# Jeremylongshore Claude Code Plugins Plus Skills Lokalise Upgrade Migration

> Lokalise Upgrade Migration

- Skill: `tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-lokalise-upg` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-lokalise-upg`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-lokalise-upg/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/jeremylongshore-claude-code-plugins-plus-skills-lokalise-upg

---

# Lokalise Upgrade Migration

## Current State
!`npm list @lokalise/node-api 2>/dev/null | grep lokalise || echo 'SDK not installed'`
!`lokalise2 --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'CLI not installed'`
!`node --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'Node.js not available'`
!`cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"type"|"module"' || echo 'No package.json type field'`

## Overview

Upgrade the `@lokalise/node-api` SDK between major versions with full breaking change detection, automated code transformation, and verification. The most significant migration is v8 (CommonJS) to v9+ (ESM-only), which requires changes to imports, module configuration, and potentially your build pipeline.

## Prerequisites

- Existing project using `@lokalise/node-api` (any version 6.x through 9.x)
- Node.js 18+ for SDK v9 (Node.js 14+ for v8 and below)
- Git repository with clean working tree (for safe rollback)
- Test suite that exercises Lokalise API calls

## Instructions

### Step 1: Assess Current Version and Target

```bash
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Current SDK Version ==="
CURRENT=$(npm list @lokalise/node-api --json 2>/dev/null | node -e "
  const d = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(0,'utf8'));
  const v = d.dependencies?.['@lokalise/node-api']?.version || 'not found';
  console.log(v);
")
echo "Installed: ${CURRENT}"

echo -e "\n=== Latest Available ==="
LATEST=$(npm view @lokalise/node-api version)
echo "Latest: ${LATEST}"

echo -e "\n=== All Major Versions ==="
npm view @lokalise/node-api versions --json | node -e "
  const versions = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(0,'utf8'));
  const majors = {};
  versions.forEach(v => { const m = v.split('.')[0]; majors[m] = v; });
  Object.entries(majors).forEach(([m, v]) => console.log('  v' + m + '.x latest: ' + v));
"
```

### Step 2: Review Breaking Changes by Version

| Version | Node.js | Module System | Key Breaking Changes |
|---------|---------|---------------|---------------------|
| **9.x** | 18+ | ESM only | `require()` removed, `import` only. Pagination returns typed cursors. `ApiError` export path changed. |
| **8.x** | 14+ | CJS + ESM | Last version supporting `require()`. Constructor accepts `apiKey` (not `token`). |
| **7.x** | 14+ | CJS | Cursor pagination introduced. `list()` methods return paginated objects. |
| **6.x** | 12+ | CJS | TypeScript rewrite. Method signatures changed from callbacks to promises. |

### Step 3: Migrate Imports (v8 CJS to v9 ESM)

This is the most impactful change. Every `require()` call must become an `import`.

**Find all Lokalise imports in your codebase:**

```bash
set -euo pipefail
grep -rn "require.*lokalise\|from.*lokalise" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.mjs" . || echo "No imports found"
```

**Transform patterns:**

```typescript
// BEFORE (v8 CommonJS)
const { LokaliseApi } = require('@lokalise/node-api');
const lok = new LokaliseApi({ apiKey: process.env.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN });

// AFTER (v9 ESM)
import { LokaliseApi } from '@lokalise/node-api';
const lok = new LokaliseApi({ apiKey: process.env.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN });
```

**Update `package.json` for ESM:**

```json
{
  "type": "module"
}
```

**Update `tsconfig.json` if using TypeScript:**

```json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "module": "ES2022",
    "moduleResolution": "bundler",
    "target": "ES2022"
  }
}
```

### Step 4: Update Pagination Code (v6/v7 to v9)

```typescript
// BEFORE (v6 offset pagination)
const keys = await lok.keys().list({
  project_id: projectId,
  page: 2,
  limit: 100,
});

// AFTER (v9 cursor pagination — preferred for large datasets)
const keys = await lok.keys().list({
  project_id: projectId,
  limit: 500,
  pagination: 'cursor',
  cursor: previousCursor,
});
// Access next cursor: keys.nextCursor
// Check for more: keys.hasNextCursor()
```

### Step 5: Update Error Handling

```typescript
// BEFORE (v8)
const { ApiError } = require('@lokalise/node-api');
try {
  await lok.projects().get(projectId);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof ApiError) {
    console.error(e.message, e.code);
  }
}

// AFTER (v9 — ApiError import path unchanged, but must use import)
import { ApiError } from '@lokalise/node-api';
try {
  await lok.projects().get(projectId);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof ApiError) {
    console.error(e.message, e.code);
  }
}
```

### Step 6: Install and Verify

```bash
set -euo pipefail
# Create a safety branch
git checkout -b upgrade/lokalise-sdk-v9

# Install the target version
npm install @lokalise/node-api@latest

# Run TypeScript compilation check
npx tsc --noEmit 2>&1 | head -40 || true

# Run tests
npm test
```

### Step 7: Verify API Compatibility

```typescript
// Quick smoke test after upgrade
import { LokaliseApi } from '@lokalise/node-api';

const lok = new LokaliseApi({ apiKey: process.env.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN! });

// Test basic operations still work
const projects = await lok.projects().list({ limit: 1 });
console.log('API connection OK:', projects.items[0]?.name ?? 'no projects');

const keys = await lok.keys().list({
  project_id: projects.items[0].project_id,
  limit: 5,
  pagination: 'cursor',
});
console.log('Cursor pagination OK:', keys.items.length, 'keys fetched');
```

## Output

- Updated `@lokalise/node-api` to target version
- All `require()` calls converted to ESM `import` (if upgrading to v9)
- `package.json` and `tsconfig.json` updated for ESM compatibility
- Pagination code migrated to cursor-based pattern
- Tests passing against the new SDK version
- Git branch with all changes for review

## Error Handling

| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| `ERR_REQUIRE_ESM` | Using `require()` with v9 SDK | Convert to `import` syntax and set `"type": "module"` in package.json |
| `SyntaxError: Cannot use import` | Node.js file not recognized as ESM | Rename `.js` to `.mjs` or add `"type": "module"` |
| `TypeError: lok.keys is not a function` | API changed between major versions | Check SDK changelog for renamed methods |
| `ERR_UNKNOWN_FILE_EXTENSION .ts` | TypeScript not configured for ESM | Use `tsx` runner or configure `ts-node` with `"esm": true` |
| Tests fail after upgrade | Breaking API changes | Check test against the version-specific migration notes above |

## Examples

### Rollback Procedure

```bash
set -euo pipefail
# If the upgrade causes issues, revert immediately
git stash  # Save any work in progress
npm install @lokalise/node-api@8  # Last CJS version
git checkout HEAD -- tsconfig.json package.json
npm test
echo "Rolled back to v8. Investigate failures before retrying."
```

### CLI Upgrade (Separate from SDK)

```bash
set -euo pipefail
# macOS
brew upgrade lokalise2

# Linux — download latest release binary
LATEST_CLI=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/lokalise/lokalise-cli-2-go/releases/latest | grep -oP '"tag_name": "\K[^"]+')
curl -sL "https://github.com/lokalise/lokalise-cli-2-go/releases/download/${LATEST_CLI}/lokalise2_linux_x86_64.tar.gz" | tar xz
sudo mv lokalise2 /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
lokalise2 --version
```

### Check for Deprecated API Usage

```bash
set -euo pipefail
# Patterns that indicate outdated SDK usage
echo "=== Deprecated Patterns ==="
grep -rn "\.page\s*:" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" . && echo "^ Offset pagination — migrate to cursor" || echo "No offset pagination found"
grep -rn "require.*lokalise" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" . && echo "^ CommonJS require — migrate to ESM import" || echo "No CJS requires found"
grep -rn "new LokaliseApi.*token:" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" . && echo "^ Old constructor — use apiKey instead of token" || echo "No old constructor pattern found"
```

## Resources

- [Node SDK Changelog](https://lokalise.github.io/node-lokalise-api/additional_info/changelog.html)
- [Node SDK GitHub](https://github.com/lokalise/node-lokalise-api)
- [API Changelog](https://developers.lokalise.com/docs/api-changelog)
- [CLI Releases](https://github.com/lokalise/lokalise-cli-2-go/releases)
- [ESM Migration Guide (Node.js)](https://nodejs.org/api/esm.html)

## Next Steps

- For CI pipeline changes needed after ESM migration, see `lokalise-ci-integration`.
- For performance improvements with the new cursor pagination, see `lokalise-performance-tuning`.
- Run `lokalise-debug-bundle` if the upgrade causes unexpected API errors.

---
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