🌐 i18n.nvim

A lightweight Neovim plugin to parse, display, and manage project i18n translations directly in the editor.
Designed for mixed stacks and monorepos. Supports JSON, YAML, Java .properties, and JS/TS translation modules (Tree-sitter).

Show Translation	With blink.cmp
Diagnostic	Help like vim.lsp.buf.signature_help()
Jump like vim.lsp.buf.definition()	With fzf-lua
Add Missing Key	Show Other Translations

✨ Highlights

• Parse translation files (JSON, YAML, .properties, JS/TS via Tree-sitter).
• Flatten nested translation objects into dot-separated keys (e.g. system.title).
• Inline virtual text + popup preview of translations.
• Jump to definition, find usages, and add missing keys interactively.
• Auto-detect locale sources with project-level config override.
• Flexible pickers (fzf-lua / Telescope / vim_ui / Snacks) and completion sources (blink.cmp / nvim-cmp).

✅ Requirements

• Neovim 0.8+.
• Tree-sitter parsers for JS/TS/TSX/JSX/Vue if you parse those files.
• Optional: rg for faster usage scans (falls back to git ls-files).
• Optional integrations: ibhagwan/fzf-lua, nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim, folke/snacks.nvim, blink.cmp, nvim-cmp.

📦 Installation (lazy.nvim)

{
  'yelog/i18n.nvim',
  dependencies = {
    'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter',
    -- optional pickers:
    -- 'ibhagwan/fzf-lua',
    -- 'nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim',
  },
  config = function()
    require('i18n').setup({
      locales = { 'en', 'zh' },
      sources = { 'src/locales/{locales}.json' },
    })
  end
}

By default the plugin activates automatically when an i18n project is detected.
Set activation = 'manual' to opt into explicit :I18nEnable.

🚀 Quickstart

1. Configure locales + sources (or enable auto_detect).
2. Open a file and run :I18nNextLocale / :I18nShowTranslations.
3. Use the picker I18n.i18n_keys() or jump to definitions/usages.

🧭 Commands

Command	Description
:I18nEnable	Manually activate (for activation = 'manual').
:I18nDisable	Deactivate and clear overlays.
:I18nStatus	Show current status (activation, locales, loaded keys).
:I18nDetectFramework	Print detected framework info.
:I18nReload	Reload translations and rescan usages.
:I18nNextLocale	Cycle display locale.
:I18nToggleOrigin	Toggle showing the raw key while keeping translations active.
:I18nToggleTranslation	Toggle translation overlay on/off.
:I18nToggleLocaleFileEol	Toggle end-of-line translations in locale files.
:I18nShowTranslations	Popup with all locale translations for key under cursor.
:I18nDefinitionNextLocale	Jump to the same key in the next locale file.
:I18nKeyUsages	Jump to usages of the key under cursor.
:I18nAddKey	Interactive add-missing-key flow.

All helpers are also available via require('i18n'), and a global I18n alias is created on setup.

⌨️ Keymaps (example)

keys = {
  { "<D-S-n>", function() I18n.i18n_keys() end,     desc = "Show i18n keys" },
  { "<D-S-B>", function() I18n.next_locale() end,   desc = "Next i18n locale" },
  { "<D-S-J>", function() I18n.toggle_origin() end, desc = "Toggle origin overlay" },
}

🔎 Key Picker (i18n_keys)

Default backend is fzf-lua. Switch with:

i18n_keys = { popup_type = 'telescope' | 'vim_ui' | 'snacks' | 'fzf-lua' }

Default actions (fzf-lua):

• <CR> copy key
• <C-y> copy current locale translation
• <C-j> jump (current locale first, fallback to default)
• <C-l> choose locale then jump
• <C-x> split, <C-v> vsplit, <C-t> tab

Override keys:

i18n_keys = {
  keys = {
    jump = { "<c-j>" },
    choose_locale_jump = { "<c-l>" },
  },
}

🆕 Add Missing i18n Key

Command: :I18nAddKey

Flow:

1. Place the cursor on an i18n call whose key does NOT exist (e.g. t('system.new_feature.title')).
2. Run :I18nAddKey.
3. Fill one input line per locale (first = default).
4. <Tab> / <S-Tab> moves between locales; <Enter> writes; <Esc> cancels.

Notes:

• Only JSON files are written (YAML is ignored with a warning).
• Keys are created as nested objects; missing files/directories are created.
• Target file is chosen via the longest matching sources[].prefix.

🧰 Navigation, Popup & Usage

Navigation

• require('i18n').i18n_definition() returns true on jump, false otherwise.
• require('i18n').i18n_definition_next_locale() jumps to the same key in the next locale.
• navigation = { open_cmd = 'edit' | 'split' | 'vsplit' | 'tabedit' }.

Example: prefer i18n, then LSP definition:

vim.keymap.set('n', 'gd', function()
  if require('i18n').i18n_definition() then return end
  if require('i18n').i18n_definition_next_locale() then return end
  vim.lsp.buf.definition()
end, { desc = 'i18n or LSP definition' })

Popup

• :I18nShowTranslations or require('i18n').show_popup() (returns boolean).

Example:

vim.keymap.set({ 'n', 'i' }, '<C-k>', function()
  if not require('i18n').show_popup() then
    vim.lsp.buf.signature_help()
  end
end, { desc = 'i18n popup or signature help' })

Usage Scanner

• Uses rg --files and falls back to git ls-files --exclude-standard.
• :I18nKeyUsages jumps to usages; multiple hits open your configured picker.
• Locale buffers can display usage badges (e.g. ← [2 usages]).

Options:

usage = {
  popup_type = 'fzf-lua' | 'telescope' | 'vim_ui' | 'snacks',
  notify_no_key = true,
  max_file_size = 0,     -- 0 = no limit
  scan_on_startup = true,
}

Example: prefer usages, then LSP references:

vim.keymap.set('n', 'gu', function()
  if require('i18n').i18n_key_usages() then return end
  vim.lsp.buf.references()
end, { desc = 'i18n usages or LSP references' })

⚙️ Configuration

require('i18n').setup(opts) merges:

1. Defaults
2. User config
3. Project config file (if found)

A global I18n alias is exposed on setup.

Common options (selected)

Core:

• activation (default: 'auto'): 'auto' detects i18n projects; 'lazy' activates on supported filetypes; 'manual' requires :I18nEnable; 'eager' activates immediately.
• locales (default: {}): ordered locales; first is default.
• sources (default: { 'src/locales/{locales}.json' }): string pattern or { pattern, prefix }.
• auto_detect (default: true): runs when sources is empty or explicitly enabled.
• func_pattern (default: { 't', '$t' }): function call matchers or raw Lua patterns.
• func_type (default: { 'vue', 'typescript', 'javascript', 'typescriptreact', 'javascriptreact', 'tsx', 'jsx', 'java' }): filetypes/globs scanned for usages.
• filetypes / ft: restrict filetypes that get inline display (overrides defaults).

Namespace:

• namespace_resolver (default: 'auto'): set false to disable.
• namespace_separator (default: '.'): set ':' for i18next-style keys.

Display:

• show_mode (default: 'both'): both | translation | translation_conceal | origin.
• show_locale_file_eol_translation (default: true): EOL translation in locale files.
• show_locale_file_eol_usage (default: true): usage badges in locale files.
• display.refresh_debounce_ms (default: 100).

Diagnostics:

• diagnostic: enabled by default; false disables; a table is forwarded to vim.diagnostic.set.

Pickers:

• i18n_keys.popup_type (default: 'fzf-lua'): fzf-lua | telescope | vim_ui | snacks.
• usage.popup_type (default: 'fzf-lua'): picker used by :I18nKeyUsages.

Navigation:

• navigation.open_cmd (default: 'edit'): edit | split | vsplit | tabedit.

Need a specific layout immediately? Call I18n.set_show_mode('translation') / 'translation_conceal' / 'both' / 'origin' and use I18n.get_show_mode() to inspect the current value.

The complete, authoritative list of default options (with their current values) lives in lua/i18n/config.lua inside the M.defaults table.

func_pattern quick guide

• Plain strings are treated as function names ({ 't', '$t' }). Optional whitespace before the opening parenthesis is allowed.
• Tables unlock additional control: { call = 'i18n.t', quotes = { "'", '"' }, allow_whitespace = false }.
• Whitespace between the opening parenthesis and the first quote is accepted by default; disable with allow_arg_whitespace = false.
• You can still drop down to raw Lua patterns via the pattern / patterns keys when you need something exotic (ensure the key stays in capture group 1).

🔍 Auto-detect Sources

The plugin can automatically scan your project structure to discover locale files, eliminating the need to manually configure sources.

Basic usage - just enable auto-detect:

require('i18n').setup({
  auto_detect = true,
  -- locales will also be auto-detected if not specified
})

Or with custom settings:

require('i18n').setup({
  auto_detect = {
    enabled = true,
    root_dirs = { 'src', 'app' },              -- directories to scan
    locale_dir_names = { 'locales', 'i18n' },  -- locale directory names
    extensions = { 'json', 'ts' },             -- supported file extensions
    max_depth = 6,                              -- max directory depth to scan
    notify = true,                               -- show auto-detect summary
  },
})

Supported directory structures:

Pattern A: Locale as filename
src/locales/en.json          → sources: ["src/locales/{locales}.json"]
src/locales/zh.json

Pattern B: Locale as directory with module files
src/locales/en/common.ts     → sources: [{ pattern: "src/locales/{locales}/{module}.ts", prefix: "{module}." }]
src/locales/en/system.ts
src/locales/zh/common.ts

Pattern C: Nested in views/business directories
src/views/gmail/locales/en/inbox.ts    → sources: [{ pattern: "src/views/{bu}/locales/{locales}/{module}.ts", prefix: "{bu}.{module}." }]
src/views/calendar/locales/en/events.ts

Notes:

• Auto-detect runs when auto_detect = true or when sources is empty/not configured.
• Auto-detect is skipped when a project config file defines sources (even if auto_detect = true).
• Detected locales are used only if locales is not explicitly configured.
• Notifications are shown only when auto_detect.notify = true (default: off).
• Access detected configuration via require('i18n.config').options._detected_sources.

🔧 Namespace Resolver (React i18next / Vue i18n)

For frameworks like react-i18next that use useTranslation('namespace') to scope translation keys, the plugin can automatically detect the namespace and prepend it to keys for lookup.

Example React component:

const { t } = useTranslation('common');
const message = t('greeting');  // Plugin resolves to 'common.greeting' by default

Configuration options:

require('i18n').setup({
  -- Enable namespace resolution
  namespace_resolver = 'auto',  -- or 'react_i18next', 'vue_i18n', custom function, or table

  -- Separator between namespace and key
  namespace_separator = '.',    -- set ':' for i18next standard
})

Available resolver values:

• false: Disabled, no namespace resolution
• 'auto': Auto-detect framework based on filetype (tsx/jsx → react_i18next, vue → vue_i18n)
• 'react_i18next': Detect useTranslation('namespace') calls in React components
• 'vue_i18n': Detect useI18n({ namespace: '...' }) in Vue components
• Custom function: function(bufnr, key, line, col) return namespace_or_nil end
• Table: Per-filetype configuration:

  namespace_resolver = {
    { filetypes = {'typescriptreact', 'javascriptreact'}, resolver = 'react_i18next' },
    { filetypes = {'vue'}, resolver = 'vue_i18n' },
  }

When namespace resolution is enabled:

• Display: Virtual text shows translations for the resolved key (e.g. common.greeting).
• Navigation: Jump-to-definition uses the resolved key to find the correct location.
• Completion: Suggestions are filtered to keys matching the current namespace and inserted without the namespace prefix.
• Diagnostics: Missing translation warnings show the full resolved key.

You can also register custom resolvers programmatically:

require('i18n.namespace').register_resolver('my_framework', function(bufnr, key, line, col)
  -- Custom logic to detect namespace
  return 'detected_namespace' -- or nil if not found
end)

Diagnostics

If diagnostic is enabled (default), the plugin emits diagnostics for missing translations at the position of the i18n key. When a table is provided, it is forwarded verbatim to vim.diagnostic.set(namespace, bufnr, diagnostics, opts) allowing you to tune presentation (underline, virtual_text, signs, severity_sort, etc). Setting diagnostic = false both suppresses generation and clears previously shown diagnostics for the buffer.

Dynamic keys built via string concatenation or Lua .. are ignored to avoid false positives (e.g. t('user.' .. segment) or t('system.user.' + item)).

🧩 Completion Integrations

blink.cmp Integration

The plugin provides a blink.cmp source (i18n.integration.blink_source) that:

• Offers completion items where the label and inserted text are the i18n key.
• Shows the key itself in the detail field (so the preview panel title is stable / language-agnostic).
• Resolves full multi-language translations in the documentation panel (each language on its own line).
• Plays nicely with other sources (LSP, snippets, path, buffer, etc).

Example blink.cmp configuration:

require('blink.cmp').setup({
  sources = {
    default = { 'i18n', 'snippets', 'lsp', 'path', 'buffer' },
    providers = {
      lsp = { fallbacks = {} },
      i18n = {
        name = 'i18n',
        module = 'i18n.integration.blink_source',
        opts = {
          -- future options can be placed here
        },
      },
    },
  },
})

nvim-cmp Integration

Features:

• Provides i18n keys as completion items (label & inserted text are the key itself).
• Context-aware: only triggers inside the first string argument of your configured i18n function calls and ignores matches inside comments.
• Documentation shows translations for every configured locale; missing ones are marked (missing).
• Lightweight: reuses already parsed in-memory tables (no extra file IO during completion).

Basic setup (after installing hrsh7th/nvim-cmp):

local cmp = require('cmp')

cmp.register_source('i18n', require('i18n.integration.cmp_source').new())

cmp.setup({
  sources = cmp.config.sources({
    { name = 'i18n' },
  }, {
    -- other secondary sources...
  }),
})

🏗 Project-level Configuration (recommended)

You can place a project-specific config file at the project root. The plugin will auto-detect (in order) the first existing file:

• .i18nrc.json
• i18n.config.json
• .i18nrc.lua

If found, its values override anything you passed to setup().

Example .i18nrc.json:

{
  "locales": ["en_US", "zh_CN"],
  "sources": [
    "src/locales/{locales}.json",
    { "pattern": "src/locales/lang/{locales}/{module}.ts", "prefix": "{module}." }
  ]
}

Example .i18nrc.lua:

return {
  locales = { "en_US", "zh_CN" },
  sources = {
    "src/locales/{locales}.json",
    { pattern = "src/locales/lang/{locales}/{module}.ts", prefix = "{module}." },
  },
  func_pattern = {
    't',
    '$t',
    { call = 'i18n.t' },
  },
  func_type = { 'vue', 'typescript' },
  usage = { popup_type = 'vim_ui' },
  show_mode = 'translation_conceal',
}

Minimal Neovim config (global defaults) – can be empty or partial:

require('i18n').setup({
  locales = { 'en', 'zh' },  -- acts as a fallback if project file absent
  sources = { 'src/locales/{locales}.json' },
})

If later you add a project config file, reopen the project or call:

require('i18n').reload_project_config()
require('i18n').setup(require('i18n').options)

Notes

• Unknown fields in project config are ignored.
• You can keep a small user-level setup and let each project define its own structure.
• If you frequently switch branches that add/remove locale files, trigger a manual reload.

🧠 How It Works

• JSON/YAML/.properties files are read and decoded (.properties uses simple key=value parsing; YAML uses a simplified parser covering common scenarios).
• JS/TS modules are parsed with Tree-sitter to find exported objects (supports export default, module.exports, direct object literals, and nested objects). Parsed keys and string values are normalized and flattened.
• Translations are merged into an internal table keyed by language and dot-separated keys.

📗 Examples

Simple JSON i18n

One JSON file per locale:

projectA
├── src
│   ├── App.vue
│   ├── locales
│   │   ├── en.json
│   │   └── zh.json
│   └── main.ts
├── package.json
└── vite.config.ts

.i18nrc.lua:

return {
  locales = { 'en', 'zh' },
  sources = {
    'src/locales/{locales}.json'
  }
}

Multi-module i18n

projectB
├── src
│   ├── App.vue
│   ├── locales
│   │   ├── en-US
│   │   │   ├── common.ts
│   │   │   ├── system.ts
│   │   │   └── ui.ts
│   │   └── zh-CN
│   │       ├── common.ts
│   │       ├── system.ts
│   │       └── ui.ts
│   └── main.ts
└── package.json

.i18nrc.lua:

return {
  locales = { 'en-US', 'zh-CN' },
  sources = {
    { pattern = 'src/locales/{locales}/{module}.ts', prefix = '{module}.' }
  }
}

Multi-module + multi-business

projectC
├── src
│   ├── locales
│   │   ├── en-US
│   │   └── zh-CN
│   └── views
│       ├── gmail/locales/en-US/inbox.ts
│       └── calendar/locales/zh-CN/events.ts
└── package.json

.i18nrc.lua:

return {
  locales = { 'en-US', 'zh-CN' },
  sources = {
    { pattern = 'src/locales/{locales}/{module}.ts', prefix = '{module}.' },
    { pattern = 'src/views/{business}/locales/{locales}/{module}.ts', prefix = '{business}.{module}.' }
  }
}

🩺 Troubleshooting

• If JS/TS parsing fails, ensure Tree-sitter parsers are installed and up-to-date.
• If some values still contain quotes, ensure the source file uses plain string literals; complex template literals or expressions may need custom handling.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, bug reports and PRs are welcome. Please:

1. Open an issue with reproducible steps.
2. Submit PRs with unit-tested or manually verified changes.
3. Keep coding style consistent with the repository.

📄 License

Apache-2.0 License. See LICENSE for details.