Do not use aria-hidden on the document body

SkillDocs & knowledge

Lets your agent check that aria-hidden isn't applied to a page's body element when reviewing HTML accessibility.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Do not use aria-hidden on the document body skill

About this capability

Use when reviewing rendered HTML, interactive components, or design-system patterns related to Do not use aria-hidden on the document body. Check native semantics first, then inspect keyboard behavior, focus flow, accessible names, and screen-reader output where relevant.

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by thedaviddias/front-end-checklist in skills/aria-hidden-body/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Setting aria-hidden="true" on the body effectively silences the entire application for screen reader users, rendering the site completely unusable.

Quick Reference

  • The <body> element should never have aria-hidden="true"
  • Hiding the body makes the entire page invisible to assistive technologies
  • Often happens accidentally when managing modal states

Check

Check if the <body> element has aria-hidden="true" applied at any point in the lifecycle.

Fix

Remove aria-hidden="true" from the <body> and use it only on specific background containers when modals are open.

Explain

Explain the catastrophic impact of hiding the body element from assistive technologies.

Code Review

Review the rendered markup and interactive states that affect Do not use aria-hidden on the document body. 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/en/rules/accessibility/aria-hidden-body

Signals

GitHub stars
74k
Forks
7k
Last commit
Aug 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
aria-hidden-body
Source
github.com/thedaviddias/front-end-checklist