i1n
by Pakvothe
README.md
# i1n.ai
**AI localization platform for product and engineering teams.** Alternative to Lokalise, Phrase and Crowdin. Dashboard, CLI and MCP server.
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/i1n) [](https://github.com/Pakvothe/i1n-cli/blob/main/LICENSE) [](https://i1n.ai) [](https://mcpservers.org/servers/pakvothe/i1n-cli) [](https://github.com/vercel-labs/deepsec) [](https://www.saashub.com/i1n?utm_source=badge&utm_campaign=badge&utm_content=i1n)
This repo is the open source (MIT) CLI, SDK and MCP server for [i1n.ai](https://i1n.ai). Translation files stay in your repo. Your AI agent extracts strings, pushes them, translates them with your terminology rules and pulls typed keys back. Product, ops and content people edit the copy in the dashboard instead of sending you tickets; the next `i1n pull` brings their changes into the repo.
**Free plan** · No credit card · [i1n.ai](https://i1n.ai) · [Docs](https://i1n.ai/en/docs/)
---
## Who it's for
- **Engineers:** keep locale files in git, sync with `i1n push` / `i1n pull`, get typed keys (`i1n.d.ts`) and a CI check that fails on missing keys or broken placeholders.
- **AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex):** the MCP server exposes the loop as tools, so "internationalize this component" ends with `t('key')` calls and every locale filled in.
- **Product, ops and content teams:** edit copy in every language from the dashboard, with terminology rules, a review queue and roles. A push never silently overwrites their edits (three-way diff).
## The loop
1. **Extract:** the agent finds hardcoded strings and calls `i1n_extract_and_translate`.
2. **Push:** keys go to i1n with a three-way diff, so dashboard edits are preserved.
3. **Translate:** AI translation into 182 languages, with placeholder protection, brand voice and terminology rules.
4. **Pull:** locale files plus generated TypeScript types land back in the repo.
5. **Check:** `npx i1n check --min-coverage 95` in CI catches drift before it ships.
Works with your current library through Bridge Mode (i18next, next-intl, vue-i18n, react-intl). Formats: JSON, ARB, Android XML, iOS .strings, YAML.
In production at [belo](https://belo.app), a LatAm fintech with 3.5M users, where around 30 product and ops people use the dashboard.
---
## 📦 Install
```bash
# To use the CLI (global)
npm install -g i1n
# To use the SDK + types (in your app)
npm install i1n
# Local CLI usage (optional)
npm install -D i1n
```
_Supports `npm`, `pnpm`, `yarn`, and `bun`._
---
## 🏁 Quick Start
```bash
# 1. Initialize (auth + auto-detect setup)
i1n init
# 2. Push your translation keys
i1n push
# 3. Pull translations + auto-generated TypeScript types
i1n pull
```
---
## ✨ Key Features & Commands
### 🛠️ `i1n init`
**Interactive setup that prepares your workspace.**
- Authenticates via API key.
- **New?** If you don't have a key yet, the CLI provides clear guidance on how to get started.
- Auto-detects frameworks (Next.js, Vite, Expo, Flutter, Rails, etc.).
- Saves configuration to `i1n.config.json` (automatically ignored via `.gitignore`).
- **AI Orchestration**: Optionally sets up rules for your AI coding tools.
### ⬆️ `i1n push`
**Syncs your local translations to i1n.**
- Detects new keys and source changes.
- **Smart Translate**: Offers to translate missing keys with a cost estimate before proceeding.
- Efficient caching layer — repeated translations cost a fraction of fresh ones.
- **Three-way diff** — push only sends the (key, lang) pairs you actually changed, never overwriting edits made via the dashboard or by other teammates. See [Team workflow](#-team-workflow) for the full conflict model.
**Flags:**
- `--translate [langs]` — trigger AI translation after push (e.g. `--translate es,fr,ja`)
- `--strategy <mode>` — how to handle real conflicts: `interactive` (default in TTY), `ours`, `theirs`, `abort`
- `--force` — shorthand for `--strategy ours` (overwrite the server with your local values; destructive)
### ⬇️ `i1n pull`
**Downloads translations and generates type-safe IDs.**
- Updates local locale files in your configured format.
- Generates `i1n.d.ts` for full IDE autocomplete.
### 📊 `i1n limits`
**Real-time usage tracking.**
- View your current plan and credit usage.
- Monitor active language slots and available capacity.
### ✅ `i1n check`
**Catch broken translations before they ship. Built for CI.**
- Detects missing keys per language, **broken interpolation placeholders** (`{{count}}` lost in translation), empty values, and malformed files.
- `--min-coverage 95` fails the build when translation coverage drops below your threshold.
- `--json` for tooling. Exit codes: `0` clean, `1` errors found, `2` config problem.
- 100% offline — no API calls, no secrets needed in CI.
```yaml
# .github/workflows/ci.yml
- name: Validate translations
run: npx i1n check --min-coverage 95
```
### 🧠 `i1n setup-ai`
**Turns your IDE into a localization expert.**
- Generates project-specific rules for **Cursor (`.mdc`)**, **Claude Code (`CLAUDE.md`)**, **Windsurf**, and more.
- Ensures AI agents follow your naming conventions, file structure, and brand voice.
### 🔌 `i1n mcp`
**MCP server for AI coding assistants.**
Starts a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server that lets Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and other AI assistants execute i1n commands directly from your IDE.
```bash
# Add to Claude Code
claude mcp add i1n -- npx i1n mcp
# Or add to .mcp.json / cursor config
```
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"i1n": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["i1n", "mcp"]
}
}
}
```
**9 tools available:**
| Tool | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| `i1n_status` | Get project status, plan, limits, and active languages |
| `i1n_check` | Validate locale files offline: missing keys, broken placeholders, coverage |
| `i1n_push` | Push local translation files with three-way diff (preserves server-side edits, aborts on conflict so the agent can resolve) |
| `i1n_pull` | Pull translations and generate type-safe TypeScript definitions |
| `i1n_translate` | Translate keys to specified languages using AI |
| `i1n_add_language` | Add new languages with optional auto-translation |
| `i1n_extract_and_translate` | Extract strings from code, push as keys, translate to all languages |
| `i1n_search` | Search existing translation keys by name or value |
| `i1n_setup_bridge` | Detect your i18n library (i18next, vue-i18n, next-intl, etc.) and wire up i1n bridge mode end-to-end |
**Example:** tell your AI agent "internationalize this component":
1. The agent reads your file and identifies hardcoded strings
2. It calls `i1n_extract_and_translate` with the extracted strings
3. i1n pushes the keys, translates to all active languages, generates types
4. The agent rewrites your component with `t('key')` calls
---
## 👥 Team workflow
i1n is designed for teams where multiple people edit translations in parallel — devs in different branches, copywriters in the dashboard, AI agents via MCP. `i1n push` is safe to run without worrying that your local working tree might pulverize someone else's edits.
### How push decides what to send
Before every push, the CLI:
1. Reads your local locale files (`L`).
2. Asks the server which keys exist and when each was last modified (cheap metadata-only call, ~50× smaller than a full pull).
3. If anything moved on the server since your last sync, fetches the full server state (`S`).
4. Computes a three-way diff per `(namespace, key, lang)` against the last baseline you synced (`P`, stored in `locales/.i1n-push-state.json`).
For each `(key, lang)` the diff places it in one of these buckets:
| Local | Server | Baseline | Action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `==` server | — | — | unchanged, skip |
| `==` baseline | changed | — | **server-only** — auto-pull into your locale files |
| changed | `==` baseline | — | **local edit** — push it |
| changed | changed | both moved | **conflict** — resolve interactively |
| missing | present | present in baseline | warn, don't propagate (no delete verb) |
Only the languages that genuinely changed locally are sent. Languages you didn't touch are not in the payload, so the server's per-language merge preserves them. No more "my push silently overwrote yield_rate that I never even opened".
### When there's a real conflict
A real conflict means **you and someone else both edited the same `(key, lang)` to different values** since the last sync. The CLI shows each one and asks you to pick:
```
Conflict 1/3: common.greeting [en_us]
› Keep local: "Hello there"
Accept server: "Hi"
Abort push
```
- **Local** → push your value, overwrite the server.
- **Server** → discard your local, auto-pull the server's value into your file.
- **Abort** → exit; nothing is pushed.
For batch / CI / non-interactive environments, pass a strategy:
```bash
i1n push --strategy theirs # accept all server values, push nothing for conflicts
i1n push --strategy ours # local wins (alias: --force)
i1n push --strategy abort # exit on any conflict
```
In non-TTY contexts (e.g. CI without a strategy flag), push aborts with a diff of the conflicts so you can resolve in code.
### Auto-pulling server-only changes
If a teammate or someone in the dashboard updated a key you never touched, the server's value is automatically written into your local file at push time and your `i1n.d.ts` is regenerated if needed. Your working tree ends up reflecting reality — your `git diff` will show the bring-in so you can commit it alongside your own changes.
### MCP push (AI agents)
The MCP `i1n_push` tool runs the same diff but defaults to **abort on conflict** because an AI agent should not silently pick a winner. Conflicts are reported in the response so the agent can decide to pull, ask you, or resolve manually before retrying.
### Fresh checkouts
`locales/.i1n-push-state.json` is gitignored by design — it's working-tree state, like `.git/index`. On a fresh clone or new branch where the file doesn't exist, the baseline is synthesized from the server. Any local divergence from the server is then treated as a conflict (the CLI can't tell whether you edited locally or have stale data). Run `i1n pull` first if you just cloned and want to bring everything in cleanly.
---
## 📁 Supported Formats
| Format | Frameworks | File Sample |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------- |
| **Nested JSON** | i18next, next-intl, vue-i18n | `en/common.json` |
| **Flat JSON** | React Native, Generic | `locales/en.json` |
| **ARB** | Flutter / Dart | `app_en.arb` |
| **YAML** | Ruby on Rails | `en.yml` |
| **Android XML** | Native Android | `strings.xml` |
| **Apple Strings** | iOS / macOS | `Localizable.strings` |
| **TypeScript** | Type-safe JSON | `locales/en.ts` |
---
## 🧩 SDK Usage
The `i1n` package includes a runtime SDK for web and mobile JS/TS projects. You can use it in two ways:
### Standalone Mode — Replace your i18n library
Use the i1n native engine directly. No external dependencies needed.
```typescript
import { init, t, setLocale } from "i1n";
// Load your translation resources
init({
locale: "en_us",
resources: {
en_us: {
auth: { login: "Login", title: "Welcome back, {user}" },
items_one: "One item",
items_other: "{count} items",
},
es_es: {
auth: { login: "Entrar", title: "Bienvenido de nuevo, {user}" },
items_one: "Un elemento",
items_other: "{count} elementos",
},
},
});
// Autocomplete and type-safety work out of the box after 'i1n pull'
t("auth.login"); // "Login"
// Support for default values (useful during development)
t("new.key", { defaultValue: "Coming soon..." }); // "Coming soon..."
// Variables & Plurals
t("auth.title", { user: "Fran" }); // "Welcome back, Fran"
t("items", { count: 5 }); // "5 items"
// Switch language at runtime
setLocale("es_es");
t("auth.login"); // "Entrar"
```
**Key resolution** works with both nested and flat structures automatically — use whatever format your project prefers.
### Bridge Mode — Keep your library, add type safety
Already using i18next, vue-i18n, or react-intl? Connect it to i1n with one line and get full autocompletion.
```typescript
import i18next from "i18next";
import { registerI1n, t } from "i1n";
// Set up i18next as usual
await i18next.init({
lng: "en",
resources: {
/* ... */
},
});
// Connect to i1n — one line
registerI1n((key, params) => i18next.t(key, params));
// Now t() uses i18next under the hood, but with strict type checking
t("common.greeting", { name: "World" }); // Powered by i18next, typed by i1n
```
Works with any library:
- **vue-i18n**: `registerI1n((key, params) => i18n.global.t(key, params))`
- **react-intl**: `registerI1n((key, params) => intl.formatMessage({ id: key }, params))`
- **Custom**: `registerI1n((key) => myLookup(key))`
### Pluralization
Define plural variants with `_zero`, `_one`, `_other` suffixes:
```typescript
// In your translation files:
// "items_zero": "No items"
// "items_one": "One item"
// "items_other": "{count} items"
t("items", { count: 0 }); // "No items"
t("items", { count: 1 }); // "One item"
t("items", { count: 5 }); // "5 items"
```
### Interpolation
Three syntaxes supported universally: `{var}`, `{{var}}`, `%{var}`
### JavaScript (without TypeScript)
The SDK works in plain JS — you just don't get autocompletion:
```javascript
import { init, t } from "i1n";
init({ locale: "en_us", resources: { en_us: { greeting: "Hello {name}" } } });
t("greeting", { name: "World" }); // "Hello World"
```
### ⚛️ React / Preact Integration
For a "plug and play" experience, use this minimalist provider pattern.
```tsx
import { createContext, useContext, useState, useEffect } from "react";
import { init, t, getLocale, setLocale as sdkSetLocale } from "i1n";
// 1. Initialize with wordings
// (In a real app, you'd probably import these from your locales folder)
init({
locale: "en_us",
resources: {
/* ... */
},
});
const STORAGE_KEY = "i1n-locale";
const I1nContext = createContext({
locale: "en_us",
setLocale: (l: string) => {},
});
// 2. Persistent Provider
export function I1nProvider({ children, defaultLocale = "en_us" }) {
const [locale, setLocaleState] = useState(() => {
return localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY) || defaultLocale;
});
// Keep SDK in sync
useEffect(() => {
sdkSetLocale(locale);
}, [locale]);
const setLocale = (newLocale: string) => {
localStorage.setItem(STORAGE_KEY, newLocale);
setLocaleState(newLocale);
};
return (
<I1nContext.Provider value={{ locale, setLocale }}>
{children}
</I1nContext.Provider>
);
}
// 3. Simple Hook
export const useI1n = () => ({ t, ...useContext(I1nContext) });
```
Usage:
```tsx
const { t, setLocale } = useI1n();
return (
<div>
<h1>{t("auth.title", { user: "Fran" })}</h1>
<button onClick={() => setLocale("es_es")}>Español</button>
</div>
);
```
### Non-JS Platforms
Flutter, Android, and iOS projects don't use the SDK. They use the translation files (`.arb`, `.xml`, `.strings`) generated by `i1n pull` with their native localization systems.
---
## 🛡️ Developer Experience
### 🔒 Privacy & Security
- **Auto-Ignore**: `i1n init` automatically adds sensitive config files to your `.gitignore`.
- **Secret Management**: API keys are only stored locally and never committed to version control.
- **Encrypted Transmission**: All sync operations happen over secure HTTPS channels.
### 🔒 Zero-Config Type Safety (TypeScript)
The CLI generates a lightweight declaration file (`i1n.d.ts`) that automatically augments the `i1n` package with your project's specific keys.
1. **Pull**: Run `i1n pull`. The CLI generates `locales/i1n.d.ts` and **automatically updates** your `tsconfig.json` so your IDE finds them immediately.
2. **Usage**: Import `t` from `i1n` and get full autocomplete + compile-time checking. No manual path mapping required.
```typescript
import { t } from "i1n";
// Full autocomplete & compile-time checking
t("auth.login.title");
// ERROR: Argument of type '"auth.login.titlse"' is not assignable...
t("auth.login.titlse");
// Dynamic strings still pass through — useful for `t(item.name)`,
// runtime-built keys, etc.
declare const dynamicKey: string;
t(dynamicKey);
```
> Strict literal checking landed in `1.3.0`: passing a hard-coded string that
> isn't in `I1nKeys` is now a TypeScript error (no more silent
> `[i1n] Missing translation` warnings at runtime). Variables typed as
> `string` keep working without casts.
---
## 💳 Pricing
| Plan | Price | Keys (shared pool) | Languages | AI translations/mo |
|------|-------|--------------------|-----------|--------------------|
| **Starter** | $0 | 200 | 2 | 2,000 |
| **Pro** | $29/mo | 2,000 | 3 | 10,000 |
| **Business** | $99/mo | 8,000 | 6 | 30,000 |
| **Enterprise** | From $399/mo | Custom (25k+) | Unlimited | Custom |
CLI, SDK, and MCP server are free on every plan. No credit card required for Starter.
Priced per organization, not per processed word. Unlimited viewers on every plan.
Pro lifetime from $199, [only for the first 200 users](https://i1n.ai/en/pricing/).
---
## 📄 License
MIT — © 2026 i1n.ai
This server cannot be deployed
Maintenance
ActivityMaintained
ResponsivenessNo issues