Locale Bundle Preflight

Catch locale bundle mistakes before they reach a build

Locale Bundle Preflight is a small offline Linux CLI for checking localization consistency across multiple flat JSON maps or a wide CSV table.

It compares each target locale against a source locale and reports:

• missing keys;
• blank translations;
• placeholder mismatches such as {name} versus {player} or %d versus %s;
• malformed or structurally invalid input as an error instead of a false pass.

The command returns PASS/0, BLOCKED/1, or ERROR/2, so the same check can run locally or in CI. Text output is concise, and the optional canonical JSON report is deterministic and omits source and translation bodies.

Two supported input shapes

Use one flat JSON object per locale:

./locale-preflight compare   --source source.json   --target pt-BR=pt-BR.json   --target es=es.json   --json report.json

Or use one wide CSV table with a key column and one column per locale:

./locale-preflight compare-csv   --input locales.csv   --source-locale en   --target-locale pt-BR   --target-locale es   --json report.json

Included

• one static Linux binary for the architecture named by the download;
• pass and blocked fixtures for JSON and CSV;
• quick-start README;
• buyer license and complete Go toolchain notices;
• no account, activation, telemetry, or network requirement.

Choose the linux-amd64 ZIP for 64-bit Intel/AMD Linux or linux-arm64 for 64-bit ARM Linux. Both candidates were exercised on a Linux kernel in the validated release process. That evidence does not guarantee every distribution or environment.

Intentionally narrow

This version does not translate text, judge linguistic quality, edit inputs, repair findings, support nested JSON, or implement complete ICU MessageFormat. It does not include a graphical interface. Windows and macOS builds are not included in this release candidate.

Frequently asked questions

Does it translate my game?

No. It checks structural consistency between source and target locale bundles. It does not create translations or assess whether wording is correct or natural.

Which files are supported?

This release supports flat JSON objects whose values are strings and wide CSV tables with a key column plus source and target locale columns. Nested JSON, PO/gettext, YAML, Android XML, iOS strings, TMX, and TSX are not supported.

Which placeholder styles are checked?

The checker compares brace tokens such as {name} and printf-style tokens such as %d, %s, and positional variants. This is not a complete ICU MessageFormat implementation.

Does PASS guarantee a correct localization?

No. PASS means no issue covered by this version was found in the supplied inputs. It does not prove linguistic quality, UI fit, runtime correctness, or coverage of unsupported formats and placeholder grammars.

Will it change my files?

No. Inputs are read-only. Reports identify locale, key, finding code, and token sets without copying source or translated text bodies.

Can I use it in CI?

Yes. Exit code 0 means PASS, 1 means BLOCKED, and 2 means an input or execution error. The optional JSON report is canonical and deterministic for the same effective inputs.

Which download should I choose?

Use linux-amd64 on 64-bit Intel or AMD Linux and linux-arm64 on 64-bit ARM Linux. No Windows or macOS binary is included. Compatibility was observed in the release test environment and is not a promise for every Linux distribution.

Does it need internet access or an account?

No. The binary runs offline and requires no account, activation, telemetry, or network connection.

Support

For reproducible issues, include the product version, architecture, command, exit code, and a minimal redacted fixture in the itch.io comments. Do not post private localization content or credentials.

AI disclosure

AI assistance was used during development and preparation of the product page and generated media. The shipped executable contains no model, generative feature, remote AI service, or runtime AI dependency.