---
title: sitemap.xml parses as urlset or sitemapindex
description: "A sitemap that doesn't parse is functionally identical to no sitemap at all. This check catches the very common case of a sitemap.xml served with the wrong root element or malformed XML."
doc_version: 0.2.0
last_updated: "2026-05-08T23:40:54.245Z"
---

## How the check decides

The check parses the sitemap body with [fast-xml-parser](https://github.com/NaturalIntelligence/fast-xml-parser) and inspects the root element. Passes if the parsed tree has a `<urlset>` (a regular sitemap) or `<sitemapindex>` (a sitemap index that points at child sitemaps) at its root. Fails if the body isn't valid XML or has neither root element. Returns N/A if no sitemap was found at all.

## How to implement it

Use a known-good sitemap generator rather than templating XML by hand. If you're hand-rolling, double-check namespace declarations and ensure the root element is `<urlset>` or `<sitemapindex>`.

### Pass

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url><loc>https://example.com/</loc></url>
</urlset>
```

### Fail

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<pages>
  <page>https://example.com/</page>
</pages>
```

## Sitemap

Full docs site index: [/sitemap.md](/sitemap.md).