i1n-cli copilot-instructions.md

i1n — Localization as Code

This project uses i1n for managing translations.

Project Setup

• Format: nested-json
• Locales directory: locales
• Source language: en_us
• Framework: generic

Translation File Structure

locales/{lang}/{namespace}.json — Nested JSON objects.

// locales/en_us/common.json
{ "greeting": "Hello {name}", "errors": { "not_found": "Not found" } }

Tone & Voice

When writing or modifying translation values, use a technical tone. Precise and technical. Prioritize accuracy and domain-specific terminology. Be concise and unambiguous.

CLI Commands

• i1n push — Push local translation files to i1n. Supports --translate [langs] to trigger AI translation after push.
• i1n pull — Pull translations from i1n and write local files. Also generates TypeScript type definitions (i1n.d.ts).
• i1n init — Re-initialize or reconfigure i1n in this project.
• i1n setup-ai — Regenerate AI assistant rules for this project.

Rules

• Always use translation keys instead of hardcoded strings for user-facing text.
• Place new keys in the appropriate namespace file under locales/.
• Never translate interpolation variables. Keep {name}, {{name}}, %{name}, etc. exactly as-is in every language. Match the variable syntax already used in the project.
• After adding or modifying translation keys, run i1n push to sync changes. If the user has configured target languages, use i1n push --translate to also trigger AI translation.
• Never modify i1n.d.ts directly — it is auto-generated by i1n pull.
• Never commit i1n.config.json — it contains the API key and is gitignored.