Ariada — WordPress Admin — accessibility scanner for WordPress sites

What this module is

The Ariada WordPress admin plugin adds a native wp-admin interface to the multi-domain accessibility scanner: scan, report, and settings pages that use WordPress's own UI components (wp-list-table, form-table, button button-primary) so the plugin looks and feels like a first-party WordPress screen.

Is this a design mockup? Partially. The admin PHP pages (admin/scan.php, admin/report.php, admin/settings.php, admin/network.php) and the associated CSS / JavaScript assets exist in the repository. The screenshots below are rendered from those real PHP / HTML pages by the Playwright harness, not from a Figma comp. However, the plugin is not yet listed on WordPress.org, and several features documented in the assessment (polling, CSV export, in-editor sidebar) are identified gaps, not yet shipped.

Type: WordPress plugin — PHP admin pages with AJAX-driven scan + WP REST API endpoints
Where it lives: plugins/ariada-wordpress/ in the monorepo
What it runs: Calls the Ariada scan engine via the REST API endpoint; results stored in WP options; displayed in admin/report.php
Accessibility: Uses aria-live="polite" on scan status, role="region" + aria-label on scrollable tables, prefers-reduced-motion for the spinner
Status: PHP admin pages and assets present; WordPress.org listing not yet published; scan-status polling and CSV export are identified gaps

Who uses it & why

Role	How they use it	Value
WordPress site owner (non-developer)	One-click scan of their own site from inside wp-admin; no command line needed	High — zero external-tool dependency
WordPress developer / agency	Scan client sites from the dashboard; include in the delivery checklist	High
Accessibility consultant	Quick audit of a client's WordPress site without installing a separate tool	Medium-High
Public-sector WordPress operator	Ongoing EAA compliance monitoring integrated into the existing WordPress workflow	High — EAA mandate drives adoption

WordPress powers approximately 43% of all websites (WordPress.org 2025). The WordPress admin surface puts the Ariada scanner in front of the largest single CMS audience without requiring any command-line or developer tooling.

Distribution — free and open source

The WordPress plugin is free and open source under the EUPL-1.2 licence. There is no account and no external service to use the wp-admin scanner.

Capability	Availability
One-click six-domain WordPress scan from wp-admin	Free · open source
Report page with findings by domain and severity	Free · open source
Settings: per-domain toggle, scan schedule	Free · open source
Network-mode support (WordPress multisite)	Free · open source

Everything documented on this page is part of the open toolkit. The project is funded as public-interest open source.

Getting started

Discover — WordPress.org plugin directory and GitHub.
Install — one-click install from the WP plugin directory; no API key or external account required.
First value — press Scan from the wp-admin dashboard; get a six-domain compliance report on your site.
Habit — schedule weekly scans; archive the report page output as the compliance audit trail per EAA / ADA obligations.
Contribute — the PHP plugin is open source; issues and PRs are welcome for coverage gaps and WordPress.org compatibility.

WordPress.org listing not yet published — the plugin passes the Playwright harness but has not been submitted to the WordPress.org review queue.

Documentation & help — current state

Install: Upload plugins/ariada-wordpress/ to wp-content/plugins/ and activate from the Plugins screen. No API key required for basic scans.
Docs site: apps/docs (Astro Starlight) needs a "WordPress" guide: install → first scan → reading the report → settings → network mode.
README.txt: A WordPress-format README.txt (required for WordPress.org submission) is the top follow-up; without it the plugin cannot be listed in the directory.

AI chat & digital-adoption helpers — plan

Honest status: the plugin has no AI features. The following is a proposal, not existing work.

In-admin AI assistant — "explain this finding", "show me the WordPress fix" — displayed in the report page as a collapsible panel, triggered only on user action.
Block-editor sidebar — a real-time accessibility check per Gutenberg block as the editor types (the direction the market leader Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker has moved in their 2025 update; currently a gap in Ariada's plugin).

Screenshots — click any image to open it full size

From the end-to-end Playwright harness. Each thumbnail opens a full-size, zoomable overlay.

wp-admin scan page — idle state with Run Scan button and six domain indicators — 1 · Scan page — idle

wp-admin scan page — running state with spinner and domains activating — 2 · Scan page — running

wp-admin report page — findings table with domain, severity, rule, and selector columns — 3 · Report page — findings table

wp-admin settings page — per-domain toggles and scan schedule configuration — 4 · Settings page

Mobile 375 px view of the scan page — stacked layout within wp-admin mobile frame — 5 · Scan page — mobile 375 px

Mobile 375 px view of the report page — horizontally scrollable findings table — 6 · Report page — mobile 375 px

Assessment summary

Full assessment is in assessment.html. Headline: the plugin uses WordPress native UI patterns correctly (wp-list-table, aria-live, role=\"region\") and is a solid accessible starting point. Key gaps before WordPress.org listing: scan-status polling (currently hangs on async scans), CSV export, a first-run welcome screen, and a README.txt in WordPress format. Competitors compared: Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker, Sa11y, WP Accessibility by Joe Dolson, accessiBe WordPress.

Full detail in assessment.html.