Skip to main content
VertaaUX Docs

audit_url

Audit a deployed website URL for UX and accessibility issues

audit_url

Audit a deployed website URL for UX and accessibility issues. This is the primary entry point for most auditing workflows.

Description

The audit_url tool runs a comprehensive UX and accessibility audit on any publicly accessible URL. It captures screenshots, analyzes the page, and returns findings with severity ratings.

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
urlstringrequiredWebsite URL to audit (must be publicly accessible or localhost)
mode'basic' | 'standard' | 'deep'optionalAudit depth. Default: 'standard'
timeout_msnumberoptionalMaximum time to wait for audit completion. Max: 120000, Default: 60000
waitbooleanoptionalWait for audit completion before returning. Default: true
baseline_idstringoptionalPrevious audit ID for change tracking (diff mode)
offlinebooleanoptionalEnable for local HTML files or Storybook. Default: false

Audit Modes

ModeDurationChecksBest For
basic~30sCore accessibility (WCAG A)Quick verification, CI gates
standard~2minFull WCAG 2.1 AA + UX heuristicsRegular audits, PR checks
deep~5minMulti-page crawl, performance, AA+AAAComprehensive reviews, compliance

Response

type
properties

Example Conversations

Basic Audit

Claude runs audit_url with default settings:

audit_url({
  url: "https://mysite.com"
})

Deep Audit with Extended Timeout

"Do a deep audit of https://staging.mysite.com with a 2 minute timeout"

Claude uses explicit parameters:

audit_url({
  url: "https://staging.mysite.com",
  mode: "deep",
  timeout_ms: 120000
})

Local Development Audit

"Audit my local Storybook at http://localhost:6006"

Claude enables offline mode for localhost:

audit_url({
  url: "http://localhost:6006",
  offline: true
})

Comparison with Baseline

"Audit the homepage and compare it to last week's baseline audit"

Claude uses the baseline_id parameter:

audit_url({
  url: "https://mysite.com",
  baseline_id: "aud_previous_123"
})

Response includes a changes section showing new, fixed, and unchanged findings.

Error Handling

ErrorCauseSolution
INVALID_URLURL is malformed or not accessibleCheck URL format and ensure it's publicly reachable
TIMEOUTAudit exceeded timeout_msIncrease timeout or use basic mode
UNAUTHORIZEDInvalid API keyCheck API key configuration
QUOTA_EXCEEDEDMonthly audit limit reachedUpgrade plan or wait for reset
NETWORK_ERRORCannot reach the target URLVerify URL is accessible and not blocking requests

Tips

Choosing the Right Mode

  • CI/CD pipelines: Use basic for fast feedback
  • PR reviews: Use standard for balanced coverage
  • Compliance audits: Use deep for thorough analysis

Using with Localhost

For local development servers:

  1. Ensure your dev server is running
  2. Use offline: true for local files
  3. Works with: webpack-dev-server, Vite, Storybook, etc.

Baseline Comparisons

To track changes over time:

  1. Save the audit_id from your first audit
  2. Use it as baseline_id in subsequent audits
  3. The response will include a diff showing new/fixed issues

Was this page helpful?

On this page