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Best Tailwind CSS linters in 2026

Compare Tailwind CSS linting and class tools by what each checks, where it runs, and the setup each one needs.

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These tools check or tidy Tailwind classes in different places: the editor, ESLint, Prettier, your code, or CI. Match the tool to where you want problems caught.

OptionMain rolePublished version or setup detail
prettier-plugin-tailwindcssSorts classes in its recommended order. [1]Prettier v3+ plugin for Tailwind CSS v3.0+. [1]
eslint-plugin-tailwindcssESLint plugin for Tailwind CSS usage. [2]Made for Tailwind CSS v4; installs with npm as a dev dependency. [2] [2]
Tailwind CSS IntelliSenseAutocomplete, syntax highlighting and linting in Visual Studio Code. [3]Needs tailwindcss installed to activate. [3]
tailwind-mergeMerges Tailwind CSS classes without style conflicts. [4]Supports Tailwind v4.0 up to v4.3. [4]
NormWindFinds class pairs that can be written as one shorthand. [5]Install from npm as a dev dependency, or run with npx. [5]

How to read this list

eslint-plugin-tailwindcss is an ESLint plugin for Tailwind CSS usage. [2] Tailwind CSS IntelliSense gives Visual Studio Code users autocomplete, syntax highlighting and linting. [3] prettier-plugin-tailwindcss sorts classes in its recommended order. [1] tailwind-merge merges Tailwind CSS classes without style conflicts. [4] NormWind finds class pairs like px-4 py-4 that can be written as one shorthand like p-4. [5]

Start with where you want feedback: in the editor, on save, in code, or in a pull request.

prettier-plugin-tailwindcss: sort classes in Prettier

prettier-plugin-tailwindcss is a Prettier v3+ plugin for Tailwind CSS v3.0+ that automatically sorts classes according to its recommended class order. [1] By default it sorts classes in class attributes, framework-specific equivalents, and Tailwind @apply directives. [1]

When using Tailwind CSS v4, you must specify your CSS file entry point. [1] The tailwindFunctions option takes function names so classes in function calls can be sorted. [1]

eslint-plugin-tailwindcss: Tailwind rules for ESLint

eslint-plugin-tailwindcss is an ESLint plugin for Tailwind CSS usage. [2] It is made for Tailwind CSS v4 and has 9 rules available, with more on the way. [2] [2]

It is available for free and installs as a development dependency with npm. [2] [2] It needs the cssConfigPath setting. [2] It can run linting inside a hosted repository's pipeline. [2]

Tailwind CSS IntelliSense: linting in Visual Studio Code

Tailwind CSS IntelliSense enhances the Tailwind development experience for Visual Studio Code users with autocomplete, syntax highlighting and linting. [3] Its linting highlights errors and potential bugs in CSS and markup. [3]

Hover Preview shows the complete CSS for a Tailwind class name. [3] The extension needs tailwindcss installed to activate. [3] For v4 and later, activation requires a CSS file that imports a Tailwind CSS stylesheet. [3]

tailwind-merge: merge classes without conflicts

tailwind-merge is a utility function to efficiently merge Tailwind CSS classes in JS without style conflicts. [4] It supports Tailwind v4.0 up to v4.3. [4]

It works in all modern browsers and maintained Node versions. [4] Its published declarations are compatible with TypeScript 3.8 and newer. [4] It is described as a merge function, so check whether you need merging or checking.

NormWind: audit Tailwind classes in code and CI

NormWind is made by the team that publishes this site. It finds class pairs like px-4 py-4 that can be written as one shorthand like p-4. [5] It also flags arbitrary values like rounded-[24px] that match a named Tailwind utility like rounded-3xl, using Tailwind's own logic to match named utilities. [5]

It can rewrite findings automatically in Vue, Svelte, Astro and HTML files, and a wider fix mode also covers JS, TS, JSX and TSX files. [5] --dry-run shows which files a fix would change without writing to disk. [5] Before merging classes it compares the generated CSS before and after, and skips the merge if they differ. [5]

It ships as a GitHub Action that annotates pull requests inline. [5] The audit exits 1 when it finds anything, so it can fail a CI job. [5] NormWind is free with no paid tier, under an MIT licence. [5] [5] It works with Tailwind CSS v4 projects. [5]

How to choose

If you use Visual Studio Code and want feedback while typing, Tailwind CSS IntelliSense provides linting there. [3] If your team already runs ESLint, eslint-plugin-tailwindcss adds Tailwind checks to ESLint. [2] If you want classes in a consistent order, prettier-plugin-tailwindcss sorts them. [1]

If you combine class strings in JavaScript, tailwind-merge resolves style conflicts. [4]

If you want shorthand and named-utility findings reported in pull requests, NormWind annotates them inline. [5] If an old codebase has many findings, --baseline records current per-file counts so only new findings fail CI. [5] --diff-base reports only findings on lines changed since a git ref such as origin/main. [5] Before choosing, check your Tailwind version, your editor, and whether you need reports or fixes.

Frequently asked questions

Is eslint-plugin-tailwindcss free?

eslint-plugin-tailwindcss is available to everyone for free. [2] It installs as a development dependency with npm, so it does not affect the final bundle size. [2] [2] It also needs the cssConfigPath setting, which can be an absolute or relative path. [2] [2]

Does Tailwind CSS IntelliSense lint Tailwind classes?

Tailwind CSS IntelliSense provides linting for Visual Studio Code users, along with autocomplete and syntax highlighting. [3] Its linting highlights errors and potential bugs in CSS and markup. [3] It needs tailwindcss installed to activate, so check your project setup first. [3]

What does prettier-plugin-tailwindcss do?

prettier-plugin-tailwindcss is a Prettier v3+ plugin for Tailwind CSS v3.0+ that automatically sorts classes according to its recommended class order. [1] By default it sorts classes in class attributes, framework-specific equivalents, and Tailwind @apply directives. [1] With Tailwind CSS v4 you must set the CSS entry point. [1]

Can NormWind fail a CI build?

The NormWind audit exits 1 when it finds anything, so it can fail a CI job. [5] The --baseline option records current per-file finding counts so only new findings fail CI. [5] It also prints output as text, JSON or SARIF 2.1.0 for GitHub code scanning. [5]

What is tailwind-merge used for?

tailwind-merge is a utility function to efficiently merge Tailwind CSS classes in JS without style conflicts. [4] It supports Tailwind v4.0 up to v4.3. [4] tailwind-merge is described as a merge function, so check whether you need merging or checking.

Is NormWind free?

NormWind is free with no paid tier. [5] It uses an MIT licence. [5] You can install it from npm as a dev dependency, or run it with npx. [5] It works with Tailwind CSS v4 projects, and its CI runs on Ubuntu, Windows and macOS. [5]

NormWind is free with no paid tier. [5]

Try NormWind

Sources

  1. prettier-plugin-tailwindcss, github.com/tailwindlabs/prettier-plugin-tailwindcss, read 2026-10-07
  2. eslint-plugin-tailwindcss, github.com/francoismassart/eslint-plugin-tailwindcss, read 2026-10-07
  3. Tailwind CSS IntelliSense, github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss-intellisense, read 2026-10-07
  4. tailwind-merge, github.com/dcastil/tailwind-merge, read 2026-10-07
  5. NormWind's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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