Scheduled Scans
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Scheduled scans watch a page for you. Pick a page URL, a scan type, and a cadence, and OverlayQA re-scans it from its own browser, keeps the first run as a baseline, and emails you what changed on each later run. Four scan types are available: Accessibility, Contrast, Design Tokens, and Auto Review. Schedules live on the Schedule page in the dashboard.
Create a Schedule
- In the dashboard, open Schedule from the navigation and click + New Schedule.
- In the New Scheduled Scan dialog, choose the Project the findings should land in.
- Enter the Page URL (for example https://example.com/pricing). The page must be reachable by OverlayQA's scanner, so localhost and private networks are out; use the extension for those.
- Choose a Scan type: Accessibility, Contrast, Design Tokens, or Auto Review.
- Choose a Cadence: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. Daily cadence needs a paid plan.
- Click Create schedule.
If the URL is a sign-in page, the dialog says so: "This is a sign-in page. We can review this screen, but cannot sign in to the pages behind it." Tick Review this sign-in page to schedule the sign-in screen itself.
Tip: New projects can start with a schedule already in place. During onboarding, the checkbox Scan this site weekly and email me what changed (on by default) enrols the site you entered in a weekly scan. If the scanner cannot reach the site, onboarding says so and skips the schedule.
What Each Run Does
The first run establishes a baseline and emails you the count of issues found on the domain. Each later run compares against the previous one and emails the number of new issues found in that period, so the inbox message reads as a delta, not a repeat. Findings land in the project you chose; open the schedule's Review findings action to see them, or Capture issues to open the page in Team Review and pin your own.
Manage a Schedule
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Run now | Starts a scan immediately instead of waiting for the next cadence slot. |
| Pause / Resume | Stops future runs without deleting the schedule, and starts them again. |
| Change cadence | Switches between Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. |
| Review findings | Opens the issues the schedule has created in your project. |
| Capture issues | Opens the page in Team Review so you can pin issues by hand. |
| Delete | Asks for confirmation ("Delete schedule"), then stops future scans and removes the baseline. This cannot be undone. |
Each row shows its status: Active, Paused, or a paused reason such as Paused - site unreachable, Paused - bot protection blocked the scan, Paused - check the page URL, or Paused - saved page exceeds review size limit. The last successful run shows its score and a one-line summary; a schedule that has not run yet reads Not scanned yet.
When a Site Blocks the Scanner
OverlayQA's scanner identifies itself with the user agent OverlayQA-Scanner/1.0 (+https://overlayqa.com). Some sites sit behind bot protection that refuses it. When that happens the schedule pauses with Paused - bot protection blocked the scan and offers Scan with the extension, which opens the page in your own browser where the extension can run the same scan. Allow-listing the user agent on the site lets the schedule resume.
Plan Limits
| Plan | Active schedules | Cadences |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 5 | Weekly and Monthly |
| Freelancer | 5 | Daily, Weekly, Monthly |
| Starter | 10 | Daily, Weekly, Monthly |
| Pro | 25 | Daily, Weekly, Monthly |
At the limit, creating another schedule shows how many your plan allows and asks you to delete one or upgrade. Choosing Daily on a trial shows "Daily scans need a paid plan."
Frequently Asked Questions
Do scheduled scans need the Chrome extension?
No. Scheduled scans run from OverlayQA's own browser on a schedule, with nothing installed. The extension is the fallback for pages the scanner cannot reach: localhost, private networks, login-gated pages, and sites whose bot protection blocks the scanner.
What email will I get?
A baseline email after the first run with the number of issues found on the domain, then one email per later run with the number of new issues found in that period. Each email links to the findings in your project.
Can I schedule a page behind a login?
The scanner opens pages logged out, so it can review a sign-in screen itself (tick Review this sign-in page) but not the pages behind it. Review those with the Chrome extension in your own session.
Which scan type should I pick?
Accessibility for WCAG violations, Contrast for color-contrast failures only, Design Tokens for hard-coded values that should be tokens, and Auto Review for UI-quality issues such as missing interactive states, form problems, responsive gaps, and dead UI. One schedule covers one scan type; create several to watch the same page from different angles.