diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/__tests__/prefer-ideal-image.test.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/__tests__/prefer-ideal-image.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6949f92cb86d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/__tests__/prefer-ideal-image.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+
+import rule from '../prefer-ideal-image';
+import {RuleTester} from './testUtils';
+
+const errorMsg = [{messageId: 'idealImageError'}] as const;
+const errorWarning = [{messageId: 'idealImageWarning'}] as const;
+
+const ruleTester = new RuleTester({
+  parser: '@typescript-eslint/parser',
+  parserOptions: {
+    ecmaFeatures: {
+      jsx: true,
+    },
+  },
+});
+
+ruleTester.run('prefer-ideal-image', rule, {
+  valid: [
+    {
+      code: "<IdealImage img='./path.to/img.png' />",
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<IdealImage img={require('./path/to/img.png')} />",
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<img src='https://example.com/logo.png' />",
+    },
+    {
+      code: '<img src={`https://achintya-rai.com/x/${handle}`} />',
+    },
+    {
+      code: '<img src={props.src} />',
+    },
+    {
+      code: '<img src={someVariable} />',
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<img src='./img.svg' />",
+    },
+  ],
+  invalid: [
+    {
+      code: "<img src={require('./img.png')} />",
+      errors: errorMsg,
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<img src='./img.png' />",
+      errors: errorWarning,
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<img src='/static/img.png' />",
+      errors: errorWarning,
+    },
+    {
+      code: "<img src='../parent.png' />",
+      errors: errorWarning,
+    },
+  ],
+});
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/prefer-ideal-image.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/prefer-ideal-image.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f727261683a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/prefer-ideal-image.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ */
+
+import {createRule} from '../util';
+import type {TSESTree} from '@typescript-eslint/types/dist/ts-estree';
+
+type Options = [];
+type MessageIds = 'idealImageError' | 'idealImageWarning';
+
+const docsUrl =
+  'https://docusaurus.io/docs/api/plugins/@docusaurus/plugin-ideal-image';
+
+export default createRule<Options, MessageIds>({
+  name: 'prefer-ideal-image',
+  meta: {
+    type: 'problem',
+    docs: {
+      description:
+        'enforce using Docusaurus IdealImage plugin component instead of <img> tags',
+      recommended: false,
+    },
+    schema: [],
+    messages: {
+      idealImageError: `Do not use an \`<img>\` element to embed images. Use the \`<IdealImage />\` component from \`@theme/IdealImage\` instead. See ${docsUrl}`,
+      idealImageWarning: `If this is a local file do not use an \`<img>\` element to embed images. Use the \`<IdealImage />\` component from \`@theme/IdealImage\` instead. See ${docsUrl}`,
+    },
+  },
+  defaultOptions: [],
+
+  create(context) {
+    return {
+      JSXOpeningElement(node) {
+        const elementName = (node.name as TSESTree.JSXIdentifier).name;
+
+        if (elementName !== 'img') {
+          return;
+        }
+
+        const srcAttr = node.attributes.find(
+          (attr): attr is TSESTree.JSXAttribute =>
+            attr.type === 'JSXAttribute' && attr.name.name === 'src',
+        );
+
+        const value = srcAttr?.value;
+
+        if (!value) {
+          return;
+        }
+
+        if (value.type === 'Literal' && typeof value.value === 'string') {
+          const val = value.value;
+
+          if (val.toLowerCase().endsWith('.svg')) {
+            return;
+          }
+
+          if (val.startsWith('http') || val.startsWith('//')) {
+            return;
+          }
+          if (
+            val.startsWith('./') ||
+            val.startsWith('../') ||
+            val.startsWith('/')
+          ) {
+            context.report({node: value, messageId: 'idealImageWarning'});
+          }
+          return;
+        }
+
+        if (value.type === 'JSXExpressionContainer') {
+          const expr = value.expression;
+
+          if (expr.type === 'TemplateLiteral') {
+            const firstPart = expr.quasis[0]?.value.raw;
+            if (firstPart?.startsWith('http') || firstPart?.startsWith('//')) {
+              return;
+            }
+          }
+
+          if (
+            expr.type === 'CallExpression' &&
+            expr.callee.type === 'Identifier' &&
+            expr.callee.name === 'require'
+          ) {
+            context.report({node, messageId: 'idealImageError'});
+          }
+        }
+      },
+    };
+  },
+});
diff --git a/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/README.mdx b/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/README.mdx
index a0d41ee4d458..bdf355ec555c 100644
--- a/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/README.mdx
+++ b/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/README.mdx
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ For more fine-grained control, you can also enable the plugin manually and confi
 | [`@docusaurus/string-literal-i18n-messages`](./string-literal-i18n-messages.mdx) | Enforce translate APIs to be called on plain text labels | ✅ |
 | [`@docusaurus/no-html-links`](./no-html-links.mdx) | Ensures @docusaurus/Link is used instead of `<a>` tags | ✅ |
 | [`@docusaurus/prefer-docusaurus-heading`](./prefer-docusaurus-heading.mdx) | Ensures @theme/Heading is used instead of `<hn>` tags for headings | ✅ |
+| [`@docusaurus/prefer-ideal-image`](./prefer-ideal-image.mdx) | Ensures @theme/IdealImage is used instead of `<img>` tags for embedding images |  |
 
 ✅ = recommended
 
diff --git a/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/prefer-ideal-image.mdx b/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/prefer-ideal-image.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f2d306879b28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/docs/api/misc/eslint-plugin/prefer-ideal-image.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+---
+slug: /api/misc/@docusaurus/eslint-plugin/prefer-ideal-image
+---
+
+# prefer-ideal-image
+
+Ensure that the `<IdealImage />` component provided by the [`@docusaurus/plugin-ideal-image`](../../plugins/plugin-ideal-image.mdx) plugin is used instead of standard `<img>` tags for local assets.
+
+The `@theme/IdealImage` component automatically generates responsive images, provides lazy-loading, and adds low-quality image placeholders (LQIP) to improve LCP and user experience.
+
+## Rule Details {#details}
+
+This rule flags standard HTML `<img>` tags that point to local files, suggesting the use of `IdealImage` for better optimization.
+
+Examples of **incorrect** code for this rule:
+
+```jsx
+// Error: Definitely a local image via require()
+<img src={require('./thumbnail.png')} />
+
+// Warning: Likely a local image via relative path
+<img src="./img/logo.png" />
+
+// Warning: Root-relative path usually points to the static folder
+<img src="/img/hero.jpg" />
+```
+
+Examples of **correct** code for this rule:
+
+```jsx
+// Optimized using the IdealImage component
+import IdealImage from '@theme/IdealImage';
+
+<IdealImage img={require('./thumbnail.png')} />
+
+// External images are ignored
+<img src="[https://example.com/external.png](https://example.com/external.png)" />
+
+// SVGs are ignored as IdealImage does not support them
+<img src="./icon.svg" />
+```
+
+## When to not use it
+
+If you have not installed or do not plan to use @docusaurus/plugin-ideal-image, you should keep this rule disabled.
+
+## Further Reading {#further-reading}
+
+- https://docusaurus.io/docs/api/plugins/@docusaurus/plugin-ideal-image
+- https://web.dev/articles/browser-level-image-lazy-loading