Agent skill

HTML XML Lang Mismatch

by thedaviddias in thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist

A skill your agent uses when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML.

MITAuto-check passedFrontend & Design

Install HTML XML Lang Mismatch

skills CLI
$ npx skills add thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist --skill html-xml-lang-mismatch -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist html-xml-lang-mismatch --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch .claude/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
html-xml-lang-mismatch
GitHub stars
74k
Token cost
~799 tokens
SKILL.md length
391 words
Files
2 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
390
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML.

  • Applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML
  • SKILL.md covers Quick Reference, Check, Fix and Explain, plus 1 more section
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

HTML XML Lang Mismatch is an agent skill from thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist. Use when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML. For modern HTML5-only documents, only lang is needed and xml:lang is not required. Check when auditing documents served as application/xhtml+xml or documents that include both attributes.

Its SKILL.md is about 800 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/rule.md`).

It sits in Frontend & Design. The repository describes itself as: 🗂 The essential checklist for modern web development, for humans and AI agents. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML

Example prompts

  • “/html-xml-lang-mismatch”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit e8d14d0. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • frontendchecklist.io

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

HTML XML Lang Mismatch loads about 799 tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 82 tokens; SKILL.md has 391 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~82
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~799
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~1.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist at commit e8d14d0, republished under its MIT licence (© thedaviddias). 391 words, ~799 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
html-xml-lang-mismatch
description
Use when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML. For modern HTML5-only documents, only `lang` is needed and `xml:lang` is not required. Check when auditing documents served as application/xhtml+xml or documents that include both attributes.
metadata.category
accessibility
metadata.priority
medium
metadata.difficulty
beginner
metadata.estimatedTime
5
metadata.source
frontendchecklist.io
metadata.url
https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/accessibility/html-xml-lang-mismatch

Match lang and xml:lang attributes

Screen readers use the lang attribute to select the correct voice profile and pronunciation engine. If lang and xml:lang disagree, XML-based processors (including some EPUB readers and older assistive technologies) may use xml:lang and get a different language than intended — causing text to be read aloud in the wrong language. For example, French text read with an English voice profile produces unintelligible output for French-speaking blind users.

Quick Reference

  • If both lang and xml:lang are present on <html>, their values must be identical
  • xml:lang is only needed for XHTML or polyglot documents (valid as both HTML and XML)
  • For standard HTML5 documents, only lang is required — xml:lang is redundant
  • The primary language tag must be a valid BCP 47 language code (e.g., en, en-US, fr, zh-Hant)
  • Relates to WCAG 2.1 SC 3.1.1 (Language of Page)

Check

Inspect the <html> element for both lang and xml:lang attributes. If both are present, verify their values are identical (including subtags — en vs en-US is a mismatch). Also verify that the value is a valid BCP 47 language tag. Flag if the values differ in any way.

Fix

If lang and xml:lang are present but differ: update both to the same valid BCP 47 language code matching the primary language of the document content. If this is a standard HTML5 document (served as text/html), remove xml:lang — it is unnecessary. If this is XHTML or a polyglot document, keep both and ensure they are identical.

Show full SKILL.md (146 more words)Show less

Explain

WCAG 2.1 SC 3.1.1 requires that the default human language of each web page can be programmatically determined. The lang attribute on <html> serves this purpose for HTML parsers. The xml:lang attribute serves the same purpose for XML parsers. When a document must be valid as both HTML and XML (polyglot), both attributes must be present and identical. A mismatch means the document claims different languages depending on which parser reads it, which can cause screen readers, translation tools, and spell checkers to use wrong language rules.

Code Review

Review the rendered markup and interactive states that affect Match lang and xml:lang attributes. Flag exact elements, roles, labels, focus behavior, or keyboard interactions that violate the rule, and note how to verify the fix with browser accessibility tooling or assistive tech.


For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see references/rule.md.

Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/rules/accessibility/html-xml-lang-mismatch

© thedaviddias, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch of thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/rule.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit e8d14d0

Compare with similar skills

HTML XML Lang Mismatch next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

HTML XML Lang Mismatch compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
HTML XML Lang Mismatch this skillthedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist74k—~799Automated safety check: PassMIT
Web Artifacts Builderanthropics/skills180k40 repos~769Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
React Doctormakeplane/plane61k12 repos~657Automated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0
Impeccablebestofjs/bestofjs3.1k26 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Figma Design System Builderwarpdotdev/warp65k2 repos~4.4kAutomated safety check: PassAGPL-3.0
Web Interface Guidelines Reviewervercel-labs/openreview1.7k97 repos~308Automated safety check: PassNone

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Questions about HTML XML Lang Mismatch

What does HTML XML Lang Mismatch do?

A skill your agent uses when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML. HTML XML Lang Mismatch is an agent skill from thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist. Use when applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML.

When should I use HTML XML Lang Mismatch?

HTML XML Lang Mismatch fits situations like: applies to XHTML documents and polyglot HTML documents that must parse correctly as both HTML5 and XML.

How do I install HTML XML Lang Mismatch in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist --skill html-xml-lang-mismatch -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch in thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist) into .claude/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install HTML XML Lang Mismatch in Codex?

Run `npx skills add thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist --skill html-xml-lang-mismatch -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch in thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist) into .agents/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use HTML XML Lang Mismatch in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist --skill html-xml-lang-mismatch -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch, .gemini/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch, .github/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch and .opencode/skills/html-xml-lang-mismatch in your project.

What does HTML XML Lang Mismatch need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: HTML XML Lang Mismatch is instructions for the agent only.

Does HTML XML Lang Mismatch access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: frontendchecklist.io. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is HTML XML Lang Mismatch safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does HTML XML Lang Mismatch use?

HTML XML Lang Mismatch is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does HTML XML Lang Mismatch use?

About 799 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 915 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to HTML XML Lang Mismatch?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with HTML XML Lang Mismatch: Web Artifacts Builder (anthropics/skills, 180k stars), React Doctor (makeplane/plane, 61k stars), Impeccable (bestofjs/bestofjs, 3.1k stars) and Figma Design System Builder (warpdotdev/warp, 65k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains HTML XML Lang Mismatch?

thedaviddias (a GitHub user) maintains it in thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist, which has 74,421 GitHub stars. The repository holds 390 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

Source: thedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.