Vibecode Loco
track this build5 steps, step by step0%KINDA · weekend project
The core of Loco is a keyed string store with a locale matrix on top, and that part is genuinely a one-sitting build: SQLite, a table view, an import and an export. What eats the weekend is the format layer, because gettext PO with plural headers, Apple .strings and .stringsdict, Android plurals XML, ICU messages and flat JSON all disagree about pluralization and escaping in ways that only show up in production. Machine translation fill-in is a single API call if you already have a DeepL or provider key. If you are the only translator, a local build is fine and arguably faster to work with. If you send links to freelance translators and rely on the hosted API in CI, you are rebuilding a service, not a tool.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of Loco. 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 ===== # Loco indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Loco workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A local web app that stores translation keys per project, shows a locale-by-key grid you can edit, imports and exports JSON, PO and Android XML, and optionally machine-translates empty cells. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct - A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking - A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time - Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back - Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows If those capabilities are essential, use Loco instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a local translation management app called Strings. No accounts, no cloud, no telemetry. Stack, non negotiable: - Node 20 with Express and TypeScript - SQLite via better-sqlite3, file at ./data/strings.db - Server rendered EJS templates plus a little vanilla JS, no React, no bundler - Runs with `npm run dev` on localhost:4321 Data model: - projects: id, name, source_locale - locales: id, project_id, code (BCP 47) - keys: id, project_id, name (dot notation allowed), context note, created_at - translations: key_id, locale_id, plural_category (one of other, one, two, few, many, zero), value, updated_at - history: translation_id, old_value, new_value, changed_at UI: - Project list, then a grid page per project: rows are keys, columns are locales, cells are inline editable textareas that save on blur via fetch - Filters: untranslated only, search by key or value substring - Per key detail drawer showing context note, plural forms, and history - Progress bar per locale showing percent of keys with a non empty value Import and export, implement exactly these three formats and be strict: - Flat and nested JSON - gettext PO, including Plural-Forms header parsing and msgid_plural - Android strings.xml, including plurals blocks with quantity attributes Use the CLDR plural categories for each locale code; hardcode a small lookup table for the twenty most common locales and fall back to other plus one. Also ship a CLI: `npm run export -- --project=X --locale=fr --format=po --out=./out` so a build script can use it. Optional machine translation: if DEEPL_API_KEY is set in .env, add a "fill empty cells" button per locale that batches untranslated source strings through DeepL and marks results as machine translated with a flag shown in the grid. If the key is missing, hide the button rather than erroring. Out of scope: multi user auth, sharing links, webhooks, screenshots, glossary, TMX. Include a README with setup, a `.env.example`, and seed data for one project with English, French and Polish so plural handling is exercised on day one. ## Required capabilities - Node 20 and a local folder to run in - Optional machine translation API key (DeepL or similar) in .env - Your existing locale files to import as a starting point ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of Loco. 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 ===== # Loco indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Loco workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A local web app that stores translation keys per project, shows a locale-by-key grid you can edit, imports and exports JSON, PO and Android XML, and optionally machine-translates empty cells. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct - A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking - A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time - Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back - Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows If those capabilities are essential, use Loco instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a local translation management app called Strings. No accounts, no cloud, no telemetry. Stack, non negotiable: - Node 20 with Express and TypeScript - SQLite via better-sqlite3, file at ./data/strings.db - Server rendered EJS templates plus a little vanilla JS, no React, no bundler - Runs with `npm run dev` on localhost:4321 Data model: - projects: id, name, source_locale - locales: id, project_id, code (BCP 47) - keys: id, project_id, name (dot notation allowed), context note, created_at - translations: key_id, locale_id, plural_category (one of other, one, two, few, many, zero), value, updated_at - history: translation_id, old_value, new_value, changed_at UI: - Project list, then a grid page per project: rows are keys, columns are locales, cells are inline editable textareas that save on blur via fetch - Filters: untranslated only, search by key or value substring - Per key detail drawer showing context note, plural forms, and history - Progress bar per locale showing percent of keys with a non empty value Import and export, implement exactly these three formats and be strict: - Flat and nested JSON - gettext PO, including Plural-Forms header parsing and msgid_plural - Android strings.xml, including plurals blocks with quantity attributes Use the CLDR plural categories for each locale code; hardcode a small lookup table for the twenty most common locales and fall back to other plus one. Also ship a CLI: `npm run export -- --project=X --locale=fr --format=po --out=./out` so a build script can use it. Optional machine translation: if DEEPL_API_KEY is set in .env, add a "fill empty cells" button per locale that batches untranslated source strings through DeepL and marks results as machine translated with a flag shown in the grid. If the key is missing, hide the button rather than erroring. Out of scope: multi user auth, sharing links, webhooks, screenshots, glossary, TMX. Include a README with setup, a `.env.example`, and seed data for one project with English, French and Polish so plural handling is exercised on day one. ## Required capabilities - Node 20 and a local folder to run in - Optional machine translation API key (DeepL or similar) in .env - Your existing locale files to import as a starting point ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of Loco. 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 ===== # Loco product brief ## Problem The core of Loco is a keyed string store with a locale matrix on top, and that part is genuinely a one-sitting build: SQLite, a table view, an import and an export. What eats the weekend is the format layer, because gettext PO with plural headers, Apple .strings and .stringsdict, Android plurals XML, ICU messages and flat JSON all disagree about pluralization and escaping in ways that only show up in production. Machine translation fill-in is a single API call if you already have a DeepL or provider key. If you are the only translator, a local build is fine and arguably faster to work with. If you send links to freelance translators and rely on the hosted API in CI, you are rebuilding a service, not a tool. ## Product outcome A local web app that stores translation keys per project, shows a locale-by-key grid you can edit, imports and exports JSON, PO and Android XML, and optionally machine-translates empty cells. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Node 20 and a local folder to run in - Optional machine translation API key (DeepL or similar) in .env - Your existing locale files to import as a starting point ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct - A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking - A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time - Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back - Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a local translation management app called Strings. No accounts, no cloud, no telemetry. Stack, non negotiable: - Node 20 with Express and TypeScript - SQLite via better-sqlite3, file at ./data/strings.db - Server rendered EJS templates plus a little vanilla JS, no React, no bundler - Runs with `npm run dev` on localhost:4321 Data model: - projects: id, name, source_locale - locales: id, project_id, code (BCP 47) - keys: id, project_id, name (dot notation allowed), context note, created_at - translations: key_id, locale_id, plural_category (one of other, one, two, few, many, zero), value, updated_at - history: translation_id, old_value, new_value, changed_at UI: - Project list, then a grid page per project: rows are keys, columns are locales, cells are inline editable textareas that save on blur via fetch - Filters: untranslated only, search by key or value substring - Per key detail drawer showing context note, plural forms, and history - Progress bar per locale showing percent of keys with a non empty value Import and export, implement exactly these three formats and be strict: - Flat and nested JSON - gettext PO, including Plural-Forms header parsing and msgid_plural - Android strings.xml, including plurals blocks with quantity attributes Use the CLDR plural categories for each locale code; hardcode a small lookup table for the twenty most common locales and fall back to other plus one. Also ship a CLI: `npm run export -- --project=X --locale=fr --format=po --out=./out` so a build script can use it. Optional machine translation: if DEEPL_API_KEY is set in .env, add a "fill empty cells" button per locale that batches untranslated source strings through DeepL and marks results as machine translated with a flag shown in the grid. If the key is missing, hide the button rather than erroring. Out of scope: multi user auth, sharing links, webhooks, screenshots, glossary, TMX. Include a README with setup, a `.env.example`, and seed data for one project with English, French and Polish so plural handling is exercised on day one. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - 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 test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 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 source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Loco capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# Loco indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core Loco workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A local web app that stores translation keys per project, shows a locale-by-key grid you can edit, imports and exports JSON, PO and Android XML, and optionally machine-translates empty cells. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct - A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking - A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time - Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back - Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows If those capabilities are essential, use Loco instead of pretending the gap is solved.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a local translation management app called Strings. No accounts, no cloud, no telemetry. Stack, non negotiable: - Node 20 with Express and TypeScript - SQLite via better-sqlite3, file at ./data/strings.db - Server rendered EJS templates plus a little vanilla JS, no React, no bundler - Runs with `npm run dev` on localhost:4321 Data model: - projects: id, name, source_locale - locales: id, project_id, code (BCP 47) - keys: id, project_id, name (dot notation allowed), context note, created_at - translations: key_id, locale_id, plural_category (one of other, one, two, few, many, zero), value, updated_at - history: translation_id, old_value, new_value, changed_at UI: - Project list, then a grid page per project: rows are keys, columns are locales, cells are inline editable textareas that save on blur via fetch - Filters: untranslated only, search by key or value substring - Per key detail drawer showing context note, plural forms, and history - Progress bar per locale showing percent of keys with a non empty value Import and export, implement exactly these three formats and be strict: - Flat and nested JSON - gettext PO, including Plural-Forms header parsing and msgid_plural - Android strings.xml, including plurals blocks with quantity attributes Use the CLDR plural categories for each locale code; hardcode a small lookup table for the twenty most common locales and fall back to other plus one. Also ship a CLI: `npm run export -- --project=X --locale=fr --format=po --out=./out` so a build script can use it. Optional machine translation: if DEEPL_API_KEY is set in .env, add a "fill empty cells" button per locale that batches untranslated source strings through DeepL and marks results as machine translated with a flag shown in the grid. If the key is missing, hide the button rather than erroring. Out of scope: multi user auth, sharing links, webhooks, screenshots, glossary, TMX. Include a README with setup, a `.env.example`, and seed data for one project with English, French and Polish so plural handling is exercised on day one. ## Required capabilities - Node 20 and a local folder to run in - Optional machine translation API key (DeepL or similar) in .env - Your existing locale files to import as a starting point ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
PRODUCT.md
# Loco product brief ## Problem The core of Loco is a keyed string store with a locale matrix on top, and that part is genuinely a one-sitting build: SQLite, a table view, an import and an export. What eats the weekend is the format layer, because gettext PO with plural headers, Apple .strings and .stringsdict, Android plurals XML, ICU messages and flat JSON all disagree about pluralization and escaping in ways that only show up in production. Machine translation fill-in is a single API call if you already have a DeepL or provider key. If you are the only translator, a local build is fine and arguably faster to work with. If you send links to freelance translators and rely on the hosted API in CI, you are rebuilding a service, not a tool. ## Product outcome A local web app that stores translation keys per project, shows a locale-by-key grid you can edit, imports and exports JSON, PO and Android XML, and optionally machine-translates empty cells. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Node 20 and a local folder to run in - Optional machine translation API key (DeepL or similar) in .env - Your existing locale files to import as a starting point ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct - A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking - A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time - Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back - Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a local translation management app called Strings. No accounts, no cloud, no telemetry. Stack, non negotiable: - Node 20 with Express and TypeScript - SQLite via better-sqlite3, file at ./data/strings.db - Server rendered EJS templates plus a little vanilla JS, no React, no bundler - Runs with `npm run dev` on localhost:4321 Data model: - projects: id, name, source_locale - locales: id, project_id, code (BCP 47) - keys: id, project_id, name (dot notation allowed), context note, created_at - translations: key_id, locale_id, plural_category (one of other, one, two, few, many, zero), value, updated_at - history: translation_id, old_value, new_value, changed_at UI: - Project list, then a grid page per project: rows are keys, columns are locales, cells are inline editable textareas that save on blur via fetch - Filters: untranslated only, search by key or value substring - Per key detail drawer showing context note, plural forms, and history - Progress bar per locale showing percent of keys with a non empty value Import and export, implement exactly these three formats and be strict: - Flat and nested JSON - gettext PO, including Plural-Forms header parsing and msgid_plural - Android strings.xml, including plurals blocks with quantity attributes Use the CLDR plural categories for each locale code; hardcode a small lookup table for the twenty most common locales and fall back to other plus one. Also ship a CLI: `npm run export -- --project=X --locale=fr --format=po --out=./out` so a build script can use it. Optional machine translation: if DEEPL_API_KEY is set in .env, add a "fill empty cells" button per locale that batches untranslated source strings through DeepL and marks results as machine translated with a flag shown in the grid. If the key is missing, hide the button rather than erroring. Out of scope: multi user auth, sharing links, webhooks, screenshots, glossary, TMX. Include a README with setup, a `.env.example`, and seed data for one project with English, French and Polish so plural handling is exercised on day one. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - 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 test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 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 source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Loco capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
Because localization is a pile of edge cases someone else already ate. Plural categories vary by language, every platform escapes strings differently, and one bad export ships mangled text to users in a language nobody on the team reads. Paying also buys a link you can send to a contractor and an API your build can hit, which a folder on your laptop cannot do. Solo developers with two or three locales tend to outgrow the need for that rather than into it.
xFormat breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct
xA shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking
xA stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time
xTranslation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back
xGlossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows
Nothing worth pointing at. That's why the prompt exists.
share on X ↗"I just replaced Loco ($5.95/mo) with one prompt"
Vibecode Loco
Kinda. The core of Loco is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct, A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Loco cost?
Loco costs about $5.95/month (Pro, checked 2026-08-18), which is $71.4 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Loco?
Honestly: Format breadth: Loco reads and writes a long tail of formats, including the awkward Apple and Qt ones, with plural rules per locale already correct; A shareable editor for non-technical translators, with roles, comments and progress tracking; A stable public API and CLI that CI pipelines can pull from at build time; Translation history, who changed what, and the ability to roll a string back; Glossary and translation memory suggestions that improve as the project grows. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Loco?
No mature open-source alternative worth pointing at, which is exactly why the one-shot prompt on this page exists.