CLI

CLI Overview

Run glotfile <command> (or node bin/glotfile.js <command> from a checkout — see Installation).

Command What it does
serve (default) Start the local web UI and open the browser.
get Extract values (filtered) without loading the whole file — JSON out.
stats Per-locale translation progress and totals.
set Set a source string (marks the others stale) or one target translation.
set-state Flip review state across keys/locales.
clear Empty target value(s) so they re-translate.
apply Apply a JSON batch of edits from stdin in one atomic write.
translate AI-translate strings, writing results back to glotfile.json.
export Write the locale files for every configured output.
lint Report translation problems (states, placeholders, glossary, spelling…).
check CI gate: lint and verify exported files are up to date.
import Create glotfile.json from existing locale files.
build-context AI-generate per-key context to improve translation (needs a prior scan).
scan Index code references to keys (writes .glotfile/usage.json).
prune Remove empty-source or unused keys (dry-run unless --write).
split Convert glotfile.json into a reviewable glotfile/ directory.
skill Install the Claude Code skill for managing glotfile.

Running glotfile with no command is the same as glotfile serve. Run glotfile <command> --help for a command’s options.

get, stats, set, set-state, clear and apply are the precise, scriptable way to read and edit a large catalog from the command line — or from an AI agent. See Reading and Extraction and Editing from the CLI.

Global option

Every command accepts --file (-f) to target a state file other than ./glotfile.json:

glotfile translate --file packages/app/glotfile.json
glotfile export -f ./i18n/glotfile.json

Exit codes

  • serve, translate, export, get, stats, set, set-state, clear exit 0 on success.
  • apply exits 1 if any operation fails; set/set-state/clear exit 1 on a bad key/locale.
  • lint exits 1 when there are errors (or warnings over --max-warnings).
  • check exits 1 when there are any errors (including out-of-date exports).

This is what makes lint and check usable as CI gates — see Continuous Integration.

Credentials

Only translate needs network access or credentials. Glotfile reads them from the environment, including a local .env file in the project directory. See AI Providers.

  • Web UI Overview — the same operations in the browser
  • Configuration Reference