Three things to know before you run the first command: what it will do to your code, how long it takes, and how to set up your repo.
Create a branch first
Always start on a fresh branch. Setup and conversion make significant changes to your codebase — rewrites component files, adds library config, creates locale files, may touch your root layout. You want all of this isolated from main so you can review the diff and merge when you're satisfied.
git checkout -b feat/i18n-setup
git push -u origin feat/i18n-setup
Then push your latest changes so globalize.now can read them:
git status # confirm nothing uncommitted
git push # push any local commits
Connect globalize.now to this branch. If you run setup directly on main, all agent changes go straight to your main branch with no staging area.
How long it takes
| Step | Typical time |
|---|---|
npx globalize-skills install |
< 1 minute |
Set up localization for my project |
3–8 minutes |
Convert my app |
15–45 minutes |
| Connect repo in globalize.now | 2–5 minutes |
| First translation job | 2–10 minutes |
Total: roughly 30 minutes for a small-to-medium app. Large codebases (100+ components) take longer.
Don't cancel mid-conversion
The Convert my app step can take 30–45 minutes on a large codebase. This is normal. Do not cancel the session mid-way — interrupting it leaves your codebase in a partial state. Check your editor's source control panel to confirm files are still being modified if you're unsure it's working.
If you need to scope the conversion, tell the agent upfront:
Convert only the /src/components directory first
After setup is complete
Review the diff, test your app locally, then open a pull request from your branch to main. Merge when you're happy with the output. Future runs (adding new strings) are much faster — the agent only processes what's changed.