---
title: MARKLESS_COMPONENT_ROOT_CONDITIONAL
description: "A component returns markup from more than one place."
sidebar: { hidden: true }
search: { keywords: ["COMPONENT_ROOT_CONDITIONAL","component root conditional","markless error"] }
pagination: false
---

**Error** from the compiler, while it builds your `.tsrx` files.

## What happened

A component needs one root. This one has a second place that returns markup.

Markless prints the message, the reason, and a suggestion:

```text
MARKLESS_COMPONENT_ROOT_CONDITIONAL: <componentName> has a second template return, so the public render module cannot choose one component root without deleting statement flow.
Initial render executes component bodies, but resume needs one planned root with stable locators. Multiple or conditional template returns need branch records before they can render.
Use a single root with @if/@else inside it, or return null before the one root for a guard clause.
https://markless.dev/errors/MARKLESS_COMPONENT_ROOT_CONDITIONAL
```

Words in angle brackets change from case to case.

## How to fix it

Keep one root and put `@if` and `@else` inside it. For an early exit, `return null` before that root.

## Where it comes from

`@markless/compiler` raises this code. Source:

- [packages/compiler/src/passes/public-render/diagnostics.ts](https://github.com/compiled-run/markless/blob/main/packages/compiler/src/passes/public-render/diagnostics.ts)

Read [how to read a Markless error](/tooling/diagnostics), or go back to [all error codes](/errors).