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For consistent HTML linting, install HTMLHint as a project development dependency, commit a shared .htmlhintrc, enable the HTMLHint extension in VS Code, and run the project’s local CLI in your build or CI workflow. That gives contributors editor feedback and gives automation the same rules. Add the Nu Html Checker only when you also want a separate document-checking pass; it serves a different purpose.

What you need before adding HTMLHint

  • Node.js 22 or later: HTMLHint’s current getting-started guide lists this as its requirement. Check the project’s Node version before installing the current release. HTMLHint getting started
  • A project-local install: Keeping HTMLHint in the project makes its version available to developers and CI through the project’s package manager, rather than relying on each machine having a global install.
  • A defined lint target: Decide whether your policy applies to hand-written source HTML, generated HTML, or both. The right target depends on how the project creates its documents.

Install HTMLHint and create a shared configuration

  1. From the project root, install HTMLHint as a development dependency:

    npm install --save-dev htmlhint

    With Yarn, use:

    yarn add --dev htmlhint
  2. Create the starter configuration:

    npx htmlhint --init

    This creates .htmlhintrc. Review the generated rules rather than accepting them blindly; the guide’s example includes rules such as alt-require, button-type-require, html-lang-require, input-requires-label, main-require, and title-require. Confirm each rule’s current behavior and decide whether it fits your markup conventions in the HTMLHint rule reference.

  3. Commit .htmlhintrc so everyone uses the same baseline. HTMLHint searches the current directory and parent directories for configuration. If your configuration is elsewhere, pass its location with the CLI’s --config option. The configuration guide also documents JSON schema support for editor completion and validation.

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Connect HTMLHint to VS Code

Install the HTMLHint extension from the VS Code Marketplace. Its current listing says the extension tries to use a locally installed HTMLHint package first and falls back to an embedded version if one is not available. It displays diagnostics in the Problems panel and underlines reported issues.

Because the extension can fall back to its embedded copy, editor feedback is not automatically proof that the project-local package was used. Keep HTMLHint installed in the project and use the local CLI command in CI to make the automated check’s version and configuration project-controlled.

For HTML-like templates or nonstandard project layouts, consult the extension’s current settings for documentSelector, file associations, and configFile. Avoid relying on the archived Microsoft extension repository for current setup details: it was archived on October 12, 2022. Archived Microsoft extension repository

Run the project’s lint command locally and in CI

HTMLHint’s CLI accepts HTML files or directories. A basic command from the project root is:

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npx htmlhint "**/*.html"

Choose the files that match your policy, and use HTMLHint’s ignore patterns to exclude dependencies or generated directories that should not be checked. Its CLI also supports output formats including SARIF. See the CLI options for the available flags.

For repeatability, put the selected command in the project’s existing scripts or build step, then have CI invoke that same script from the project root. This uses the project dependency and lets HTMLHint discover the committed configuration. For example, a package script could be:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint:html": "htmlhint "**/*.html""
  }
}

Then run it locally with npm run lint:html and call npm run lint:html in CI. Adjust the glob and ignore options for your repository so the command checks the intended HTML rather than unrelated output.

Choose what CI does when it finds issues

A CI lint check can block a build, report findings without blocking, or change policy over time. Make that choice explicit: HTMLHint’s GitHub Code Scanning example uses || true so the workflow can upload SARIF even when findings exist. That sample reports issues but does not make them a failing gate by itself. HTMLHint Code Scanning guide

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  • Blocking gate: Run the normal CLI script and let lint failures fail the build or pull request.
  • Report-only rollout: Upload SARIF findings while allowing the workflow to continue, then decide when to make the check blocking.
  • Existing lint infrastructure: HTMLHint’s integrations index lists Super-Linter and MegaLinter for GitHub Actions, plus Grunt, Gulp, and webpack integrations. These may fit projects already using those tools; check the current integration behavior and versions before adopting one. HTMLHint integrations

The Code Scanning route has a repository-eligibility caveat: the guide says private and internal repository scanning requires GitHub Code Security features to be enabled.

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Decide whether to add the Nu Html Checker

HTMLHint and the Nu Html Checker are complementary rather than interchangeable. HTMLHint applies configurable project rules; the Nu Html Checker offers a separate checking path for HTML, CSS, and SVG, including command-line batch use and service options. Use both only if the additional document-checking pass serves a need beyond your project’s chosen lint rules. Nu Html Checker project

The Nu project warns that the checker is an ongoing experiment whose behavior can change, and says it is not a pass/fail certification mechanism. A clean result should not be described as certification of conformance to a specification. Nu Html Checker About page

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