AI wrote the right website name. Does the link actually point there?

Inspect the attached destination as well as the visible words. A correct-looking label does not determine the hyperlink’s address.

Before sending an AI-assisted document, inspect the actual hyperlink address. MDN explains that an HTML link’s href attribute supplies its destination; the words inside the link are separate content.

Our invented mismatch

In a local HTML fixture, the visible label was https://example.org/help but href was https://example.com/help. Python’s HTML parser found the latter destination. Another link labeled “Help guide” had href https://example.org/help. We parsed the file without visiting either address.

Inspect the exported version

Use the editor’s hyperlink details or a copy-link-address option where available. Compare the full address with the intended source, including the host and the path. Check the file or page you will actually send; changing the label alone does not fix a different attached address.

Ask for a destination checklist

Suggested input: “List each link’s visible text and attached address separately. Compare the addresses with this approved source list. Flag mismatches without silently substituting another site.” Confirm corrections in the final exported document.

A parsed address is a limited check

Python’s URL documentation warns that parsing does not validate an input. Our host comparison does not check ownership, redirects or site safety. Matching the intended address solves the document mismatch; any further trust claim needs separate evidence.

Published October 14, 2026. Only an original two-link HTML fixture was parsed. No AI, mail editor, office export, external link visit or phishing investigation was tested.

Sources: MDN · Links · Python · URL parsing.