check-links

leobrival's avatarfrom leobrival

Analyze and validate links and buttons on web pages. Use when users ask to check links, verify button hrefs, find empty links, detect javascript:void links, find broken navigation, or audit clickable elements. Detects empty href, javascript:void(0), hash-only links, missing href attributes, and non-accessible buttons.

⭐0stars🔀0forks📁View on GitHub🕐Updated Jan 2, 2026
[Testing and QA]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Check Links skill is a comprehensive web auditing tool designed to analyze and validate interactive elements like links and buttons. It helps developers and SEO specialists identify critical issues such as broken navigation, empty href attributes, and accessibility barriers, ensuring a high-quality user experience and optimized search engine visibility through actionable recommendations.

Use Cases

  • Automated QA Testing: Quickly scan web pages during the development cycle to catch broken links and non-functional buttons before they reach production.
  • SEO Optimization: Detect and replace 'javascript:void(0)' or empty links to improve site crawlability and preserve search engine authority.
  • Accessibility Auditing: Ensure compliance with WCAG standards by identifying links without descriptive text or buttons lacking proper action handlers.
  • Maintenance & Link Rot Prevention: Periodically verify external links to ensure that third-party resources are still reachable and provide a seamless navigation experience.
namecheck-links
descriptionAnalyze and validate links and buttons on web pages. Use when users ask to check links, verify button hrefs, find empty links, detect javascript:void links, find broken navigation, or audit clickable elements. Detects empty href, javascript:void(0), hash-only links, missing href attributes, and non-accessible buttons.

Check Links

Analyze and validate links (<a>) and buttons on web pages for proper navigation and accessibility.

Quick Start

Run the link checker from the scripts directory:

cd /path/to/html-checker/scripts
bun src/check-links.ts <URL>

CLI Options

Option Short Default Description
--verbose -v false Show all links including valid ones
--json -j false Output results as JSON
--check-external -e false Verify external links (slower)

Checks Performed

Check Severity Description
Empty href Error Link with href="" or no href attribute
javascript:void Warning Link with href="javascript:void(0)"
Hash only Warning Link with href="#" (no destination)
Button no action Error <button> without click handler or form
Dead link Error Link returns 404 or unreachable
Missing text Warning Link with no accessible text content

Usage Examples

Basic check

bun src/check-links.ts https://example.com

bun src/check-links.ts https://example.com --verbose

bun src/check-links.ts https://example.com --check-external

JSON output for automation

bun src/check-links.ts https://example.com --json

Output

The checker provides:

  1. Summary - Total links/buttons analyzed
  2. Issues - List of problems with severity and location
  3. Statistics - Breakdown by issue type
  4. Recommendations - How to fix each issue

Example Output

Link Analysis for https://example.com

Summary:
  Total Links: 45
  Total Buttons: 12
  Issues Found: 7

Issues:
  [ERROR] Empty href at line 23
    <a href="" class="cta-button">Click here</a>

  [WARNING] javascript:void at line 56
    <a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="openModal()">Learn More</a>

  [WARNING] Hash-only link at line 89
    <a href="#">Back to top</a>

  [ERROR] Button without action at line 112
    <button class="submit-btn">Submit</button>

Statistics:
  Empty href: 2
  javascript:void: 3
  Hash-only: 1
  Button no action: 1

Recommendations:
  - Replace javascript:void with proper button elements
  - Add href destinations or use <button> for actions
  - Ensure all buttons have onclick or form association

Common Issues and Fixes

Empty href

Bad:

<a href="" class="btn">Click</a>

Good:

<a href="/destination" class="btn">Click</a>
<!-- or use button for actions -->
<button type="button" class="btn" onclick="handleClick()">Click</button>

javascript:void(0)

Bad:

<a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="doSomething()">Action</a>

Good:

<button type="button" onclick="doSomething()">Action</button>

Bad:

<a href="#">Scroll to top</a>

Good:

<a href="#top">Scroll to top</a>
<button type="button" onclick="scrollToTop()">Scroll to top</button>

Accessibility (WCAG)

  • SC 2.4.4: Link purpose must be clear
  • SC 4.1.2: All interactive elements need accessible names
  • SC 1.3.1: Buttons must be properly identified

SEO Impact

  • Empty/invalid links waste crawl budget
  • javascript:void links are not crawlable
  • Broken links harm site authority
  • Internal linking improves page discovery
  • Command: plugins/html-checker/commands/check-links.md
  • Scripts: plugins/html-checker/scripts/src/check-links.ts
  • Check Headings: plugins/html-checker/skills/check-headings/
  • Check Images: plugins/html-checker/skills/check-images/