---
title: "Connect a visible error summary to invalid fields"
description: "Verify a form error summary names the invalid inputs, links to the intended fields, and has independently checked accessible associations."
canonical_url: "https://vostride.com/agent-library/accessibility-flows/error-summary-association.md"
md_url: "https://vostride.com/agent-library/accessibility-flows/error-summary-association.md"
content_kind: "recipe"
topic: "accessibility-flows"
---

# Connect a visible error summary to invalid fields

Verify a form error summary names the invalid inputs, links to the intended fields, and has independently checked accessible associations.

## Risk

An error summary can repeat vague text without helping users locate fields. Visual evidence must be paired with a semantic or manual assistive-technology check for programmatic error relationships.

## Fixtures

- A test signup form requires Organization name and Contact email and creates no external account until validation succeeds.
- Both fields start empty, and the product error contract lists them individually in a summary.
- A prepared accessibility-tree audit can inspect field names, invalid states, and associations between each field and its message.

## Steps

1. Open the form, leave both required fields empty, and submit; verify a visible summary names Organization name and Contact email.
2. Verify each invalid field also shows a specific nearby message rather than relying only on a color change.
3. Activate the summary link for Contact email and verify the corresponding field is brought into view.
4. Run the separate focus and semantic audit to verify the link targets that field and its error association is exposed programmatically.
5. Correct only Contact email and resubmit; verify its message clears while Organization name remains identified as invalid.

## Expected results

- The summary and inline messages identify the two actual invalid fields.
- Correcting one field removes only its own error while the remaining field still blocks completion.
- Independent semantic evidence establishes the error associations and focus target; screenshots alone do not prove screen-reader announcement behavior.

## False-pass traps

- A red border can be visible while the field has no usable accessible error description.
- A summary link that scrolls near a field without moving focus may fail the specified keyboard recovery contract.

## Cleanup

- Clear the incomplete synthetic form and delete any unexpected partial fixture record.

## Use with agent-qa

Adapt this test design to your application's acceptance criteria and configured target using the [recipe execution guide](/agent-library/software-factory/turn-a-recipe-into-an-agent-qa-test.md). External fixture setup and non-UI checks require your own supported hooks or test tooling. Validate the authored test, execute it, and inspect the completed evidence; this recipe is not a recorded test result.

## References

- [agent-qa test](/docs/agent-qa/configuration/test.md)
- [agent-qa first test](/docs/agent-qa/guides/first-test.md)
- [agent-qa web testing](/docs/agent-qa/guides/web-testing.md)

- [Accessibility workflow QA recipes](/agent-library/accessibility-flows.md)
- [Software factory QA library](/agent-library.md)