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/text/unicode.js | 88 | export function getSupplementaryPrivateUseRegExp() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/text/unicode.js | 118 | export function getVariationSelectorRegExp() { | CODE |
| LOW | …andards/get-aria-roles-supporting-name-from-content.js | 8 | function getAriaRolesSupportingNameFromContent() { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/tables/same-caption-summary-evaluate.js | 5 | function sameCaptionSummaryEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/forms/autocomplete-valid-evaluate.js | 3 | function autocompleteValidEvaluate(_node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/forms/autocomplete-appropriate-evaluate.js | 4 | function autocompleteAppropriateEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/lists/structured-dlitems-evaluate.js | 1 | function structuredDlitemsEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/color/link-in-text-block-style-evaluate.js | 13 | export default function linkInTextBlockStyleEvaluate(node) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/color/color-contrast-evaluate.js | 209 | function getPseudoElementAreaMemoized(vNode, pseudo) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/navigation/heading-order-after.js | 123 | function addFrameToHeadingAncestry(heading, frameAncestry) { | CODE |
| LOW | …ks/navigation/identical-links-same-purpose-evaluate.js | 6 | function identicalLinksSamePurposeEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/navigation/internal-link-present-evaluate.js | 3 | function internalLinkPresentEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| LOW | …hecks/navigation/identical-links-same-purpose-after.js | 37 | function identicalLinksSamePurposeAfter(results) { | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/label/duplicate-img-label-evaluate.js | 5 | function duplicateImgLabelEvaluate(node, options, virtualNode) { | CODE |
| 53 more matches not shown… | ||||
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_PT.json | 1031 | "pass": "O elemento tem um atributo 'placeholder'", | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_PT.json | 1033 | "noAttr": "O elemento não tem um atributo 'placeholder'", | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_PT.json | 1034 | "emptyAttr": "O elemento tem um atributo 'placeholder' vazio" | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_BR.json | 880 | "pass": "O elemento tem um atributo 'placeholder'", | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_BR.json | 882 | "noAttr": "O elemento não tem um atributo 'placeholder'", | CODE |
| LOW⚡ | locales/pt_BR.json | 883 | "emptyAttr": "O elemento tem um atributo 'placeholder' vazio" | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/visually-contains.js | 169 | >Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/visually-contains.js | 169 | >Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/get-text-element-stack.js | 56 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/get-text-element-stack.js | 56 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/get-text-element-stack.js | 87 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et sollicitudin quam. Fusce mi odio, egestas pulvinar | CODE |
| LOW | test/commons/dom/get-text-element-stack.js | 87 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et sollicitudin quam. Fusce mi odio, egestas pulvinar | CODE |
| LOW | test/checks/color/color-contrast.js | 232 | '<p>Text oh heyyyy <b id="target" style="display: block;overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: no | CODE |
| LOW | test/checks/color/color-contrast.js | 232 | '<p>Text oh heyyyy <b id="target" style="display: block;overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: no | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 327 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et sollicitudin | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 327 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed et sollicitudin | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 387 | >Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 387 | >Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 412 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod | CODE |
| LOW | …t/integration/rules/color-contrast/color-contrast.html | 412 | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod | CODE |
| LOW | lib/commons/text/native-text-methods.js | 110 | placeholderText: attrText.bind(null, 'placeholder') | CODE |
| LOW | lib/checks/shared/non-empty-placeholder.json | 5 | "attribute": "placeholder" | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRITICAL | test/core/public/configure.js | 261 | assert.equal(axe._audit.data.checks.bob.messages.pass(), 'Bob John'); | CODE |
| CRITICAL | test/core/base/audit.js | 503 | assert.equal(audit.data.checks.target.messages.fail(), 'it failed'); | CODE |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | lib/core/utils/get-xpath.js | 51 | // add the id and the count so we can construct robust versions of the xpath | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | lib/core/utils/get-xpath.js | 64 | // Robust is intended to allow xpaths to be robust to changes in the HTML structure of the page | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | lib/core/utils/get-xpath.js | 66 | // Non robust means always use the count (i.e. the exact position of the element) | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM⚡ | lib/core/utils/get-xpath.js | 68 | // the non-ribust Xpaths will work whereas the robust ones will not work | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | perf/report.js | 229 | // IQR (p75-p25) — spread of the middle 50%, robust to a | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | .github/bin/extract-release-notes.sh | 1 | #!/usr/bin/env bash | COMMENT |
| LOW | .github/bin/wait-for-workflow-success.sh | 61 | # into "in-progress" for debugging purposes to at least know if it found a run | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/memoize.js | 1 | import { memoize } from '../imports'; | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/uuid.js | 1 | /*eslint no-bitwise: 0, eqeqeq: 0, curly: 0, strict: 0, no-eq-null: 0, no-shadow: 0, no-undef: 0 */ | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/core/utils/get-selector/precompute.js | 481 | // that as a lookup table — every possible suffix would need its own | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/color/flatten-colors.js | 141 | // final color values by the final alpha | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/aria/get-role.js | 1 | import getExplicitRole from './get-explicit-role'; | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/aria/get-role.js | 21 | // "the expectation for me, in standard html is that element | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/dom/is-modal-open.js | 21 | // | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/text/unicode.js | 81 | } | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/text/is-icon-ligature.js | 121 | // we could theoretically get into an odd middle ground scenario in which | COMMENT |
| LOW | lib/commons/standards/implicit-html-roles.js | 41 | COMMENT | |
| LOW | perf/compare.js | 1 | #!/usr/bin/env node | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | lib/commons/text/unicode.js | 101 | // ┏━━━━━━┻━━━━━━┓┏━━━━━━┻━━━━━━┓ | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | lib/commons/text/unicode.js | 120 | // ┏━━━━━━━━┻━━━━━━━━┓┏━━━━━┻━━━━━┓ ┏━━━━━━━━━┻━━━━━━━━━┓ | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | .github/bin/wait-for-workflow-success.sh | 45 | # Create a temp file just so there is something to write to that will get thrown away. | COMMENT |