# Manual accessibility review checklist

Automated axe checks do not establish WCAG conformance. A human reviewer must
review all 27 route records in `artifacts/tests/a11y-manual/` against one
release candidate and sign them. The required TechLog Public and Studio scope is
derived from the installed route registry, so the gate rejects stale, missing,
or additional route records as well as blank identity/timestamp/signature
fields, pending verdicts, and mismatched release IDs. The scope is:
`NOT_FOUND`, `TECH_LOG_CASE`, `TECH_LOG_EXPLORE`, `TECH_LOG_EXPLORE_KIND`,
`TECH_LOG_HOME`, `TECH_LOG_PROFILE`, `TECH_LOG_PROJECT`,
`TECH_LOG_PROJECTS`, `TECH_LOG_PROJECT_ACTIVITY`,
`TECH_LOG_PROJECT_DECISIONS`, `TECH_LOG_PROJECT_RECORDS`,
`TECH_LOG_QUESTION`, `TECH_LOG_REFERENCE`, `TECH_LOG_RELEASE`,
`TECH_LOG_RELEASES`, `TECH_LOG_SEARCH`, `TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENTS`,
`TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENT_EDIT`, `TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENT_NEW`,
`TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENT_PREVIEW`, `TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENT_PUBLISH`,
`TECH_LOG_STUDIO_DOCUMENT_VALIDATION`, `TECH_LOG_STUDIO_HOME`,
`TECH_LOG_STUDIO_NOT_FOUND`, `TECH_LOG_STUDIO_PUBLICATIONS`,
`TECH_LOG_STUDIO_PUBLICATION_PREVIEW`, `TECH_LOG_TOPIC`.

This list is not maintained by hand: `verify:documentation` compares it against
the installed route registry and fails when a registered route is absent. The
template carried the same rule for its own example screens; the route set is
this product's, the rule is the template's.

Allowed item verdicts:

- `pass`
- `not-applicable (<specific reason>)`

Required record:

```text
Status: reviewed
Route ID: <exact installed route ID>
Release ID: <immutable release ID>
Reviewer: <human reviewer identity>
Reviewed at: <RFC 3339 timestamp>
Signature: <reviewer identity or approved signature reference>
Attestation: accepted
M1 Keyboard: pass
M2 Visible focus: pass
M3 Route focus: pass
M4 Modal focus: not-applicable (no modal on this route)
M5 Error association: not-applicable (no form error on this route)
M6 Color signal: pass
M7 Reduced motion: pass
Screen reader: pass
Notes: <observations and linked defect IDs>
```

The reviewer must verify:

- M1: every action works without a pointing device
- M2: every focused element has a visible indicator
- M3: route transitions move focus to a deterministic target
- M4: modal focus is trapped and restored, when a modal exists
- M5: errors are programmatically associated with their controls, when present
- M6: state never relies on color alone
- M7: non-essential motion is suppressed with reduced-motion preference
- Screen reader: headings, live regions, errors, and actions are announced once

Routes with dialogs or form errors require real M4 modal-focus or M5
error-association review; those items must not be marked not-applicable when the
reviewed route exposes the relevant behavior. Passing automated evidence means
only that tested pages had no critical or serious axe findings under the
recorded browser runs.