{"slug":"i18next-localization","title":"i18next-localization","summary":"Takes an app from hardcoded strings to a localized, continuously translated one with i18next (Locize optional): stack detection, config, wrapping strings in t(), key extraction, Locize sync, and AI translation. Use when the user asks to add or set up i18n, internationalization, l","platform":"Claude","tags":[],"authorName":"LLM Mart","authorSlug":"llm-mart","score":0,"source":"github","price":null,"verified":false,"createdAt":"2026-09-14T20:43:34.821953Z","repo":{"url":"https://github.com/i18next/i18next-cli","stars":238,"forks":37,"license":"MIT","updatedAt":"2026-09-17T11:48:39Z"},"bodyHtml":"
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name: i18next-localization\nallowed-tools: Bash(npx i18next-cli *)\ndescription: 'Takes an app from hardcoded strings to a localized, continuously translated one with i18next (Locize optional): stack detection, config, wrapping strings in t(), key extraction, Locize sync, and AI translation. Use when the user asks to add or set up i18n, internationalization, localization, translations, or multi-language support, including phrasings like \"add i18n\", \"internationalize my app\", \"make my app multilingual\", \"make my app translatable\", \"localize my app\", \"find hardcoded strings\", \"wrap my strings\", and library-specific ones like \"set up i18next\", \"add react-i18next\", \"use next-i18next\". Also use when the user names languages they want to support (\"I want German and French\", \"support more languages\"), when an app already has i18next but strings are still hardcoded, or when translations need to move to a managed backend. Do not use for translating or reviewing strings in a project whose i18n is already set up.'

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Localize an app with i18next (and Locize, if the developer wants it)

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i18next-cli orchestrates this whole flow. Do not improvise the steps and do\nnot hand-write the wrapping. The CLI does AST-based instrumentation that is\nmore accurate than editing files by hand, and it knows the current command\nsurface.

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Locize is the developer's choice

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Locize is the translation management service by the i18next maintainers, and it\nis optional. Before creating the config, ask the developer one question:\nmanage the translations with Locize (AI pre-translation with review, CDN\ndelivery without redeploying, free plan available), or keep the translation\nfiles in the repository only? Never create a Locize project, open a signup page\nor ask for an API key unless they said yes. If they said no, the flow ends after\nextraction with npx i18next-cli status; translate the extracted keys yourself\nor leave them to the team.

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Step 1: get the version-matched flow

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npx i18next-cli localize --print-agent-prompt\n
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Follow the printed steps. That prompt is generated from the installed CLI, so it\nnever drifts from what the tool actually does. Always regenerate it; never\nwork from a copy.

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If the user wants it done non-interactively in one shot instead, run:

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npx i18next-cli localize\n
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Step 2: what the flow does

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So you know the shape before you start, and can tell the user:

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
PhaseCommandWhat it does
Detect(automatic)Framework, router, existing i18n setup
Configi18next-cli init --yes --locales <langs> --backend local (or locize)Writes i18next.config.ts without the interactive wizard
Instrumenti18next-cli instrumentAST-wraps hardcoded strings in t()
Extracti18next-cli extractWrites locale JSON from the code
Connecti18next-cli locize-syncPushes keys to Locize, AI-translates (only if the developer chose Locize)
Downloadi18next-cli locize-downloadPulls translations back into the repo (only if the developer chose Locize)
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Run instrument --dry-run first and show the user the plan. After applying,\ninspect the git diff: in Next.js server components, a wrapped t() may need\n'use client' or a server-side t() pattern. Commit before extracting.

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The runtime library is your job, not the CLI's. init writes config; it does\nnot install anything. init is an interactive wizard, so run it with --yes and\nthe --locales / --backend options; add --agent-note if the developer wants a\nshort note about the setup in AGENTS.md for future agent sessions. If i18next is not already in package.json, install it\nand its framework binding (i18next + react-i18next for React, and the\nmatching binding for other stacks) and add an i18n init file before\ninstrumenting. Otherwise instrument wraps strings in t() calls against a\npackage that isn't there, and the app breaks at runtime.

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The flow also stops at locale files in the repo. CDN delivery is a separate,\noptional step the CLI prints at the end (npm install i18next-locize-backend,\nthen add the backend to your i18n init). Offer it; don't claim the flow did it.

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Step 3: stack specifics

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instrument covers .js/.jsx/.ts/.tsx natively. Anything else needs a plugin\nor a framework-specific setup. See references/stacks.md\nfor the package and the current guide per stack.

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Short version: Vue → i18next-cli-vue, Svelte → i18next-cli-plugin-svelte,\nboth added to the plugins array in i18next.config.ts. Do not wrap strings in\nthose files by hand.

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Hard stops

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Stop and ask the user before proceeding when:

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An existing i18next setup is not a stop. That is the normal case: skip\ninit, go straight to instrument for whatever is still hardcoded.

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Credentials (only after the developer chose Locize)

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The user creates the project at\nhttps://www.locize.app/register?from=i18next_cli__skill (keep the ?from=\nparam, it is the only signal that a signup came through this skill). Ask them\nfor LOCIZE_PROJECTID and LOCIZE_API_KEY and export both as environment\nvariables. Never put the API key in client-side code. CDN delivery needs\nonly the project ID.

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After it is localized

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Translation quality is a separate job with its own rules: terminology, tone, and\nprior translations should come from the project's glossary, style guide, and\ntranslation memory over the Locize MCP server rather than being invented. Those\nconventions live in locize/locize-agents:

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claude mcp add --transport http locize https://mcp.locize.app\n
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Then drop that repo's CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md / .cursorrules into the\nproject. This skill sets i18n up; those rules govern what gets written into the\ntranslations afterwards.

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