npx globalize-skills runs partway through then crashes before installing. Two known causes: a Cursor legacy rules file conflict (any OS), and PowerShell execution policy on Windows.
Cursor legacy rules file (any OS)
If you see this error:
EEXIST: file already exists, mkdir '/path/to/your-project/.cursor/rules'
You're using Cursor's old single-file rules format, where .cursor/rules is a file. Cursor moved to a directory format (.cursor/rules/*.mdc), and our installer expects the directory layout. The mkdir call fails because a file already exists at that path.
Fix — convert the file to a directory:
mv .cursor/rules .cursor/rules.legacy.bak
npx globalize-skills
The installer creates .cursor/rules/ as a directory. Once the install completes, you can either delete .cursor/rules.legacy.bak or migrate its contents into a new .mdc file inside .cursor/rules/ per Cursor's docs.
Alternative — let Cursor handle it. Open Cursor and prompt the agent:
Run npx globalize-skills and figure out why it's blocked
The agent can reason about the file vs directory mismatch and resolve it without you touching the filesystem.
Windows / PowerShell
npx globalize-skills can fail on Windows, particularly in PowerShell, due to execution policy restrictions or Node.js path issues.
Workaround: manual install via zip
- Go to globalize.now and download the skills zip from the setup page
- Extract the zip
- Copy the extracted folder into your project at
.claude/skills/
Your project directory should look like:
your-project/
.claude/
skills/
i18n-guide.md
lingui.md
next-intl.md
...
src/
package.json
- Continue with setup as normal — open Claude Code, prompt
Set up localization for my project
Why this happens: PowerShell's default execution policy blocks unsigned scripts, which affects how npx resolves and runs packages in some configurations. Known issue, fix in progress.
Alternative — use CMD instead of PowerShell: Run npx globalize-skills in Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe) rather than PowerShell. Works in most cases.
Still not working?
Open a chat with support and share:
- Your Node.js version (
node -v) - Your npm version (
npm -v) - The exact error message you're seeing
We'll help you get unstuck.