Skip Link
Documents with repeated header / navigation chrome MUST provide a 'skip to main content' link as the first focusable element. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.…
$ aoe install @community/rule-skip-linkProjection
Always in _index.xml · the agent never has to ask for this.
SkipLink [rule] v1.0.0
Documents with repeated header / navigation chrome MUST provide a 'skip to main content' link as the first focusable element. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism for keyboard users to skip past blocks of content that repeat across pages.
Loaded when retrieval picks the atom as adjacent / supporting.
SkipLink [rule] v1.0.0
Documents with repeated header / navigation chrome MUST provide a 'skip to main content' link as the first focusable element. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism for keyboard users to skip past blocks of content that repeat across pages.
Checks
- @community/check-skip-link
Applies To
@community/type-html-artifact
Meta
- License: MPL-2.0 AND Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: legacy-backfill
Severity
high
Severity Combination
no skip link AND nav has >5 links → BLOCK (SC 2.4.1)
skip link present but hidden (display: none) → BLOCK (not focusable)
skip link present, visually-hidden until focus → PASS
skip link present, always visible → PASS
Failure Mode
Keyboard users tab through 30+ navigation links on every page load before reaching content; screen-reader users without a 'navigate by landmark' shortcut are equally stuck. WCAG Level A fails.
Remediation
- Add as the first child of
<body>:<a class='skip-link' href='#main'>Skip to main content</a>and ensure<main id='main' tabindex='-1'>exists. - Style with visually-hidden until focus:
.skip-link { position: absolute; left: -9999px; } .skip-link:focus { left: 1rem; top: 1rem; }. - Verify on focus that the indicator is visible (not behind a sticky header).
Exceptions
- Case: Single-page widget with no navigation
- Allowed When: An embedded widget has no repeating chrome to skip; the rule does not apply.
- Case: Sites using ARIA landmarks
- Allowed When: WCAG accepts ARIA landmark navigation as an equivalent bypass mechanism — but a visible skip link is still recommended for non-screen-reader keyboard users.
Loaded when retrieval picks the atom as a focal / direct hit.
SkipLink [rule] v1.0.0
Documents with repeated header / navigation chrome MUST provide a 'skip to main content' link as the first focusable element. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism for keyboard users to skip past blocks of content that repeat across pages.
Checks
- @community/check-skip-link
Applies To
@community/type-html-artifact
Meta
- License: MPL-2.0 AND Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: legacy-backfill
Severity
high
Severity Combination
no skip link AND nav has >5 links → BLOCK (SC 2.4.1)
skip link present but hidden (display: none) → BLOCK (not focusable)
skip link present, visually-hidden until focus → PASS
skip link present, always visible → PASS
Failure Mode
Keyboard users tab through 30+ navigation links on every page load before reaching content; screen-reader users without a 'navigate by landmark' shortcut are equally stuck. WCAG Level A fails.
Remediation
- Add as the first child of
<body>:<a class='skip-link' href='#main'>Skip to main content</a>and ensure<main id='main' tabindex='-1'>exists. - Style with visually-hidden until focus:
.skip-link { position: absolute; left: -9999px; } .skip-link:focus { left: 1rem; top: 1rem; }. - Verify on focus that the indicator is visible (not behind a sticky header).
Exceptions
- Case: Single-page widget with no navigation
- Allowed When: An embedded widget has no repeating chrome to skip; the rule does not apply.
- Case: Sites using ARIA landmarks
- Allowed When: WCAG accepts ARIA landmark navigation as an equivalent bypass mechanism — but a visible skip link is still recommended for non-screen-reader keyboard users.
Relations
related: [@community/rule-keyboard-accessible, @community/rule-focus-visible, @w3c/source-wcag-22, @community/anti-pattern-breaking-keyboard-flow, @community/example-catalyst-app, @community/rule-landmark-elements] see-also: [@community/check-skip-link] validates-with: [@w3c/source-wcag-22]
Applies To
@community/type-html-artifact
Meta
- License: MPL-2.0 AND Apache-2.0
- License Provenance: legacy-backfill
Severity
high
Validates With
- @w3c/source-wcag-22
Severity Combination
no skip link AND nav has >5 links → BLOCK (SC 2.4.1)
skip link present but hidden (display: none) → BLOCK (not focusable)
skip link present, visually-hidden until focus → PASS
skip link present, always visible → PASS
Failure Mode
Keyboard users tab through 30+ navigation links on every page load before reaching content; screen-reader users without a 'navigate by landmark' shortcut are equally stuck. WCAG Level A fails.
Remediation
- Add as the first child of
<body>:<a class='skip-link' href='#main'>Skip to main content</a>and ensure<main id='main' tabindex='-1'>exists. - Style with visually-hidden until focus:
.skip-link { position: absolute; left: -9999px; } .skip-link:focus { left: 1rem; top: 1rem; }. - Verify on focus that the indicator is visible (not behind a sticky header).
Exceptions
- Case: Single-page widget with no navigation
- Allowed When: An embedded widget has no repeating chrome to skip; the rule does not apply.
- Case: Sites using ARIA landmarks
- Allowed When: WCAG accepts ARIA landmark navigation as an equivalent bypass mechanism — but a visible skip link is still recommended for non-screen-reader keyboard users.
See Also
- @community/check-skip-link
Source
aoe-engine/examples/frontend-design/primes/compiled/@community/rule-skip-link/atom.yaml