Vibecode Crowdin
track this build5 phases, 15 steps, beginner friendly0%KINDA · weekend project
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Crowdin, manage a software localization project with file sync, glossary, and reviews. The hard boundary is large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance, plus translation memory, collaboration, and deployment integrations.
the project pack5 files · written for this build, step by step
You are building a lean indie version of Crowdin.
Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt.
===== README.md =====
# Crowdin · indie build
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts.
## Stack
| Part | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. |
| Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. |
| Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. |
| Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. |
## Before you start
Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one.
- [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python.
- Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages.
- Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds.
- [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files.
- Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository.
- Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools.
- [ ] **Crowdin acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible.
- Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records.
- Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account.
- [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide.
- Get it: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first.
- Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out.
## Quick start
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents.
## Honest limits
This build deliberately does not replace:
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Crowdin, and the README should say so rather than pretend.
===== BRIEF.md =====
# Build brief · Crowdin
The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins.
Build me a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports as a bounded replacement for Crowdin.
Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass.
Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue.
Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment.
### Stack (fixed, do not substitute)
- Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline.
- Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path.
- Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement.
- Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase.
### Data model (create this before Phase 1)
- projects(id,name,source_locale)
- keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash)
- translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash)
- glossary(id,source,target,locale)
- revisions(id,key_id,locale,text)
- Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them.
- Acceptance fixture: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation.
### Prerequisites and configuration
- Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Crowdin acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git.
### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
- Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`.
- For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`.
- Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
- Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
Do not build yet: Do not start round-trip source json until these checks pass.
### Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Build: Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
Done when: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
Do not build yet: Do not start translation review until these checks pass.
### Phase 3 · Translation review
Build: Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
Done when: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
Do not build yet: Do not start release exchange until these checks pass.
### Phase 4 · Release exchange
Build: Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
Done when: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass.
### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Build: Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
- Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
- Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
- Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass.
### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only)
Build: Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
- Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
- Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`.
- Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
- Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded.
### Out of scope (and why)
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- professional translator marketplace: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- advanced translation memory: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- website proxy network: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- enterprise workflows and integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
### README must contain
- Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder.
- The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format.
- Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities.
- An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment.
- Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.
===== AGENTS.md =====
# Agent instructions · Crowdin indie build
- Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute.
- Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes.
- Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name.
- Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced.
- Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims.
- Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names.
- Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
## Known traps
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
===== BUILD_PLAN.md =====
# Build plan · Crowdin
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note.
## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
### Steps
1. Create and start the local application
Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch.
Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore`
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture
For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data.
Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md`
```sh
python manage.py init
python manage.py seed
```
3. Protect the local request boundary
Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py`
### Done when
- [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
- [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing.
- [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
### Watch out
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
## Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
### Steps
1. Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`, `templates/round_trip_source_json.html`
2. Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_round_trip_source_json.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
### Watch out
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
## Phase 3 · Translation review
Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
### Steps
1. Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`, `templates/translation_review.html`
2. Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_translation_review.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
### Watch out
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
## Phase 4 · Release exchange
Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
### Steps
1. Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`, `templates/release_exchange.html`
2. Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_release_exchange.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
### Watch out
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
### Steps
1. Write the user-facing runbook
Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
Files: `README.md`, `.env.example`
2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py`
3. Reproduce the first-run experience
Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete.
Files: `README.md`, `verification.md`
```sh
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions.
- [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
### Watch out
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
## Not in this build
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
## After v1, if you want it
- Extend release exchange only after the fixture and recovery checks pass.
- Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links.
===== .env.example =====
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it.
# Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files.
DATA_DIR=./data/crowdin
# Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env.
SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret
# Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured.
APP_MODE=indie
# Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode.
SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
You are building a lean indie version of Crowdin.
Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt.
===== README.md =====
# Crowdin · indie build
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts.
## Stack
| Part | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. |
| Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. |
| Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. |
| Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. |
## Before you start
Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one.
- [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python.
- Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages.
- Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds.
- [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files.
- Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository.
- Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools.
- [ ] **Crowdin acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible.
- Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records.
- Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account.
- [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide.
- Get it: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first.
- Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out.
## Quick start
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents.
## Honest limits
This build deliberately does not replace:
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Crowdin, and the README should say so rather than pretend.
===== BRIEF.md =====
# Build brief · Crowdin
The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins.
Build me a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports as a bounded replacement for Crowdin.
Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass.
Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue.
Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment.
### Stack (fixed, do not substitute)
- Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline.
- Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path.
- Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement.
- Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase.
### Data model (create this before Phase 1)
- projects(id,name,source_locale)
- keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash)
- translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash)
- glossary(id,source,target,locale)
- revisions(id,key_id,locale,text)
- Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them.
- Acceptance fixture: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation.
### Prerequisites and configuration
- Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Crowdin acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git.
### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
- Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`.
- For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`.
- Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
- Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
Do not build yet: Do not start round-trip source json until these checks pass.
### Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Build: Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
Done when: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
Do not build yet: Do not start translation review until these checks pass.
### Phase 3 · Translation review
Build: Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
Done when: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
Do not build yet: Do not start release exchange until these checks pass.
### Phase 4 · Release exchange
Build: Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
Done when: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass.
### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Build: Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
- Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
- Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
- Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass.
### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only)
Build: Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
- Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
- Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`.
- Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
- Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded.
### Out of scope (and why)
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- professional translator marketplace: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- advanced translation memory: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- website proxy network: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- enterprise workflows and integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
### README must contain
- Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder.
- The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format.
- Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities.
- An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment.
- Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.
===== AGENTS.md =====
# Agent instructions · Crowdin indie build
- Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute.
- Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes.
- Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name.
- Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced.
- Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims.
- Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names.
- Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
## Known traps
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
===== BUILD_PLAN.md =====
# Build plan · Crowdin
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note.
## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
### Steps
1. Create and start the local application
Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch.
Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore`
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture
For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data.
Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md`
```sh
python manage.py init
python manage.py seed
```
3. Protect the local request boundary
Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py`
### Done when
- [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
- [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing.
- [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
### Watch out
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
## Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
### Steps
1. Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`, `templates/round_trip_source_json.html`
2. Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_round_trip_source_json.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
### Watch out
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
## Phase 3 · Translation review
Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
### Steps
1. Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`, `templates/translation_review.html`
2. Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_translation_review.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
### Watch out
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
## Phase 4 · Release exchange
Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
### Steps
1. Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`, `templates/release_exchange.html`
2. Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_release_exchange.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
### Watch out
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
### Steps
1. Write the user-facing runbook
Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
Files: `README.md`, `.env.example`
2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py`
3. Reproduce the first-run experience
Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete.
Files: `README.md`, `verification.md`
```sh
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions.
- [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
### Watch out
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
## Not in this build
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
## After v1, if you want it
- Extend release exchange only after the fixture and recovery checks pass.
- Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links.
===== .env.example =====
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it.
# Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files.
DATA_DIR=./data/crowdin
# Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env.
SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret
# Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured.
APP_MODE=indie
# Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode.
SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
You are building a production product version of Crowdin.
Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt.
===== PRODUCT.md =====
# Crowdin · product brief
## Problem
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Crowdin, manage a software localization project with file sync, glossary, and reviews. The hard boundary is large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance, plus translation memory, collaboration, and deployment integrations.
## Product outcome
An operated version of a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, with authorized access, restore evidence and honest scope limits.
## Target user
A builder who needs a maintainable product foundation, not a one-off demo.
## Required capabilities
- PostgreSQL
- self-hosted deployment
- source locale files
- optional DeepL or OpenAI API key
## Explicit non-goals for v1
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
## Success criteria
- Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity.
- An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md.
- README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs.
===== BRIEF.md =====
# Build brief · Crowdin
The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins.
Build me a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports as a bounded replacement for Crowdin.
Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass.
Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue.
Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment.
### Stack (fixed, do not substitute)
- Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline.
- Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path.
- Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement.
- Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase.
### Data model (create this before Phase 1)
- projects(id,name,source_locale)
- keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash)
- translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash)
- glossary(id,source,target,locale)
- revisions(id,key_id,locale,text)
- Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them.
- Acceptance fixture: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation.
### Prerequisites and configuration
- Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Crowdin acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git.
### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
- Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`.
- For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`.
- Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
- Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
Do not build yet: Do not start round-trip source json until these checks pass.
### Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Build: Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
Done when: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
Do not build yet: Do not start translation review until these checks pass.
### Phase 3 · Translation review
Build: Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
Done when: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
Do not build yet: Do not start release exchange until these checks pass.
### Phase 4 · Release exchange
Build: Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
Done when: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass.
### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Build: Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
- Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
- Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
- Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass.
### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only)
Build: Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
- Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
- Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`.
- Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
- Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded.
### Out of scope (and why)
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- professional translator marketplace: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- advanced translation memory: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- website proxy network: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- enterprise workflows and integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
### README must contain
- Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder.
- The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format.
- Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities.
- An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment.
- Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.
===== ARCHITECTURE.md =====
# Architecture · Crowdin
## Stack
| Part | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. |
| Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. |
| Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. |
| Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. |
## Modules
Each module has one owner concern and a documented way to replace it.
| Module | Owns | How to replace it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data and identity | projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text) | Keep stable ids and a versioned repository interface; migrate storage behind it with a fixture round-trip. |
| Round-trip source JSON | Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths. | Keep the acceptance contract: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Translation review | Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel. | Keep the acceptance contract: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Release exchange | Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag. | Keep the acceptance contract: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Operations | Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. | Change host or backup destination only after an isolated restore and authorization check. |
## Configuration
Every runtime setting is an environment variable documented in `.env.example`, validated at startup, with a safe local default wherever one exists.
- `DATA_DIR` · required · A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files.
- `SECRET_KEY` · required, secret · Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env.
- `APP_MODE` · required · Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured.
- `SITE_URL` · required · The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode.
## Production baseline
- Security: least privilege, input validation at every boundary, secret redaction in logs, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, no invented security primitives.
- Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore procedures that have been exercised.
- Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, timeouts.
- Observability: structured logs with request or operation ids, an error-tracking hook, and health and readiness checks where a server exists.
- Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, one end-to-end test of the critical path.
## Decision records
For each dependency in the stack table, keep a short note: why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it is replaced. Do not add infrastructure until a requirement in `PRODUCT.md` justifies it.
===== AGENTS.md =====
# Agent instructions · Crowdin product build
- Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures.
- Implement milestone by milestone from `MILESTONES.md`; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable at every commit.
- Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present.
- Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a check pass.
- Put every external service behind an interface with a deterministic fake for tests.
- Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for every persistent data change.
- Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords or personal data.
- Update documentation and run every check before completing a milestone.
## Known traps
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
- Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
===== MILESTONES.md =====
# Delivery milestones · Crowdin
Estimated effort: **multi-day** for the indie phases; the production-only milestones add the trust and operability layer.
## M1 · Local foundation and data contract
Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
### Steps
1. Create and start the local application
Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch.
Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore`
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture
For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data.
Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md`
```sh
python manage.py init
python manage.py seed
```
3. Protect the local request boundary
Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py`
### Done when
- [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
- [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing.
- [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
### Watch out
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
## M2 · Round-trip source JSON
Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
### Steps
1. Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`, `templates/round_trip_source_json.html`
2. Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_round_trip_source_json.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
### Watch out
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
## M3 · Translation review
Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
### Steps
1. Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`, `templates/translation_review.html`
2. Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_translation_review.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
### Watch out
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
## M4 · Release exchange
Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
### Steps
1. Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`, `templates/release_exchange.html`
2. Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_release_exchange.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
### Watch out
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
## M5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
### Steps
1. Write the user-facing runbook
Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
Files: `README.md`, `.env.example`
2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py`
3. Reproduce the first-run experience
Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete.
Files: `README.md`, `verification.md`
```sh
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions.
- [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
### Watch out
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
## M6 · Operate and share with access controls (production only)
Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
### Steps
1. Establish owner access before exposure
Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
Files: `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `OPERATIONS.md`
2. Deploy a monitored service
Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them.
Files: `Caddyfile`, `OPERATIONS.md`
```sh
waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app
```
3. Rehearse loss and recovery
Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `release-checklist.md`
### Done when
- [ ] An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface.
- [ ] A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries.
- [ ] Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
### Watch out
- Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
===== OPERATIONS.md =====
# Operations · Crowdin
## Backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin.
## Restore
Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Do a restore drill before the first real user, and write the date here when it passes.
## Monitoring
Check HTTP availability, free disk, backup age and domain failures for Round-trip source JSON, Translation review, Release exchange. Alert without logging private payloads.
## Incident checklist
Pause outbound jobs and public intake as appropriate, preserve redacted diagnostics, restore an isolated verified backup, rotate affected credentials and reconcile uncertain effects before reopening.
1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data.
2. Record the timeline and affected scope.
3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials.
4. Restore from a verified backup when needed.
5. Document the root cause, the remediation and the regression test.
## Release gate
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity.
- [ ] An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md.
- [ ] README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs.
## Launch constraint
Do not market omitted Crowdin capabilities as implemented. The non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
===== .env.example =====
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it.
# Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files.
DATA_DIR=./data/crowdin
# Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env.
SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret
# Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured.
APP_MODE=indie
# Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode.
SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
README.md
# Crowdin · indie build
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts.
## Stack
| Part | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. |
| Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. |
| Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. |
| Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. |
## Before you start
Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one.
- [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python.
- Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages.
- Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds.
- [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files.
- Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository.
- Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools.
- [ ] **Crowdin acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible.
- Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records.
- Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account.
- [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step.
- Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide.
- Get it: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first.
- Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out.
## Quick start
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents.
## Honest limits
This build deliberately does not replace:
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Crowdin, and the README should say so rather than pretend.BRIEF.md
# Build brief · Crowdin
The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins.
Build me a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports as a bounded replacement for Crowdin.
Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass.
Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue.
Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment.
### Stack (fixed, do not substitute)
- Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline.
- Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path.
- Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement.
- Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase.
### Data model (create this before Phase 1)
- projects(id,name,source_locale)
- keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash)
- translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash)
- glossary(id,source,target,locale)
- revisions(id,key_id,locale,text)
- Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them.
- Acceptance fixture: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation.
### Prerequisites and configuration
- Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Crowdin acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git.
### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
- Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`.
- For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`.
- Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
- Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
Do not build yet: Do not start round-trip source json until these checks pass.
### Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Build: Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
Done when: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
Do not build yet: Do not start translation review until these checks pass.
### Phase 3 · Translation review
Build: Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
Done when: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
Do not build yet: Do not start release exchange until these checks pass.
### Phase 4 · Release exchange
Build: Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
Done when: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass.
### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Build: Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
- Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
- Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
- Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass.
### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only)
Build: Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
- Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
- Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`.
- Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
- Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded.
### Out of scope (and why)
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- professional translator marketplace: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- advanced translation memory: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- website proxy network: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- enterprise workflows and integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
### README must contain
- Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder.
- The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format.
- Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities.
- An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment.
- Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions · Crowdin indie build - Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute. - Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name. - Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims. - Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names. - Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information. - This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later. - A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan · Crowdin
Build a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports.
Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note.
## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
### Steps
1. Create and start the local application
Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch.
Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore`
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture
For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data.
Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md`
```sh
python manage.py init
python manage.py seed
```
3. Protect the local request boundary
Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py`
### Done when
- [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
- [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing.
- [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
### Watch out
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
## Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
### Steps
1. Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`, `templates/round_trip_source_json.html`
2. Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_round_trip_source_json.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
### Watch out
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
## Phase 3 · Translation review
Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
### Steps
1. Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`, `templates/translation_review.html`
2. Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_translation_review.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
### Watch out
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
## Phase 4 · Release exchange
Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
### Steps
1. Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`, `templates/release_exchange.html`
2. Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_release_exchange.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
### Watch out
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
### Steps
1. Write the user-facing runbook
Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
Files: `README.md`, `.env.example`
2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py`
3. Reproduce the first-run experience
Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete.
Files: `README.md`, `verification.md`
```sh
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions.
- [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
### Watch out
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
## Not in this build
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
## After v1, if you want it
- Extend release exchange only after the fixture and recovery checks pass.
- Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links..env.example
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/crowdin # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
PRODUCT.md
# Crowdin · product brief
## Problem
The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Crowdin, manage a software localization project with file sync, glossary, and reviews. The hard boundary is large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance, plus translation memory, collaboration, and deployment integrations.
## Product outcome
An operated version of a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, with authorized access, restore evidence and honest scope limits.
## Target user
A builder who needs a maintainable product foundation, not a one-off demo.
## Required capabilities
- PostgreSQL
- self-hosted deployment
- source locale files
- optional DeepL or OpenAI API key
## Explicit non-goals for v1
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
- professional translator marketplace
- advanced translation memory
- website proxy network
- enterprise workflows and integrations
## Success criteria
- Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity.
- An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md.
- README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs.BRIEF.md
# Build brief · Crowdin
The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins.
Build me a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports as a bounded replacement for Crowdin.
Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass.
Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue.
Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment.
### Stack (fixed, do not substitute)
- Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline.
- Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path.
- Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement.
- Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase.
### Data model (create this before Phase 1)
- projects(id,name,source_locale)
- keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash)
- translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash)
- glossary(id,source,target,locale)
- revisions(id,key_id,locale,text)
- Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them.
- Acceptance fixture: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation.
### Prerequisites and configuration
- Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription.
- A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Crowdin acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step.
- Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git.
### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract
Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
- Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`.
- For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`.
- Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
- Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
Do not build yet: Do not start round-trip source json until these checks pass.
### Phase 2 · Round-trip source JSON
Build: Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
- Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
Done when: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
Do not build yet: Do not start translation review until these checks pass.
### Phase 3 · Translation review
Build: Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
- Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
Done when: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
Do not build yet: Do not start release exchange until these checks pass.
### Phase 4 · Release exchange
Build: Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
- Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
- Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
Done when: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass.
### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Build: Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
- Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
- Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
- Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`.
- Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass.
### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only)
Build: Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
- Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
- Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`.
- Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
- Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded.
### Out of scope (and why)
- This is a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports; full Crowdin feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included.
- large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- professional translator marketplace: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- advanced translation memory: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- website proxy network: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
- enterprise workflows and integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build.
### README must contain
- Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder.
- The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format.
- Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities.
- An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment.
- Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture · Crowdin
## Stack
| Part | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. |
| Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. |
| Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. |
| Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. |
## Modules
Each module has one owner concern and a documented way to replace it.
| Module | Owns | How to replace it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data and identity | projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text) | Keep stable ids and a versioned repository interface; migrate storage behind it with a fixture round-trip. |
| Round-trip source JSON | Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths. | Keep the acceptance contract: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Translation review | Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel. | Keep the acceptance contract: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Release exchange | Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag. | Keep the acceptance contract: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. |
| Operations | Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. | Change host or backup destination only after an isolated restore and authorization check. |
## Configuration
Every runtime setting is an environment variable documented in `.env.example`, validated at startup, with a safe local default wherever one exists.
- `DATA_DIR` · required · A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files.
- `SECRET_KEY` · required, secret · Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env.
- `APP_MODE` · required · Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured.
- `SITE_URL` · required · The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode.
## Production baseline
- Security: least privilege, input validation at every boundary, secret redaction in logs, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, no invented security primitives.
- Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore procedures that have been exercised.
- Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, timeouts.
- Observability: structured logs with request or operation ids, an error-tracking hook, and health and readiness checks where a server exists.
- Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, one end-to-end test of the critical path.
## Decision records
For each dependency in the stack table, keep a short note: why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it is replaced. Do not add infrastructure until a requirement in `PRODUCT.md` justifies it.AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions · Crowdin product build - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. - Implement milestone by milestone from `MILESTONES.md`; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable at every commit. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a check pass. - Put every external service behind an interface with a deterministic fake for tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for every persistent data change. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords or personal data. - Update documentation and run every check before completing a milestone. ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information. - This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later. - A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. - Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones · Crowdin
Estimated effort: **multi-day** for the indie phases; the production-only milestones add the trust and operability layer.
## M1 · Local foundation and data contract
Create the runnable local foundation for a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports, including the real schema and acceptance fixture.
### Steps
1. Create and start the local application
Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch.
Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore`
```sh
python -m venv .venv
python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata
python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt
python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1
```
2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture
For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: projects(id,name,source_locale); keys(id,project_id,path,source,source_hash); translations(key_id,locale,text,status,reviewed_source_hash); glossary(id,source,target,locale); revisions(id,key_id,locale,text). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Re-running init must not erase data.
Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md`
```sh
python manage.py init
python manage.py seed
```
3. Protect the local request boundary
Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now.
Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py`
### Done when
- [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
- [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing.
- [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused.
### Watch out
- The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation.
## M2 · Round-trip source JSON
Round-trip source JSON for Crowdin: Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
### Steps
1. Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Import nested string-only JSON using a reversible path representation; reject duplicate keys and non-string leaves with their paths.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`, `templates/round_trip_source_json.html`
2. Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Record a source hash per key and show added, changed and removed keys before applying a new source import.
Files: `features/round_trip_source_json.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key. Then check: Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_round_trip_source_json.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Changing Hello to Welcome marks its reviewed translation stale.
### Watch out
- Flattening dotted keys without escaping loses information.
## M3 · Translation review
Translation review for Crowdin: Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
### Steps
1. Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Build a side-by-side source/target editor with explicit draft and reviewed states and a glossary warning panel.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`, `templates/translation_review.html`
2. Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Compare named brace placeholders as multisets; block review if required tokens are missing or duplicated.
Files: `features/translation_review.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed. Then check: A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_translation_review.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A translation reviewed against an older source hash is excluded from release export.
### Watch out
- This v1 supports named brace placeholders only; ICU messages and plurals need a real parser later.
## M4 · Release exchange
Release exchange for Crowdin: Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
### Steps
1. Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Export only reviewed current translations with an explicit missing-key report; allow a chosen source fallback flag.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`, `templates/release_exchange.html`
2. Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Provide a local CLI import/export path using the same validators and an immutable revision history.
Files: `features/release_exchange.py`
3. Exercise the acceptance fixture
Use English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Check: A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled. Then check: Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser.
Files: `test/test_release_exchange.py`
```sh
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] Rolling back a translation creates a new revision and retains its previous text.
### Watch out
- A successful JSON parse is not proof that a translated message is semantically correct.
## M5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof
Finish the Crowdin replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export.
### Steps
1. Write the user-facing runbook
Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Round-trip source JSON; Translation review; Release exchange. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them.
Files: `README.md`, `.env.example`
2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py`
3. Reproduce the first-run experience
Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete.
Files: `README.md`, `verification.md`
```sh
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m unittest discover -s test
```
### Done when
- [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions.
- [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened.
### Watch out
- Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
## M6 · Operate and share with access controls (production only)
Product-builder only: make a JSON localization workspace with glossary checks and reviewed exports operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access.
### Steps
1. Establish owner access before exposure
Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary.
Files: `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `OPERATIONS.md`
2. Deploy a monitored service
Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them.
Files: `Caddyfile`, `OPERATIONS.md`
```sh
waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app
```
3. Rehearse loss and recovery
Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues.
Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `release-checklist.md`
### Done when
- [ ] An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface.
- [ ] A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries.
- [ ] Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation.
### Watch out
- Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.OPERATIONS.md
# Operations · Crowdin
## Backup
Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for crowdin.
## Restore
Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: English greeting Hello {name}, French draft Bonjour {name}, and one stale translation. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy.
Do a restore drill before the first real user, and write the date here when it passes.
## Monitoring
Check HTTP availability, free disk, backup age and domain failures for Round-trip source JSON, Translation review, Release exchange. Alert without logging private payloads.
## Incident checklist
Pause outbound jobs and public intake as appropriate, preserve redacted diagnostics, restore an isolated verified backup, rotate affected credentials and reconcile uncertain effects before reopening.
1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data.
2. Record the timeline and affected scope.
3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials.
4. Restore from a verified backup when needed.
5. Document the root cause, the remediation and the regression test.
## Release gate
- [ ] Import then export preserves a key containing a literal dot as a distinct key.
- [ ] Bonjour without {name} cannot become reviewed.
- [ ] A release with one stale key fails unless fallback was explicitly enabled.
- [ ] A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity.
- [ ] An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md.
- [ ] README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs.
## Launch constraint
Do not market omitted Crowdin capabilities as implemented. The non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered..env.example
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/crowdin # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent
People still pay for Crowdin because localization teams pay because language context, review discipline, translators, and release integrations are the hard parts. The recurring cost buys file formats, placeholders, plural rules, screenshots, context, permissions, review, glossary, machine translation, sync, and backups, not just the visible interface.
xlarge integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance
xprofessional translator marketplace
xadvanced translation memory
xwebsite proxy network
xenterprise workflows and integrations
share on X ↗"I just replaced Crowdin ($179/mo) with one prompt"
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
WeblateSerious Git-based localization with memory, glossaries, screenshots, suggestions and review; the interface means business.open source↗
TolgeeIn-context translation, screenshots, memory, terminology, review and CI integrations in a much smaller bill.open source↗
Mozilla PontoonA mature software-translation system with repository sync, suggestions and review, provided you are willing to operate it properly.open source↗all 4 free alternatives to Crowdin →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Crowdin pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | Free plan confirmed; current official page did not expose its numeric project, hosted-word, string, or manager caps in accessible content |
| pro | custom | — | Personal/small-team localization plan; hosted-word and manager allowance not exposed in accessible official pricing content |
| team | $179/workspace | $150/workspace | Price is customized by hosted words and managers; unlimited translators/proofreaders; 14-day trial |
| team+ | — | $450/workspace | Organization plan; official billing documentation gives $5,400/year; exact included hosted words/managers not exposed |
| business | custom | — | Organization plan with SAML SSO, teams, and IP allowlisting; 30-day Enterprise trial includes Business features |
| enterprise | custom | — | Custom organization plan; projects, hosted words, managers, security, and services negotiated |
free tierFree plan exists, but its current numeric project/hosted-word/manager caps were not exposed in accessible official pricing content
billingCrowdin personal/team plans monthly + annual (annual gives 2 months free); Crowdin Enterprise plans annual only; taxes excluded
hidden costsPrice scales with managers and hosted words, where hosted words = source words × target languages; over-limit access can be suspended after a grace period; paid marketplace apps, AI/MT/pro translation credits, managed services, and CDN usage above 1M requests + 10GB are separate.
verified 2026-08-12 · source ↗
Vibecode Crowdin
Kinda. The core of Crowdin is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance, professional translator marketplace. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Crowdin cost?
Crowdin costs about $179/month (Team, checked 2026-08-12), which is $2148 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Crowdin?
Honestly: large integration ecosystem, translators, marketplace, workflows, and enterprise governance; professional translator marketplace; advanced translation memory; website proxy network; enterprise workflows and integrations. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Crowdin?
Yes: Weblate (Serious Git-based localization with memory, glossaries, screenshots, suggestions and review; the interface means business.) Tolgee (In-context translation, screenshots, memory, terminology, review and CI integrations in a much smaller bill.) Mozilla Pontoon (A mature software-translation system with repository sync, suggestions and review, provided you are willing to operate it properly.) All 4 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/crowdin/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.