What a machine can check

87 criteria · 87 rules

Every WCAG 2.2 success criterion against the W3C ACT rules that can test it.

The finding. Twenty-four of the eighty-seven criteria have an approved ACT rule. Forty-nine have no rule at all, approved or proposed. And the rules that do exist pile up where testing is mechanical: Name, Role, Value and Info and Relationships hold twenty-eight of the hundred rule-to-criterion links between them. Passing every automated check is compatible with an unusable page, and this is the shape of the reason.

Level A 9 of 32 have an approved rule

Level AA 9 of 24 have an approved rule

Level AAA 6 of 31 have an approved rule

approved rule proposed only nothing

Where the rules collect

One hundred rule-to-criterion links across eighty-seven criteria, and the top two hold twenty-eight of them. Both are about whether markup says what it means — the part of accessibility a parser can reach.

4.1.2Name, Role, Value15
1.3.1Info and Relationships13
1.1.1Non-text Content8
1.2.1Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)5
2.4.9Link Purpose (Link Only)5
1.4.12Text Spacing3

Filter by criterion, number or rule

Testable

Level

№	Criterion	Level	Rules	Testable by
1.1.1	Non-text Content Element marked as decorative is not exposed Image accessible name is descriptive Image button has non-empty accessible name Image has non-empty accessible name Link has non-empty accessible name Object element rendering non-text content has non-empty accessible name SVG element with explicit role has non-empty accessible name Image not in the accessibility tree is decorative proposed	A	7+1	Approved rule
1.2.1	Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) Audio and visuals of video element have transcript proposed Audio element content has text alternative proposed Video element auditory content has captions proposed Video element visual-only content has accessible alternative proposed Video element visual-only content has transcript proposed	A	—+5	Proposed only
1.2.2	Captions (Prerecorded) Video element auditory content has accessible alternative proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
1.2.3	Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) Video element visual content has accessible alternative proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
1.2.4	Captions (Live)	AA	—	No rule
1.2.5	Audio Description (Prerecorded) Video element visual content has accessible alternative proposed Video element visual content has strict accessible alternative proposed	AA	—+2	Proposed only
1.2.6	Sign Language (Prerecorded)	AAA	—	No rule
1.2.7	Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded)	AAA	—	No rule
1.2.8	Media Alternative (Prerecorded) Audio and visuals of video element have transcript proposed Video element visual content has accessible alternative proposed	AAA	—+2	Proposed only
1.2.9	Audio-only (Live)	AAA	—	No rule
1.3.1	Info and Relationships ARIA attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA ARIA state or property has valid value Element with role attribute has required states and properties Form field has non-empty accessible name Headers attribute specified on a cell refers to cells in the same table element Role attribute has valid value ARIA global properties not used where prohibited proposed ARIA required context role proposed ARIA required owned elements proposed ARIA state or property is permitted proposed Audio and visuals of video element have transcript proposed Table header cell has assigned cells proposed Video element visual-only content has transcript proposed	A	6+7	Approved rule
1.3.2	Meaningful Sequence	A	—	No rule
1.3.3	Sensory Characteristics Content has alternative for visual reference proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
1.3.4	Orientation Orientation of the page is not restricted using CSS transforms	AA	1	Approved rule
1.3.5	Identify Input Purpose Autocomplete attribute has valid value	AA	1	Approved rule
1.3.6	Identify Purpose	AAA	—	No rule
1.4.1	Use of Color	A	—	No rule
1.4.2	Audio Control Audio or video element avoids automatically playing audio proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
1.4.3	Contrast (Minimum) Text has enhanced contrast Text has minimum contrast	AA	2	Approved rule
1.4.4	Resize Text Meta viewport allows for zoom Zoomed text node is not clipped with CSS overflow proposed	AA	1+1	Approved rule
1.4.5	Images of Text HTML images contain no text	AA	1	Approved rule
1.4.6	Contrast (Enhanced) Text has enhanced contrast Text has minimum contrast	AAA	2	Approved rule
1.4.7	Low or No Background Audio	AAA	—	No rule
1.4.8	Visual Presentation	AAA	—	No rule
1.4.9	Images of Text (No Exception) HTML images contain no text	AAA	1	Approved rule
1.4.10	Reflow Meta viewport allows for zoom	AA	1	Approved rule
1.4.11	Non-text Contrast	AA	—	No rule
1.4.12	Text Spacing Important letter spacing in style attributes is wide enough Important line height in style attributes is wide enough Important word spacing in style attributes is wide enough	AA	3	Approved rule
1.4.13	Content on Hover or Focus	AA	—	No rule
2.1.1	Keyboard Iframe with interactive elements is not excluded from tab-order Scrollable content can be reached with sequential focus navigation	A	2	Approved rule
2.1.2	No Keyboard Trap Focusable element has no keyboard trap proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
2.1.3	Keyboard (No Exception) Iframe with interactive elements is not excluded from tab-order Scrollable content can be reached with sequential focus navigation	AAA	2	Approved rule
2.1.4	Character Key Shortcuts No keyboard shortcut uses only printable characters proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
2.2.1	Timing Adjustable Meta element has no refresh delay Meta element has no refresh delay (no exception)	A	2	Approved rule
2.2.2	Pause, Stop, Hide Text content that changes automatically can be paused, stopped or hidden proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
2.2.3	No Timing	AAA	—	No rule
2.2.4	Interruptions Meta element has no refresh delay Meta element has no refresh delay (no exception)	AAA	2	Approved rule
2.2.5	Re-authenticating	AAA	—	No rule
2.2.6	Timeouts	AAA	—	No rule
2.3.1	Three Flashes or Below Threshold	A	—	No rule
2.3.2	Three Flashes	AAA	—	No rule
2.3.3	Animation from Interactions	AAA	—	No rule
2.4.1	Bypass Blocks Bypass Blocks of Repeated Content proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
2.4.2	Page Titled HTML page has non-empty title HTML page title is descriptive	A	2	Approved rule
2.4.3	Focus Order	A	—	No rule
2.4.4	Link Purpose (In Context) Link has non-empty accessible name Link in context is descriptive proposed Links with identical accessible names and same context serve equivalent purpose proposed	A	1+2	Approved rule
2.4.5	Multiple Ways	AA	—	No rule
2.4.6	Headings and Labels Form field label is descriptive proposed Heading is descriptive proposed	AA	—+2	Proposed only
2.4.7	Focus Visible Element in sequential focus order has visible focus	AA	1	Approved rule
2.4.8	Location	AAA	—	No rule
2.4.9	Link Purpose (Link Only) Link has non-empty accessible name Link in context is descriptive proposed Link is descriptive proposed Links with identical accessible names and same context serve equivalent purpose proposed Links with identical accessible names have equivalent purpose proposed	AAA	1+4	Approved rule
2.4.10	Section Headings	AAA	—	No rule
2.4.11	Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) new in 2.2	AA	—	No rule
2.4.12	Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) new in 2.2	AAA	—	No rule
2.4.13	Focus Appearance new in 2.2	AAA	—	No rule
2.5.1	Pointer Gestures	A	—	No rule
2.5.2	Pointer Cancellation	A	—	No rule
2.5.3	Label in Name Form field has non-empty accessible name Visible label is part of accessible name proposed	A	1+1	Approved rule
2.5.4	Motion Actuation Device motion based changes to the content can also be created from the user interface proposed Device motion based changes to the content can be disabled proposed	A	—+2	Proposed only
2.5.5	Target Size (Enhanced)	AAA	—	No rule
2.5.6	Concurrent Input Mechanisms	AAA	—	No rule
2.5.7	Dragging Movements new in 2.2	AA	—	No rule
2.5.8	Target Size (Minimum) new in 2.2	AA	—	No rule
3.1.1	Language of Page HTML page has lang attribute HTML page lang attribute has valid language tag HTML page language subtag matches default language proposed	A	2+1	Approved rule
3.1.2	Language of Parts Element with lang attribute has valid language tag HTML element language subtag matches language proposed	AA	1+1	Approved rule
3.1.3	Unusual Words	AAA	—	No rule
3.1.4	Abbreviations	AAA	—	No rule
3.1.5	Reading Level	AAA	—	No rule
3.1.6	Pronunciation	AAA	—	No rule
3.2.1	On Focus	A	—	No rule
3.2.2	On Input	A	—	No rule
3.2.3	Consistent Navigation	AA	—	No rule
3.2.4	Consistent Identification	AA	—	No rule
3.2.5	Change on Request Meta element has no refresh delay Meta element has no refresh delay (no exception)	AAA	2	Approved rule
3.2.6	Consistent Help new in 2.2	A	—	No rule
3.3.1	Error Identification Error message describes invalid form field value proposed	A	—+1	Proposed only
3.3.2	Labels or Instructions	A	—	No rule
3.3.3	Error Suggestion	AA	—	No rule
3.3.4	Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)	AA	—	No rule
3.3.5	Help	AAA	—	No rule
3.3.6	Error Prevention (All)	AAA	—	No rule
3.3.7	Redundant Entry new in 2.2	A	—	No rule
3.3.8	Accessible Authentication (Minimum) new in 2.2	AA	—	No rule
3.3.9	Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) new in 2.2	AAA	—	No rule
4.1.1	Parsing (Obsolete and removed)	A	—	No rule
4.1.2	Name, Role, Value ARIA attribute is defined in WAI-ARIA ARIA state or property has valid value Button has non-empty accessible name Element with aria-hidden has no content in sequential focus navigation Element with presentational children has no focusable content Element with role attribute has required states and properties Form field has non-empty accessible name Image button has non-empty accessible name Link has non-empty accessible name Menuitem has non-empty accessible name Role attribute has valid value Summary element has non-empty accessible name ARIA state or property is permitted proposed Iframe element has non-empty accessible name proposed Iframe elements with identical accessible names have equivalent purpose proposed	A	12+3	Approved rule
4.1.3	Status Messages	AA	—	No rule

Joined on the rules’ own successCriteria field, whose slugs match this site’s criterion ids exactly — all resolve, none orphaned. The rules’ accessibility_requirements field is deliberately NOT used as the join: it mixes WCAG criteria with ARIA-specification and technique requirements, and 8 live rules carry no WCAG requirement at all. Deprecated rules are excluded. Approved and proposed rules are counted separately throughout, because a proposed rule is not a standard.

What this cannot tell you.

A rule is not a conformance test. An ACT rule evidences part of a criterion; passing it is not passing the criterion, and the Rules Format says so itself.
A criterion with no rule is not untestable — only that no rule has been written and accepted. Absence here is absence of a rule, not of a method.
Fifty of the eighty-seven live rules are proposed rather than approved. They are counted separately throughout and never folded into the headline, because a proposed rule is not a standard.
Seven deprecated rules are excluded. Doing so moves one criterion from covered to uncovered — its only rule had been withdrawn.
The join is the rules’ own successCriteria field, not accessibility_requirements, which also carries ARIA-specification and technique requirements — eight live rules map to no WCAG criterion at all and would otherwise have been counted as covering one.
This collection cannot tell you what any tool actually runs. A published rule and an implemented rule are different things, and the implementation reports are not read here.
Pinned to one commit of a repository that changes as rules are approved. The counts are true of that revision and are dated accordingly.

Source. W3C ACT Rules × WCAG 2.2 Recommendation · W3C Document Licence · retrieved 2026-08-14. This collection is derived · two sources joined.

The documents. W3C ACT Rules · WCAG 2.2 Recommendation

5 Whole systems open

3 Patterns open

1 Primitives open

G Collections open

S The Stairwell open

B The Basement open

The rest of the building

The desk

What a machine can check

Where the rules collect