---
title: MARKLESS_ELEMENT_HANDLE_UNBOUND
description: "element() handle is read before it is bound: a Markless compiler error."
sidebar: { hidden: true }
search: { keywords: ["ELEMENT_HANDLE_UNBOUND","element handle unbound","markless error"] }
pagination: false
---

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

## What happened

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

```text
MARKLESS_ELEMENT_HANDLE_UNBOUND: Reading element handle "<source>" will produce undefined because "<handleName>" is never bound with el={<handleName>} in this component.
element() handles are DOM locator references, not state. A read is only useful after the handle has a host element binding that resume can locate.
Bind the handle to one host element with el={handle}, or remove the read if undefined is intentional.
https://markless.dev/errors/MARKLESS_ELEMENT_HANDLE_UNBOUND
```

Words in angle brackets change from case to case.

## How to fix it

Start with the suggestion in the message above.

If you accept the warning on purpose, put this comment on the line above it:

```tsrx
// markless-allow MARKLESS_ELEMENT_HANDLE_UNBOUND: the reason you accept it
```

This page has no guide yet. [Help write it](/contributing/improve-these-docs).

## Where it comes from

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

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

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