spec-no-invalid-tag-parents

Requires every tag parent to name another declared tag and forbids parent cycles.

Attribute	Value
Category	Metadata
Maturity	Platinum
OpenAPI	OpenAPI 3.2 only
Starter–Strict	Off
Recommended–Complete	Error

Intent

Valid parent links let documentation tools render a reliable tag hierarchy.

Flags

An undefined parent or any circular chain, including a tag that names itself.

Does not flag

Tags without parent. Earlier OpenAPI versions are outside this rule.

See it fail

openapi: 3.2.0
tags:
  - name: payments
    parent: commerce

Diagnostic: Tag parent 'commerce' is not defined in the API description.

Fix it

openapi: 3.2.0
tags:
  - name: commerce
  - name: payments
    parent: commerce

Configure

profiles:
  default:
    rules:
      extends: [recommended]
      override:
        spec-no-invalid-tag-parents: error

Nearby: tag-description, tags-alphabetical.