# Content checks > The six checks Mark runs on every post, the two more on a competitor page, which ones stop a post from going to review, and where the results show. Source: https://docs.use-mark.com/content-checks Last updated: 2026-10-23 Mark checks the text of every post for six things, and a competitor page for two more. A check either passes, warns, or fails. A failing check stops the post from going to review until you fix it. A warning never stops anything: it shows the reviewer what to look at. ## The six checks | Check | What it looks for | Can it fail? | | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Phrases this workspace excludes** | Phrases on your workspace's content exclusion list | Yes, when the phrase is set to **Block**. A phrase set to **Warn** only warns. | | **Within the character limit** | Text longer than the channel allows | Yes | | **Required details are filled in** | Channel fields the post needs before it can go out, like a title | Yes | | **No AI-sounding words** | Generic words that read as machine-written, like "leverage" or "seamless" | No, it only warns | | **Numbers trace to a claim** | Percentages, amounts of money, and multipliers like "3x" | Only on a competitor page. Elsewhere it only warns. | | **No placeholders left** | Notes left for the writer, like `[needs source]` or `TODO` | Yes | A competitor page also gets two checks: | Check | What it looks for | Can it fail? | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | **No tables** (`table`) | A markdown table | Yes | | **Unsourced facts are checked or cut** (`open_placeholder`) | A fact marked `[confirm: …]` for a person to check | Yes | Mark checks the body and the text fields a reader sees: title, description, excerpt, SEO title, SEO description, and first comment. On an X thread it checks every post in the thread. It doesn't check links, slugs, or alt text. ### Phrases this workspace excludes Matches are exact and ignore case. "best-in-class" matches "Best-in-class" but not "best-in-classes". A phrase limited to one channel is only checked on that channel. Retired phrases aren't checked. To see or change the list, see [Content exclusions](/set-up-your-strategy#content-exclusions). ### Numbers trace to a claim A number counts as sourced when an active claim states the same number, in its wording or its quote. "$2.4 million" in a post matches a claim that says "$2.4M", and "40 percent" matches "40%". Mark doesn't flag plain counts like "10 customers", years, dates, version numbers, spelled-out numbers like "three times", or numbers inside links or code. To add a claim, see [Claims & sources](/set-up-your-strategy). On a competitor page this check fails instead of warning, so a price or a percentage about a competitor can't go to review without a claim behind it. ### No placeholders left This check fails when a post still has a note meant for the writer, so it blocks submit. It looks for: * These markers in square brackets, in any case: `[needs source]`, `[needs citation]`, `[citation needed]`, `[source?]`, `[TBD]`, `[TK]`, `[TODO]`, and any other `[needs ...]`, like `[needs a stat]`. * The words `TODO`, `TBD` and `TK` on their own, in capitals only. "TKO", "a todo list" and "Tk" pass. Mark ignores markers inside code, inside a link's address, and inside a web address. There's no override. If capitals like `TK` or `TBD` belong in the text, such as in a brand name, put them in backticks or reword the sentence. The post editor's checklist lists each marker it found under **No placeholders left**. ### No tables A table scrolls sideways on a phone, in the preview and on your site, so a competitor page can't have one. Write the comparison as headings, short lists, and one block per plan instead. A table inside a code block doesn't count. Other post types aren't checked for tables. ### Unsourced facts are checked or cut When Mark drafts a [comparison page](/research-competitors#draft-comparison-pages), it writes `[confirm: …]` wherever it has no source for a fact about the competitor, like `[confirm: Acme Pro price]`. This check fails until each one is replaced with a checked fact, or cut. Markers inside code don't count. Other post types aren't checked for `[confirm: …]`. ## When a post fails a check Submitting the post is refused, and the message names what to fix, like ""best-in-class" is blocked: Legal asked us to avoid superlatives." The post stays a draft. Remove the phrase or placeholder, shorten the text, or fill in the missing details, then submit again. A failing check stops a post from going to review. It never stops a reviewer from approving a post that's already in review. ## See the results on the review page When a post is submitted, Mark saves the results for that revision. The review page shows them in **Checks (N to review)**, below **Claims**. N is the number of checks that warned. Each warning lists the matched text and, for an excluded phrase, the reason it's excluded. Passed checks are greyed out. Warnings never turn off **Approve**. See [Review and approve posts](/review-and-approve-posts#check-the-post). Posts sent to review before content checks shipped read "Mark didn't check this revision." ## Check a draft from an AI assistant An AI assistant connected to Mark gets the same results each time it saves a draft, and can check text without saving it. See [Tool reference](/tool-reference).