localize

name	localize
description	Scan, extract, validate, or summarize localization state for a game project.
argument-hint	[scan|extract|validate|status]
user-invocable	true

Purpose: Scan, extract, validate, or summarize a game's localization state without silent translation churn.

Use when:

• the project needs localization coverage, extraction, or validation work
• you need a fast picture of locale health before release or content updates

Do not use for:

• machine translation generation
• silent bulk rewrites of translation tables
• general asset auditing outside localization scope

Inputs / Required Context:

• required: one mode from scan|extract|validate|status
• read project conventions first from docs/technical-preferences.md and gamedev/standards/data-files.md
• default to assets/data/ for localization tables and en as source locale unless the project says otherwise

Outputs / Owned Artifacts:

• scan, validate, and status return inline reports only
• extract returns a proposed diff or explicit candidate changes, never a silent rewrite
• all modes use the report spine Summary -> Findings -> Risks -> Recommended Next Step

Modes or Arguments:

• scan: find hardcoded player-facing strings and localization risks in source content
• extract: find new strings or keys and compare them with current tables
• validate: check locale coverage, placeholders, orphaned keys, and obvious length-limit issues
• status: summarize locale coverage and main open issues

Execution Rules:

1. Validate the mode and load project-specific conventions when they exist.
2. Use fallback assumptions only when project rules are missing, and state those assumptions explicitly.
3. For scan, include file paths and line numbers for findings.
4. For extract, output a proposed diff or explicit changes for review.
5. For validate and status, group issues by locale and severity.
6. If no problems are found, return an explicit zero-findings summary.

Failure / Stop Conditions:

• stop if the mode is unsupported
• for extract, validate, or status, return a setup gap if no localization tables exist instead of inventing a structure
• do not guess missing translator context; report it as an open content issue

Return Format:

• scan: report plus path and line findings
• extract: report plus proposed diff
• validate: grouped validation report
• status: compact locale coverage report

Example Invocation:

• /localize validate

Related Skills / Boundary:

• use asset-audit for non-localization asset checks
• do not turn this skill into an automated translation writer