Guides

Repair localization key drift

Align missing, unused, duplicate, placeholder, plural, and structural locale keys without inventing translations.

Answers: use a coding agent to fix localization key drift · Updated

SHORT ANSWER

Localization parity is a finite structural repair for projects that already have locale catalogs plus a canonical source and checker, generator, or typed-key system. Objective key drift can be fixed automatically; language judgment remains with a human.

01

Use the project’s localization authority

Detect the canonical source locale and existing validation path. Use them to find missing, unused, duplicate, placeholder, plural, or structural mismatches.

  • Keep the canonical key and source text visible.
  • Use configured tooling instead of text search alone.
  • Skip projects without an established localization system.
02

Automate structure, not language judgment

Restore objective structure from existing canonical values and align placeholders or plurals already defined by tooling. Stage missing translations that require tone, regional, or language expertise.

  • No machine-generated translations copied into catalogs.
  • No product-copy rewrite.
  • No deletion until dynamic lookups and external consumers are ruled out.
03

Finish on the existing localization check

The shift ends when structural checks are clean and every language-dependent gap is staged with its locale, key, source text, and required decision.

Run the localization parity ready shift. Repair objective key structure and park every translation that needs human language judgment.
TRY IT

Start with a bounded prompt

This prompt names the outcome and preserves Nightshift’s review boundary. Paste it into the supported coding host from the project you want to change.

Run the localization parity shift using this project's canonical locale and existing checker. Repair structural key drift and park every translation that needs language judgment.
BOUNDARIES

What this workflow does not claim

  • The shift does not invent, machine-generate, or choose the tone of translations.
  • A source locale and an established checker, generator, or typed-key system are required.
SOURCES

Evidence and sources

These links support the released behavior, public outcomes, or problem language described on this page.

localization-parity contractThe released structural localization-parity contract.Open evidence ↗Versioned Quality skillThe released quality survey and disposition workflow.Open evidence ↗Versioned workflow contractThe shipped one-item loop, decision boundary, gates, recovery, and clock-out behavior.Open evidence ↗
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