Free broken link workflow

GitHub Broken Link Checker for READMEs, GitLab Docs, and Markdown

This tool focuses on repository docs. If your team ships docs from GitHub or GitLab, it helps you check README links, relative paths, docs folders, and branch-specific links before they break onboarding or release notes.

FreeNo signupPrivate
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Good for

  • README and docs maintenance
  • GitHub and GitLab workflows
  • Content cleanup before publishing

What it does

Focused link checking for this workflow

Check broken links in GitHub READMEs, GitLab docs, repository pages, and branch-specific Markdown links with a free online tool.

  • Works with GitHub, GitLab, and repo Markdown pages
  • Free to use, with no signup required
  • Checks GitHub README links, docs-folder links, and root-relative references
  • Useful after branch renames, file moves, and monorepo refactors

Why it matters

Fix the links that create real friction

Broken documentation links slow down onboarding, code review, support, and release work because readers cannot reach the referenced setup steps, files, or explanations.

  • ✓Checks relative paths as well as external URLs.
  • ✓Free to use, with no signup required.
  • ✓Your Markdown is processed for the check and not stored.

Workflow

How to use the results

Run the scan first, then work from the highest-risk links to the lower-priority cleanup items.

  1. Step 1

    Start from a repo doc URL

    Paste the README or docs URL, or paste the Markdown directly for private/internal repositories.

  2. Step 2

    Review branch-specific links

    Check relative paths, root-relative docs links, and outbound references that often decay over time.

  3. Step 3

    Export fixed docs

    Use the Markdown fixing tools to clean the file before committing it back to the repository.

FAQ

Is this a full repository crawler?

No. It is focused on Markdown and repository docs, especially README and docs files.

Should I use the website checker or Markdown checker for repo docs?

Use the Markdown checker for GitHub or GitLab docs. That is the one that understands repository-style relative links.

Why do GitHub README links break?

README links often break after branch renames, file moves, folder restructuring, heading changes, or links to external docs that later disappear.