Lokalise CI Integration

Overview

Automate the full translation lifecycle through GitHub Actions: upload source strings when code is pushed, download translations during builds, block PRs with missing translations, and manage branch-based translation workflows that mirror your Git branching strategy. The goal is zero manual translation file management — developers write code, translators work in Lokalise, and CI keeps everything in sync.

Prerequisites

• Lokalise project with Project ID (Settings > General > Project ID)
• Lokalise API token with read/write permissions (Profile > API Tokens), stored as LOKALISEAPITOKEN GitHub secret
• LOKALISEPROJECTID stored as GitHub secret (or variable)
• Lokalise CLI v2 (lokalise2) — installed in CI via curl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicktomlin/lokalise-cli-2-install/master/install.sh | sh
• Source locale files committed to the repository (e.g., src/locales/en.json)

Instructions

Step 1: Upload Source Strings on Push

Create .github/workflows/lokalise-upload.yml to push source strings to Lokalise whenever the default locale file changes on main:

name: Upload translations to Lokalise
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - 'src/locales/en.json'  # Adjust to your source locale path

jobs:
  upload:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install Lokalise CLI
        run: |
          curl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lokalise/lokalise-cli-2-go/master/install.sh | sh
          sudo mv ./bin/lokalise2 /usr/local/bin/lokalise2

      - name: Upload source strings
        run: |
          lokalise2 file upload \
            --token "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            --project-id "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}" \
            --file "src/locales/en.json" \
            --lang-iso "en" \
            --replace-modified \
            --include-path \
            --distinguish-by-file \
            --poll \
            --poll-timeout 120s
        # --replace-modified updates existing keys with new values
        # --poll waits for the async upload to complete before exiting

Step 2: Download Translations During Build

Create .github/workflows/lokalise-build.yml or add a step to your existing build workflow:

name: Build with translations
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, staging]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install Lokalise CLI
        run: |
          curl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lokalise/lokalise-cli-2-go/master/install.sh | sh
          sudo mv ./bin/lokalise2 /usr/local/bin/lokalise2

      - name: Download translations
        run: |
          lokalise2 file download \
            --token "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            --project-id "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}" \
            --format json \
            --original-filenames=true \
            --directory-prefix="" \
            --export-empty-as=base \
            --unzip-to "src/locales/"
        # --export-empty-as=base falls back to source language for untranslated keys
        # --original-filenames preserves the file structure from Lokalise

      - name: Build application
        run: npm run build

Step 3: PR Check for Missing Translations

Add a workflow that comments on PRs when new translation keys lack translations in required locales:

name: Translation coverage check
on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'src/locales/**'

jobs:
  check-translations:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Check translation coverage
        run: |
          #!/bin/bash
          set -euo pipefail

          REQUIRED_LOCALES=("en" "de" "fr" "es" "ja")
          SOURCE_FILE="src/locales/en.json"
          MISSING=0
          REPORT=""

          source_keys=$(jq -r '[paths(scalars)] | map(join(".")) | .[]' "$SOURCE_FILE" | sort)

          for locale in "${REQUIRED_LOCALES[@]}"; do
            locale_file="src/locales/${locale}.json"
            if [[ ! -f "$locale_file" ]]; then
              REPORT+="- **${locale}**: File missing entirely\n"
              MISSING=1
              continue
            fi

            locale_keys=$(jq -r '[paths(scalars)] | map(join(".")) | .[]' "$locale_file" | sort)
            missing_keys=$(comm -23 <(echo "$source_keys") <(echo "$locale_keys"))

            if [[ -n "$missing_keys" ]]; then
              count=$(echo "$missing_keys" | wc -l)
              REPORT+="- **${locale}**: ${count} missing keys\n"
              MISSING=1
            fi
          done

          if [[ $MISSING -eq 1 ]]; then
            echo "## Translation Coverage Report" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
            echo "" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
            echo -e "$REPORT" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
            echo "" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
            echo "Run \`lokalise2 file download\` to pull latest translations." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
            exit 1
          fi

          echo "All locales have complete translation coverage." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"

Step 4: Integration Tests for Key Coverage

Add a test that validates translation files have all required keys at build time:

// tests/i18n-coverage.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
import fs from 'fs';
import path from 'path';

const LOCALES_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname, '../src/locales');
const SOURCE_LOCALE = 'en';
const REQUIRED_LOCALES = ['en', 'de', 'fr', 'es', 'ja'];

function flattenKeys(obj: Record<string, unknown>, prefix = ''): string[] {
  return Object.entries(obj).flatMap(([key, value]) => {
    const fullKey = prefix ? `${prefix}.${key}` : key;
    if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)) {
      return flattenKeys(value as Record<string, unknown>, fullKey);
    }
    return [fullKey];
  });
}

describe('Translation coverage', () => {
  const sourceFile = JSON.parse(
    fs.readFileSync(path.join(LOCALES_DIR, `${SOURCE_LOCALE}.json`), 'utf-8')
  );
  const sourceKeys = flattenKeys(sourceFile).sort();

  for (const locale of REQUIRED_LOCALES) {
    it(`${locale}.json contains all source keys`, () => {
      const localeFile = JSON.parse(
        fs.readFileSync(path.join(LOCALES_DIR, `${locale}.json`), 'utf-8')
      );
      const localeKeys = flattenKeys(localeFile).sort();
      const missing = sourceKeys.filter(k => !localeKeys.includes(k));

      expect(missing, `Missing keys in ${locale}: ${missing.join(', ')}`).toHaveLength(0);
    });
  }

  it('no orphaned keys exist in non-source locales', () => {
    for (const locale of REQUIRED_LOCALES.filter(l => l !== SOURCE_LOCALE)) {
      const localeFile = JSON.parse(
        fs.readFileSync(path.join(LOCALES_DIR, `${locale}.json`), 'utf-8')
      );
      const localeKeys = flattenKeys(localeFile);
      const orphaned = localeKeys.filter(k => !sourceKeys.includes(k));

      expect(orphaned, `Orphaned keys in ${locale}: ${orphaned.join(', ')}`).toHaveLength(0);
    }
  });
});

Step 5: Branch-Based Translation Workflow

Use Lokalise branching to isolate translation work per feature branch. This prevents in-progress translations from leaking into production:

# .github/workflows/lokalise-branch.yml
name: Lokalise branch management
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, closed]
    paths:
      - 'src/locales/en.json'

jobs:
  manage-branch:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      BRANCH_NAME: ${{ github.head_ref }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Create Lokalise branch on PR open
        if: github.event.action == 'opened'
        run: |
          curl -X POST "https://api.lokalise.com/api2/projects/${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}/branches" \
            -H "X-Api-Token: ${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d "{\"name\": \"${BRANCH_NAME}\"}"

      - name: Upload source to branch
        if: github.event.action == 'opened' || github.event.action == 'synchronize'
        run: |
          # Upload to the branch-specific project
          # Branch project ID format: {project_id}:{branch_name}
          lokalise2 file upload \
            --token "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            --project-id "${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}:${BRANCH_NAME}" \
            --file "src/locales/en.json" \
            --lang-iso "en" \
            --replace-modified \
            --poll \
            --poll-timeout 120s

      - name: Merge Lokalise branch on PR merge
        if: github.event.action == 'closed' && github.event.pull_request.merged == true
        run: |
          curl -X POST "https://api.lokalise.com/api2/projects/${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}/branches/merge" \
            -H "X-Api-Token: ${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            -d "{\"source_branch\": \"${BRANCH_NAME}\", \"target_branch\": \"main\", \"force_conflict_resolve_using\": \"source\"}"

      - name: Delete Lokalise branch on PR close (unmerged)
        if: github.event.action == 'closed' && github.event.pull_request.merged == false
        run: |
          # Get branch ID first
          BRANCH_ID=$(curl -s "https://api.lokalise.com/api2/projects/${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}/branches" \
            -H "X-Api-Token: ${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}" \
            | jq -r ".branches[] | select(.name == \"${BRANCH_NAME}\") | .branch_id")

          if [[ -n "$BRANCH_ID" ]]; then
            curl -X DELETE "https://api.lokalise.com/api2/projects/${{ secrets.LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID }}/branches/${BRANCH_ID}" \
              -H "X-Api-Token: ${{ secrets.LOKALISE_API_TOKEN }}"
          fi

Output

After applying this skill, the project will have:

• GitHub Actions workflow files for upload, download, and branch management
• PR checks that block merges when translations are incomplete
• Integration tests validating key coverage across all required locales
• Branch-based isolation so feature work does not pollute the main translation set
• A scripts/lokalise-pull.sh for local development use

Error Handling

Examples

Local Translation Script

#!/bin/bash
# scripts/lokalise-pull.sh — Pull latest translations for local development
set -euo pipefail

: "${LOKALISE_API_TOKEN:?Set LOKALISE_API_TOKEN in your environment}"
: "${LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID:?Set LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID in your environment}"

echo "Downloading translations from Lokalise..."
lokalise2 file download \
  --token "$LOKALISE_API_TOKEN" \
  --project-id "$LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID" \
  --format json \
  --original-filenames=true \
  --directory-prefix="" \
  --export-empty-as=base \
  --unzip-to "src/locales/"

echo "Translations updated at src/locales/"
ls -la src/locales/

Upload Script with Retry

#!/bin/bash
# scripts/lokalise-push.sh — Upload source strings with retry logic
set -euo pipefail

MAX_RETRIES=3
RETRY_DELAY=5

for attempt in $(seq 1 $MAX_RETRIES); do
  if lokalise2 file upload \
    --token "$LOKALISE_API_TOKEN" \
    --project-id "$LOKALISE_PROJECT_ID" \
    --file "src/locales/en.json" \
    --lang-iso "en" \
    --replace-modified \
    --poll \
    --poll-timeout 120s; then
    echo "Upload successful on attempt $attempt"
    exit 0
  fi

  echo "Attempt $attempt failed, retrying in ${RETRY_DELAY}s..."
  sleep $RETRY_DELAY
  RETRY_DELAY=$((RETRY_DELAY * 2))
done

echo "Upload failed after $MAX_RETRIES attempts"
exit 1

Resources

• Lokalise CLI v2 Reference
• Lokalise API v2 — File Upload
• Lokalise API v2 — File Download
• Lokalise Branching
• Lokalise GitHub Integration
• Lokalise Status Page

Next Steps

• Set up lokalise-multi-env-setup to manage per-environment API tokens and project IDs
• Use lokalise-prod-checklist before your first production deployment
• Configure webhook-based sync for real-time translation updates (Lokalise Settings > Integrations > Webhooks)