howell5 Frontend I18n Orchestrator
Overview
Internationalize frontend projects with an auto-first workflow:
- Scan repository and infer facts.
- Ask only business decisions that cannot be inferred reliably.
- Execute migration in phases with verification gates.
Do not start bulk code edits before finishing detection and decision confirmation.
Platform Compatibility
Use this skill in both Codex and Claude Code.
- In Claude Code, invoke with
$frontend-i18n-orchestrator(or by selecting the skill in UI). - In Codex, invoke the same skill name and follow the same workflow.
- Use the host platform's native shell/file tools for commands and edits.
- Resolve script paths relative to the skill directory first, then to repository root if copied locally.
Workflow
Step 1: Build i18n profile (no questions yet)
Run repository detection first.
Recommended command:
<skill_dir>/scripts/detect_i18n_profile.sh .
The script writes i18n-profile.json in repository root.
Detect at minimum:
- framework/runtime: React, Vue, Next, Nuxt, Vite
- package manager and lockfiles
- existing i18n libraries and locale files
- routing setup and locale routing hints
- SEO hints:
lang,hreflang, canonical - hardcoded string hotspots
- date/number/currency localization usage
- CI quality gate hints
Step 2: Ask only unresolved decisions
Read i18n-profile.json, then ask only missing or ambiguous decisions.
Use question set from references/question-flow.md.
Never ask questions that are already confidently detected.
When presenting questions, start with a short auto-detection summary:
- what is certain
- what is ambiguous
- what decisions need user confirmation
Step 3: Plan phased migration
Use framework-specific guidance from references/framework-playbooks.md.
Plan the migration with these phases:
- Foundation: i18n library setup, locale structure, language switch, fallback behavior.
- Migration: extract hardcoded UI strings and replace with translation keys.
- Localization: dates, numbers, currency, pluralization, relative time.
- Routing and SEO: locale routing, html
lang,hreflang, canonical, sitemap. - Governance: lint/test/CI gates for missing keys and hardcoded regressions.
Prefer incremental slices (page/module by page/module) over big-bang rewrites.
Step 4: Execute with safe checkpoints
For each phase:
- apply minimal code changes
- run project checks/tests
- report changed files and remaining risk
If a phase introduces conflicts or uncertainty, stop and ask a targeted question.
Step 5: Enforce quality gates
Run baseline validation:
<skill_dir>/scripts/validate_i18n_basics.sh .
Then integrate project-native checks (lint/test/build/CI) for:
- missing translation keys
- orphan keys
- hardcoded UI string regressions
Fail CI on configured strict rules after migration baseline is stable.
Step 6: Produce delivery report
Always end with a concise report:
- detection summary and selected strategy
- implemented phases and touched files
- unresolved/needs-human-review items
- commands for ongoing verification
Decision Rules
- Auto-detect first. Ask later.
- Ask only high-impact business choices.
- Never guess target locales.
- Prefer compatibility with existing stack conventions.
- Treat inconsistent existing i18n setups as an ambiguity and ask explicitly.
Common Ambiguities (must ask)
- target locale list
- default locale and fallback policy
- URL strategy (
/en/...vs subdomain vs domain) - translation source strategy (placeholder, MT, human)
- rollout strategy (gradual vs all-at-once)
- strict CI enforcement timing
Resources
- Question flow:
references/question-flow.md - Framework playbooks:
references/framework-playbooks.md - Claude Code usage:
references/claude-code-usage.md - Detection script:
scripts/detect_i18n_profile.sh - Baseline validation script:
scripts/validate_i18n_basics.sh