Two questions most users have before starting: what does the install command do, and will it break anything?
What npx globalize-skills does
It installs skill files into your AI coding agent. That's it — nothing in your codebase changes.
The command downloads markdown files into your project's .claude/skills/ directory. These are plain text instructions that tell the agent how to handle i18n: which library to use, how to extract strings, how to name keys, how to structure locale files. When prompted, pick the preset — it selects the right combination for your stack automatically.
After the install, the globalize.now website shows you three prompts to copy into your agent:
Set up localization for my project
Convert my app
Set up globalize for this project
These are things you type into your agent — not output the agent generates.
Will it change your code permanently?
No. Every change goes into the branch you created before starting — not directly to main.
When you run Set up localization for my project and Convert my app, the agent modifies files in your local branch. It rewrites components to use translation keys instead of hardcoded strings, adds locale files, and updates configuration. All of this happens in a branch.
At the end, you review a diff like any other pull request. You can inspect every change, test locally, and only merge when satisfied.
What if something looks wrong?
-
Don't merge. Close the branch and nothing reaches main.
-
Revert the branch.
git checkout main && git branch -D feat/i18n-setup. Main is untouched. -
Fix specific files. Edit them in the branch before merging.
The agent doesn't force-push to main — that's an explicit design constraint.
What about auto-translate?
When globalize.now translates your strings on every push, it creates a pull request with updated locale files. Same model — you review it, you merge it. The app never commits directly to main.
Where do the skill files go?
Skills install locally to .claude/skills/ in your project. Project-scoped — one repo doesn't affect another. They're plain text files you can read in any editor. If you want to review them before installing, clone the skills repo from GitHub and copy the files manually.