diff --git a/lib/core/base/context.js b/lib/core/base/context.js
index f957a780a5..f26f559ee6 100644
--- a/lib/core/base/context.js
+++ b/lib/core/base/context.js
@@ -42,29 +42,31 @@ function pushUniqueFrame(collection, frame) {
 function pushUniqueFrameSelector(context, type, selectorArray) {
   context.frames = context.frames || [];
 
-  var result, frame;
-  var frames = document.querySelectorAll(selectorArray.shift());
+  const frameSelector = selectorArray.shift();
+  const frames = document.querySelectorAll(frameSelector);
 
-  frameloop: for (var i = 0, l = frames.length; i < l; i++) {
-    frame = frames[i];
-    for (var j = 0, l2 = context.frames.length; j < l2; j++) {
-      if (context.frames[j].node === frame) {
-        context.frames[j][type].push(selectorArray);
-        break frameloop;
+  Array.from(frames).forEach(frame => {
+    context.frames.forEach(contextFrame => {
+      if (contextFrame.node === frame) {
+        contextFrame[type].push(selectorArray);
       }
-    }
-    result = {
-      node: frame,
-      include: [],
-      exclude: []
-    };
+    });
 
-    if (selectorArray) {
-      result[type].push(selectorArray);
+    if (!context.frames.find(result => result.node === frame)) {
+      const result = {
+        node: frame,
+        include: [],
+        exclude: []
+      };
+
+      if (selectorArray) {
+        result[type].push(selectorArray);
+      }
+
+      context.frames.push(result);
     }
+  });
 
-    context.frames.push(result);
-  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/core/utils/get-frame-contexts.js b/lib/core/utils/get-frame-contexts.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f658874d4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/core/utils/get-frame-contexts.js
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import Context from '../base/context';
+import getAncestry from './get-ancestry';
+
+export default function getFrameContexts(context) {
+  const { frames } = new Context(context);
+  return frames.map(({ node, include, exclude }) => {
+    const frameContext = { include, exclude };
+    frameContext.initiator = false;
+    const frameSelector = getAncestry(node);
+    return { frameSelector, frameContext };
+  });
+}
diff --git a/lib/core/utils/index.js b/lib/core/utils/index.js
index bde396b7c7..813ba2bd91 100644
--- a/lib/core/utils/index.js
+++ b/lib/core/utils/index.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export { default as getAllChecks } from './get-all-checks';
 export { default as getBaseLang } from './get-base-lang';
 export { default as getCheckMessage } from './get-check-message';
 export { default as getCheckOption } from './get-check-option';
+export { default as getFrameContexts } from './get-frame-contexts';
 export { default as getFriendlyUriEnd } from './get-friendly-uri-end';
 export { default as getNodeAttributes } from './get-node-attributes';
 export { default as getNodeFromTree } from './get-node-from-tree';
diff --git a/test/core/utils/get-frame-context.js b/test/core/utils/get-frame-context.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f55185f294
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/utils/get-frame-context.js
@@ -0,0 +1,274 @@
+describe('utils.getFrameContexts', function() {
+  var getFrameContexts = axe.utils.getFrameContexts;
+  var shadowSupported = axe.testUtils.shadowSupport.v1;
+  var fixture = document.querySelector('#fixture');
+
+  it('returns an empty array if the page has no frames', function() {
+    var frameContext = getFrameContexts();
+    assert.isArray(frameContext);
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContext, 0);
+  });
+
+  it('sets context.initiator to false for each included frame', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe></iframe>' + '<iframe></iframe>' + '<iframe></iframe>';
+
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts().map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 3);
+    assert.isFalse(contexts[0].initiator);
+    assert.isFalse(contexts[1].initiator);
+    assert.isFalse(contexts[2].initiator);
+  });
+
+  it('returns a `frameSelector` for each included frame', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe></iframe>' + '<iframe></iframe>' + '<iframe></iframe>';
+
+    var selectors = getFrameContexts().map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameSelector;
+    });
+    assert.lengthOf(selectors, 3);
+    assert.include(selectors[0], 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.include(selectors[1], 'iframe:nth-child(2)');
+    assert.include(selectors[2], 'iframe:nth-child(3)');
+  });
+
+  it('returns a `frameContext` for each included frame', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' +
+      '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>' +
+      '<iframe id="f3"></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      include: [
+        ['#f1', 'header'],
+        ['#f2', 'main']
+      ],
+      exclude: [['#f3', 'footer']]
+    };
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 3);
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[0], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['header']],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[1], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['main']],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[2], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: [['footer']]
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('excludes non-frame contexts', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      include: [['#header'], ['a'], ['#f1', 'header']]
+    };
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 1);
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[0], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['header']],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('mixes contexts if the frame is selected twice', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' + '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      include: [
+        ['#f1', 'header'],
+        ['#f2', 'footer']
+      ],
+      exclude: [['iframe', 'main']]
+    };
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 2);
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[0], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['header']],
+      exclude: [['main']]
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[1], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['footer']],
+      exclude: [['main']]
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('combines include/exclude arrays of frames selected twice', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<iframe></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      include: [
+        ['iframe', 'header'],
+        ['iframe', 'main']
+      ],
+      exclude: [
+        ['iframe', 'aside'],
+        ['iframe', 'footer']
+      ]
+    };
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 1);
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[0], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['header'], ['main']],
+      exclude: [['aside'], ['footer']]
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('skips excluded frames', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' +
+      '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>' +
+      '<iframe id="f3"></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      exclude: [[['#f2']]]
+    };
+    var selectors = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameSelector;
+    });
+    assert.lengthOf(selectors, 2);
+    assert.include(selectors[0], 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.include(selectors[1], 'iframe:nth-child(3)');
+  });
+
+  it('skips frames excluded by a parent', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<iframe></iframe>';
+    var frameContexts = getFrameContexts({
+      exclude: [['#fixture']]
+    });
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 0);
+  });
+
+  it('normalizes the context', function() {
+    var frameContexts;
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' + '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>';
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts('#f1');
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts({ include: ['#f1'] });
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts({ exclude: ['#f2'] });
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('accepts elements', function() {
+    var frameContexts;
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' + '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>';
+    var f1 = fixture.querySelector('#f1');
+    var f2 = fixture.querySelector('#f2');
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts(f1);
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts({ include: [f1] });
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+
+    frameContexts = getFrameContexts({ exclude: [f2] });
+    assert.include(frameContexts[0].frameSelector, 'iframe:nth-child(1)');
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContexts, 1);
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContexts[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('works with nested frames', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML =
+      '<iframe id="f1"></iframe>' + '<iframe id="f2"></iframe>';
+    var context = {
+      include: [
+        ['#f1', '#f3', 'header'],
+        ['#f2', '#f4', '#f5', 'footer']
+      ],
+      exclude: [['#f2', '#f6', '#f7', '#f7', 'main']]
+    };
+    var contexts = getFrameContexts(context).map(function(frameData) {
+      return frameData.frameContext;
+    });
+
+    assert.lengthOf(contexts, 2);
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[0], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['#f3', 'header']],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(contexts[1], {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [['#f4', '#f5', 'footer']],
+      exclude: [['#f6', '#f7', '#f7', 'main']]
+    });
+  });
+
+  (shadowSupported ? it : xit)('works on iframes in shadow dom', function() {
+    fixture.innerHTML = '<div id="shadow"></div>';
+    var div = fixture.querySelector('div');
+    var shadowRoot = div.attachShadow({ mode: 'open' });
+    shadowRoot.innerHTML = '<main><iframe id="f1"></iframe></main>';
+
+    var frameContext = getFrameContexts();
+
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContext, 1);
+    assert.lengthOf(frameContext[0].frameSelector, 2);
+    assert.equal(frameContext[0].frameSelector[1], 'main > iframe');
+    assert.deepEqual(frameContext[0].frameContext, {
+      initiator: false,
+      include: [],
+      exclude: []
+    });
+  });
+});