CLI tool

Localization
stays in
your repo.

A local-first CLI for iOS and Android localization. Canonical JSON source, native file sync, and AI-assisted translation — no hosted backend.

Pre-release. Review diffs carefully and test on a throwaway branch before using in production.

What it does

Built for devs shipping native apps.

Own one source of truth under l10n/ instead of scattering copy edits across platform files. Full version control, no backend required.

Generate and maintain .xcstrings, Localizable.strings, and Android strings.xml from the same managed state — always in lockstep.

Run translations through a local Codex CLI session. Missing strings get filled in; reviewed edits are preserved and never overwritten.

Typical flow

leanl10n init

Scaffold the l10n/ directory with a canonical source.en.json and config file.

leanl10n sync

Detect new keys, translate missing strings locally, and write updated native resource files.

leanl10n check

Validate all keys are translated and no reviewed edits have drifted — ideal for CI.

git commit -m 'chore: l10n sync'

Everything lives in version control. No external state, no surprises.

l10n/ — project structure

l10n/

source.en.jsonsource of truth

translations.fr.json

translations.de.json

translations.ja.json

l10n.config.json

ios/

Localizable.xcstringsauto-generated

android/res/

values/strings.xmlauto-generated

values-fr/strings.xml