oxc-project/oxc · error · OxcDiagnostic

Prefer `childNode.remove()` over `parentNode.removeChild(chi

Error message

Prefer `childNode.remove()` over `parentNode.removeChild(childNode)`.

What it means

Diagnostic from the unicorn/prefer-dom-node-remove lint rule. It fires when a call matches `parentNode.removeChild(childNode)` where the parent expression is the same node the child belongs to; the child's own `remove()` method achieves the same effect without naming the parent, and ignores errors when the node is already detached. It is a lint suggestion, not a runtime error.

Source

Thrown at crates/oxc_linter/src/rules/unicorn/prefer_dom_node_remove.rs:14

use oxc_ast::{AstKind, ast::Expression};
use oxc_diagnostics::OxcDiagnostic;
use oxc_macros::declare_oxc_lint;
use oxc_span::Span;

use crate::{
    AstNode,
    ast_util::{call_expr_method_callee_info, is_method_call},
    context::LintContext,
    rule::Rule,
};

fn prefer_dom_node_remove_diagnostic(span: Span) -> OxcDiagnostic {
    OxcDiagnostic::warn("Prefer `childNode.remove()` over `parentNode.removeChild(childNode)`.")
        .with_help("Replace `parentNode.removeChild(childNode)` with `childNode.remove()`.")
        .with_label(span)
        .with_note("https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Element/remove")
}

#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone)]
pub struct PreferDomNodeRemove;

declare_oxc_lint!(
    /// ### What it does
    ///
    /// Prefers the use of `child.remove()` over `parentNode.removeChild(child)`.
    ///
    /// ### Why is this bad?
    ///
    /// The DOM function [`Node#remove()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/ChildNode/remove) is preferred
    /// over the indirect removal of an object with [`Node#removeChild()`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Node/removeChild).
    ///

View on GitHub (pinned to e1e7af627c)

Solutions

1. Replace `parentNode.removeChild(childNode)` with `childNode.remove()`
2. Apply the rule's auto-fix, which rewrites the call to `childNode.remove()`
3. Verify the parent expression was indeed the child's direct parent before rewriting

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/oxc_linter/src/rules/unicorn/prefer_dom_node_remove.rs:14 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of oxc-project/oxc@e1e7af627c (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/50b37afdeeabf24f. Report an issue: GitHub.