# `bird email templates check`

## Usage

```bash
bird email templates check [template-ref...] [flags]
```

## Description

Renders each template's draft, in every language it has, and checks what a CI job needs: the compatibility findings preview reports, the HTML size against Gmail's clipping point (about 102 KB), and every link and image, fetched from where the command runs. It exits 7 (check\_failed) when any finding is a problem; warnings are reported and never fail.

--html checks a file your build renders instead of a stored template. It is previewed as unsaved content against the template named by --template, so no draft is changed; any template works.

--annotations github prints GitHub Actions workflow commands on stdout instead of the report, so findings in an --html file appear on its lines in the pull request.

## Examples

```bash
bird email templates check welcome-email order-shipped
bird email templates check --html dist/welcome.html --template welcome-email --annotations github
```

## Options

| Name            | Description                                                                                  |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--annotations` | Print findings as CI annotations instead of the report: github                               |
| `--html`        | Path to a rendered HTML file to check instead of a stored template's draft; needs --template |
| `--skip-links`  | Skip fetching links, for runners without outbound network access                             |
| `--template`    | Template to preview --html against (id or slug); its stored content is not used              |

## Related

| Name                                                                              | Description                                           |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| [`bird email templates create`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-create)       | Create an email template and its first editable draft |
| [`bird email templates delete`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-delete)       | Delete an email template                              |
| [`bird email templates duplicate`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-duplicate) | Duplicate an email template                           |
| [`bird email templates get`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-get)             | Get an email template                                 |
| [`bird email templates list`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-list)           | List email templates                                  |
| [`bird email templates preview`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-preview)     | Preview a template with sample values                 |
| [`bird email templates update`](/docs/cli/reference/email-templates-update)       | Update an email template                              |

## Related resources

- [Should I use a Bird SDK or call the API directly?](/explained/platform/should-i-use-an-sdk-or-call-the-api-directly) (answer)
- [Build your first integration](/learn/paths/integration) (course)
- [Send your first email](/docs/get-started/send-your-first-email) (docs)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=api-basics)