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Add more documentation for the following: (#146)
- what the `gh-cache` branch is for - PDF scanning is outside our scope
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FAQ.md

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# FAQ
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## Find Action (Scanning for Problems)
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### Do you support scanning PDFs?
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Not at this time — our focus is on **website accessibility**, so PDF scanning
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isn't something we're planning to build into this Action.
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That said, there are great tools out there for that! We'd suggest checking out
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the [standalone PDF accessibility checkers listed by the PDF
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Association](https://pdfa.org/tools-for-accessible-pdf/).
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### What about mobile apps, documents, or email templates?
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This Action is built specifically to scan **websites, repositories, and dynamic
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content** for accessibility issues. We don't support scanning for:
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- **Mobile apps** (iOS or Android)
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- **Desktop applications**
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- **Documents** (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)
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- **Email templates**
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If you need accessibility testing for those, there are dedicated tools better
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suited for each — but for catching web accessibility problems before they reach
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your users, that's exactly what we're here for.
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---
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## Other / Repository-Wide Questions
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### What's the `gh-cache` branch/Action all about?
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**The short version:** It's an orphan branch we use to store data between Action
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runs. You can safely ignore it and any prompts to use it for a pull request — it's just a behind-the-scenes detail.
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**The longer version:** We use the `gh-cache` branch (and its associated Action)
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to keep track of issue data across runs. This is what prevents the Action from
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opening duplicate issues, and it's also how we're able to **automatically close
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issues** that have been fixed — in other words, if a problem isn't detected
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again on a subsequent run, we treat it as resolved.
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Why use a git branch instead of some other caching method? A couple of reasons:
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- You can view and edit the cache contents right in the GitHub UI — no extra
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tooling needed.
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- Everything is version-controlled, so you can manage it with the same git
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commands you already know.
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### How do I remove or reset the cache?
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Since the cache lives on the `gh-cache` branch, you have a couple of options:
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- **Delete the branch entirely** — the Action will create a fresh one on its
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next run
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- **Edit or remove specific files** on the branch through the GitHub UI or git
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commands
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Just keep in mind that resetting the cache means the Action will "forget" what
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it's already seen, so it may reopen issues that were previously tracked or
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closed.
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### Does this work with private repositories?
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Yes! The Action works with both public and private repositories. Since it runs
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within GitHub Actions, it has access to your repository's content regardless of
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visibility settings. No extra configuration needed.
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### Does this work with monorepos or multiple sites?
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It does. If your repository contains multiple sites or projects, you can
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configure separate workflow runs targeting different URLs or paths. Each scan
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runs independently, so you can tailor the setup to match however your repo is
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structured.
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### How often does / should the Action run?
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That's really up to you and your workflow. Some common setups include:
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- **On every push or pull request** — great for catching issues early in
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development
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- **On a scheduled cron job** (e.g., daily or weekly) — good for ongoing
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monitoring of live sites
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- **Manually triggered** — useful for one-off audits
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If you're just getting started, running on pull requests is a solid default — it
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catches problems before they get merged without adding noise to every single
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commit.
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### Will this slow down my CI/CD pipeline?
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The Action runs as its own job, so it won't block your builds or deployments
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unless you specifically configure it to. Scan times depend on the size and
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complexity of the site being scanned, but for most projects it adds minimal
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overhead. You can also run it on a schedule instead of on every push if speed is
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a concern.
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### Can I customize which rules or checks are run?
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Under the hood, this Action uses
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**[axe-core](https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core)** — the industry gold
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standard for automated accessibility testing. That gives you a solid,
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well-maintained foundation right out of the box.
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That said, you're not locked into a single setup. You can tap into different
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APIs and configure the Action to focus on the specific accessibility standards
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or rules that matter most to your project.
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If you're looking to go even further, we also have resources for integrating
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accessibility into your development workflow with GitHub Copilot:
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- **[Getting Started with GitHub Copilot Custom Agents for
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Accessibility](https://accessibility.github.com/documentation/guide/getting-started-with-agents/)**
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— learn how to set up custom agents tailored to accessibility workflows
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- **[Optimizing GitHub Copilot for Accessibility with Custom
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Instructions](https://accessibility.github.com/documentation/guide/copilot-instructions/)**
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— fine-tune how Copilot assists you with accessibility-specific guidance
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Between axe-core's rule set, API flexibility, and Copilot's custom instructions,
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you've got a lot of room to shape the tooling around how your team actually
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works.
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### Does this work with GitHub Enterprise?
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Yes, the Action is compatible with GitHub Enterprise Cloud. For GitHub
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Enterprise Server, compatibility may depend on your version and Actions
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availability. If you run into any issues, feel free to open an issue and we'll
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do our best to help.
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### Can multiple people use this on the same repo?
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Absolutely. The Action is tied to the repository, not to any individual user.
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Anyone with the appropriate permissions can trigger runs, view results, and
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manage the issues it creates. It works just like any other GitHub Action in that
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regard.

README.md

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@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ The AI-powered Accessibility Scanner (a11y scanner) is a GitHub Action that dete
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The a11y scanner helps teams:
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- 🔍 Scan websites, files, repositories, and dynamic content for accessibility issues
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- 🔍 Scan websites, repositories, and dynamic content for accessibility issues
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- 📝 Create actionable GitHub issues that can be assigned to GitHub Copilot
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- 🤖 Propose fixes with GitHub Copilot, with humans reviewing before merging
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---
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## [Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)](FAQ.md)
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## Requirements
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To use the a11y scanner, you'll need:
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💬 We welcome your feedback! To submit feedback or report issues, please create an issue in this repository. For more information on contributing, please refer to the [CONTRIBUTING](./CONTRIBUTING.md) file.
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## How We Decide What to Build Next
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We love hearing ideas and suggestions from the community — your feedback genuinely helps shape our thinking. That said, we want to be upfront: **there's no guarantee that any specific feature request will be implemented.**
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Our team prioritizes upcoming work based on a number of factors, including:
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- Alignment with the Action's core mission (website accessibility scanning)
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- The complexity and scope of the work involved
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- How many users would benefit from the change
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- Our current bandwidth and roadmap commitments
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We read every suggestion and appreciate the time people take to share them. Even if we can't act on a request right away (or at all), it still helps us understand what matters most to the people using this tool. So please keep the ideas coming — just know that we can't make promises about what will or won't ship.
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---
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## License
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📄 This project is licensed under the terms of the MIT open source license. Please refer to the [LICENSE](./LICENSE) file for the full terms.

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