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feat(element-internals): enable ElementInternals by default - #5284

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chut/5277-remove-element-internals-flag
Aug 4, 2026
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feat(element-internals): enable ElementInternals by default#5284
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chut/5277-remove-element-internals-flag

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Removes the axe._enableElementInternals feature flag, graduating ElementInternals support to on-by-default. Closes #5277.

Changes

  • lib/core/base/virtual-node/virtual-node.js — the elementInternals getter no longer gates on the flag, so ElementInternals is always computed. This also un-gates the externalAPIs getElementInternals path, which relied on this getter.
  • Tests — removed the flag setup and flag-specific tests: the global toggle in testutils.js, the afterEach hooks that reset it, and the "feature flag on/off" and "requires the feature flag" tests. Existing tests (caches/sets/gets element internals, the external-apis "correctly sets…" test) continue to cover the behavior.
  • Docs — removed the "behind a feature flag" instructions from doc/element-internals.md and doc/external-apis.md.

Notes

Per the ElementInternals epic, the commons ElementInternals surface is unreleased, so removing the flag is not a breaking change — it's the feature landing on by default.

Verified: no _enableElementInternals references remain; virtual-node + native-text-alternative unit tests pass; the external-apis full integration test passes (3/3) with the flag gone.

Remove the axe._enableElementInternals feature flag. ElementInternals
support is now always on: the virtual-node getter no longer gates on the
flag, and the flag-toggling test setup, afterEach hooks, and flag-only
tests are removed. Docs updated to drop the feature-flag instructions.

Closes #5277
@straker
straker marked this pull request as ready for review August 4, 2026 17:35
@straker
straker requested a review from a team as a code owner August 4, 2026 17:35
@straker
straker merged commit 2740d42 into develop Aug 4, 2026
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@straker
straker deleted the chut/5277-remove-element-internals-flag branch August 4, 2026 17:36
WilcoFiers added a commit that referenced this pull request Aug 5, 2026
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##
[4.13.0](v4.12.1...v4.13.0)
(2026-08-05)

### Features

- **aria-actions:** add aria-actions to allowed ARIA attributes
([#5200](#5200))
([029655d](029655d)),
closes [#4584](#4584)
[#5199](#5199), references
[#5215](#5215)
[#5215](#5215)
- **aria-allowed-attr:** flag deprecated ARIA attributes as needs-review
([#5246](#5246))
([518f3cc](518f3cc)),
closes [#3341](#3341)
- **aria-prohibited-attr:** allow many elements to be named and disallow
label and body from being named
([#5259](#5259))
([d8b1ea5](d8b1ea5))
- **aria-roles:** add sectionheader and sectionfooter roles
([#5238](#5238))
([c36c109](c36c109)),
closes [#4734](#4734),
references [#4734](#4734)
- **aria/get-aria-value:** new function to get aria values of a node
([#5109](#5109))
([a7d8f3e](a7d8f3e)),
references [#5042](#5042)
- **aria/has-attr-value:** new function to check if node has aria value
([#5136](#5136))
([61f2624](61f2624)),
references [#5109](#5109)
- **aria:** support role=image as equivalent to role=img
([#5248](#5248))
([5aa8aaf](5aa8aaf)),
closes [#4656](#4656),
references [#5272](#5272)
- **checks/aria:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5172](#5172))
([9b7f754](9b7f754))
- **checks/label:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5170](#5170))
([21c5f8b](21c5f8b))
- **checks/navigation:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5167](#5167))
([2c3a98f](2c3a98f))
- **commons/aria:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5171](#5171))
([31f09e7](31f09e7))
- **commons/dom:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5163](#5163))
([f0a12cf](f0a12cf))
- **commons/forms:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5165](#5165))
([27a4686](27a4686))
- **commons/matches/fromPrimative:** deprecate in favor of correct
spelling ([#5270](#5270))
([31cfb2e](31cfb2e))
- **commons/text:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5169](#5169))
([e841a33](e841a33))
- **commons/text:** support form-associated labels via element internals
([#5182](#5182))
([57cfe0a](57cfe0a)),
closes [#5045](#5045),
references [#5170](#5170)
[#5039](#5039)
[#5151](#5151)
[#5039](#5039)
- **dom/getResolvedRefs:** new function to get the resolved virtual
nodes of idrefs
([#5151](#5151))
([489cdea](489cdea)),
references [#5109](#5109)
- **element-internals:** enable ElementInternals by default
([#5284](#5284))
([2740d42](2740d42)),
closes [#5277](#5277)
- **i18n:** Add Swedish locale
([#5190](#5190))
([dcd13f2](dcd13f2)),
references [#5189](#5189)
- **matches:** add inSectioningContent, hasChild, and
isSummaryForDetails matches
([#5262](#5262))
([c47cdcd](c47cdcd))
- **rules:** support ARIA element internals properties
([#5168](#5168))
([065baf7](065baf7))
- **standards/ariaAttrs:** add caseInsensitive property for attributes
([#5224](#5224))
([bcd791c](bcd791c))

### Bug Fixes

- **aria-allowed-role:** allow roles on a non-details summary
([#5242](#5242))
([3bd9875](3bd9875)),
closes [#3911](#3911),
references [#3443](#3443)
[#3911](#3911)
- **aria-allowed-role:** restrict figure roles with child figcaption
([#5240](#5240))
([178a635](178a635)),
closes [#3443](#3443)
- **aria-prohibited-attr:** visible aria-labelledby requires review only
([#5285](#5285))
([fd6fa9f](fd6fa9f))
- **axe.d.ts:** make enabled property of RuleMetadata optional
([#5129](#5129))
([90fce18](90fce18))
- **color-contrast:** fix various stacking context bugs
([#5214](#5214))
([d5e5b04](d5e5b04)),
references [#8](#8)
[#5213](#5213)
- **gather-internals:** handle non-HTMLElement nodes
([#5161](#5161))
([06e84c3](06e84c3))
- **get-selector:** escape control characters in attribute selectors
([#5273](#5273))
([4b60ac5](4b60ac5)),
closes [#5204](#5204)
[#5204](#5204)
- **image-alt:** allow whitespace alt on presentational images
([#5218](#5218))
([c5dd0ef](c5dd0ef)),
closes [#5216](#5216)
- **landmark-unique:** exclude section/form with non-landmark roles from
landmark match
([#5085](#5085))
([c5fd013](c5fd013)),
closes [#4722](#4722)
[#5064](#5064)
- name the image role in role-img-alt and svg-img-alt metadata
([#5279](#5279))
([995a269](995a269)),
closes [#5272](#5272),
references [#5248](#5248)
[#5248](#5248)
- **standards:** update aria-errormessage and aria-details to be idrefs
([#5157](#5157))
([fb94f8a](fb94f8a))

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Remove axe._enableElementInternals feature flag

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