Missing Referrer-Policy header
Without a Referrer-Policy, browsers send your full URL — path, query string and all — to every external site your pages link to or load resources from.
Why it matters
Without a Referrer-Policy, browsers send your full URL — path, query string and all — to every external site your pages link to or load resources from. If any of your URLs carry a reset token, an invite code, or an internal identifier, you are handing it to analytics providers, ad networks, and whoever else appears in your page.
How ShipReady detects it
Shared tables and rules for the two halves below. Split because this check was a hybrid: nine rules read the headers of a response we already have, which genuinely differ between routes, while missing-https-redirect probes the http:// equivalent of the origin — one fact, and running it per page would issue the same request ten times.
Detection is deterministic. ShipReady reports this only when it observes the condition directly, and prefers to miss a real problem over inventing one. Rule version 1.3.0.
How to fix it
This is the prompt ShipReady puts in your report — written to be pasted straight into Cursor, Claude Code, or whichever assistant built the app.
Add a Referrer-Policy header to control how much referrer information is included with requests.
Frequently asked questions
- What does "Missing Referrer-Policy header" mean?
- Without a Referrer-Policy, browsers send your full URL — path, query string and all — to every external site your pages link to or load resources from.
- How serious is it?
- ShipReady rates this low. Worth fixing. Small individually, and they accumulate.
- How do I fix it?
- Paste the fix prompt on this page into Cursor, Claude Code or your AI editor. It is the same prompt ShipReady puts in your report.
- Can I check my own site?
- Yes — ShipReady scans up to ten pages of any public site for free and reports this alongside every other check.
Related checks
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