Both 'l' and 'a' Tags Missed

What Does “Both 'l' and 'a' Tags Missed” Mean?

“Both 'l' and 'a' tags missed” means the checker found a record containing neither an l= tag nor an a= tag. The current BIMI draft requires l= and makes a= optional, so the error name must not be read as an either-or requirement. Brand Indicators for Message Identification draft 14 documents the controlling requirement or boundary.

Indicator discovery fails because the required location field is absent. The domain owner chooses whether to publish a=; whether evidence is required for display depends on the receiving provider.

Why Does Both 'l' and 'a' Tags Missed Appear?

Both 'l' and 'a' tags missed appears when the record publishes only a version or unrelated optional fields. The exact diagnostic should be read at the scope of BIMI record location fields rather than as proof that every BIMI layer failed.

How Do You Fix Both 'l' and 'a' Tags Missed?

To fix Both 'l' and 'a' tags missed, add the required l= tag with either an HTTPS indicator URI or an intentional empty value, and add a= only when authority evidence is being published.

Adding only a= does not satisfy the draft's required l= field.

What Should You Verify After Fixing Both 'l' and 'a' Tags Missed?

After fixing Both 'l' and 'a' tags missed, confirm v=BIMI1 is first and that the resulting l= and optional a= values match the intended publication choice. Verification should use the exact public selector, URL, record, or file evaluated by the receiver.

The correction clears only this condition; it does not guarantee that a receiver will display an indicator.

Key Takeaways

• The affected object is BIMI record location fields.
• The direct correction is to add the required l= tag with either an HTTPS indicator URI or an intentional empty value, and add a= only when authority evidence is being published.
• Adding only a= does not satisfy the draft's required l= field.