# Connect Lokalise to GitHub

> Keep your translation files and code repositories in sync — no manual exports, no pull request bottlenecks, no back-and-forth.

**Canonical page:** https://tray.ai/connectors/lokalise-github-integrations/
**Lokalise connector:** https://tray.ai/connectors/lokalise-integrations/
**Lokalise documentation:** https://tray.ai/documentation/connectors/service/lokalise
**GitHub connector:** https://tray.ai/connectors/github-integrations/
**GitHub documentation:** https://tray.ai/documentation/connectors/service/github

## Overview

Lokalise and GitHub each do one thing well. Developers store and version their codebase — including locale files — in GitHub. Translators and localization managers work inside Lokalise to manage translations across languages. The problem is the gap between them: someone has to manually export files, commit them, and keep both systems current. With tray.ai, that gap closes. You can automate the entire localization pipeline so your engineering and translation teams always work from the same source of truth.

Localization is continuous work, not a one-time task. Every time a developer adds a string, updates copy, or ships a feature, translation files in GitHub need to change — and those changes need to reach Lokalise so translators can act on them right away. Without automation, the cycle is tedious: export files, paste into Lokalise, wait for translations, re-export, open pull requests. It slows releases and invites human error. Connecting Lokalise and GitHub through tray.ai removes that friction. Teams can trigger translation workflows directly from GitHub events, push completed translations back to repositories automatically, and make sure no string is ever missed or stale.

## Use cases

### Push New Source Strings from GitHub to Lokalise Automatically

When a developer merges a pull request to a main branch that contains changes to locale files, tray.ai detects the change in GitHub and uploads the updated source strings to Lokalise. Translators are notified immediately so they can start working without waiting for a manual handoff. The translation queue stays populated continuously, with no developer effort required.

- Eliminates manual file uploads after every code merge
- Reduces time-to-translation by triggering translator tasks instantly
- Ensures Lokalise always reflects the latest source content from your repository

### Pull Completed Translations Back to GitHub as a Pull Request

Once translations are marked complete in Lokalise for all target languages, tray.ai exports the translation files and opens a pull request in the appropriate GitHub repository and branch. Engineers can review and merge the PR on their own schedule, keeping localized content flowing into the codebase without bottlenecks. The full localization cycle closes programmatically.

- Removes the manual step of exporting and committing translated files
- Keeps translation delivery integrated with existing code review workflows
- Reduces release delays caused by waiting for localization to be committed manually

### Trigger Localization Tasks When GitHub Issues Are Labeled

When a GitHub issue is labeled with a localization-related tag — such as 'needs-translation' or 'l10n' — tray.ai can automatically create a corresponding task or comment in Lokalise, linking the two systems. Product managers can flag localization needs directly in their issue tracker without switching tools. Localization managers see the request in Lokalise with full context pulled from the GitHub issue.

- Bridges product and localization teams across their native tools
- Reduces context-switching for both developers and localization managers
- Ensures no localization request gets lost in GitHub issue queues

### Sync Lokalise Translation Status to GitHub Commit Statuses

tray.ai can write translation completion status from Lokalise back to GitHub as commit statuses or check runs, giving developers real-time visibility into whether translations are ready to ship. Localization becomes a first-class check in your CI/CD pipeline, blocking or allowing releases based on actual translation progress. Teams can gate releases on localization completeness without manual status checks.

- Integrates translation readiness into CI/CD pipelines as a native check
- Prevents shipping untranslated strings to production
- Gives developers live localization status without leaving GitHub

### Automatically Create Lokalise Keys from New GitHub Commits

When a developer pushes a commit that introduces new translation keys parsed from locale files, tray.ai can automatically create those keys in Lokalise with the correct file format, platform target, and initial source text. Developers don't have to manually set up keys inside Lokalise, and every new string is immediately ready for translation. Tags and metadata can be applied based on the GitHub branch or repository context.

- Reduces developer time spent manually managing keys in Lokalise
- Ensures 100% key coverage between your codebase and Lokalise project
- Applies consistent tagging and metadata based on repository structure

### Notify GitHub Teams When Translations Hit Quality Milestones

When Lokalise reports that a project has reached a defined translation completeness threshold — say, 100% translated and reviewed for all target locales — tray.ai can post a comment on the relevant GitHub pull request or issue to notify the engineering team. Release planning conversations stay grounded in real localization data without anyone logging into Lokalise to check progress. Teams can coordinate shipping decisions without a status update meeting.

- Keeps engineering teams informed of localization progress inside GitHub
- Reduces status update overhead between engineering and localization teams
- Enables release decisions based on live translation metrics

### Archive or Tag Lokalise Keys When GitHub Branches Are Deleted

When a GitHub branch is deleted — typically after a pull request is merged or closed — tray.ai can automatically archive or tag the associated Lokalise keys created for that branch's feature work. Orphaned keys don't pile up in your Lokalise project over time, keeping your translation workspace clean and accurate. Localization managers can distinguish active keys from deprecated ones without manual audits.

- Prevents translation debt from accumulating with unused keys
- Keeps Lokalise projects clean and easy to navigate for translators
- Automates housekeeping tasks that are easy to forget during fast-paced releases

## Templates

### Sync GitHub Locale File Changes to Lokalise on Merge

Automatically detects changes to locale files in a GitHub repository when a pull request is merged, parses the updated source strings, and uploads them to the corresponding Lokalise project. Supports common formats including JSON, YAML, PO, and XLIFF.

Connectors used: GitHub, Lokalise

### Push Completed Lokalise Translations to GitHub as a Pull Request

When all target language translations are marked complete in a Lokalise project, this template exports the translation files and automatically opens a pull request against the configured GitHub repository and branch, ready for engineering review.

Connectors used: Lokalise, GitHub

### Create Lokalise Keys from New Strings Detected in GitHub Commits

Monitors GitHub commits for additions or changes to locale source files and automatically creates corresponding keys in Lokalise with source text, platform tags, and file format metadata derived from the repository structure.

Connectors used: GitHub, Lokalise

### Post Lokalise Translation Progress to GitHub Pull Request Comments

Polls or receives webhook data from Lokalise on translation progress and writes the current completion percentage for each target language as a comment on the corresponding GitHub pull request, keeping engineers informed without leaving GitHub.

Connectors used: Lokalise, GitHub

### Archive Lokalise Keys When a GitHub Branch Is Deleted

Listens for branch deletion events in GitHub and automatically archives or applies a deprecation tag to the associated Lokalise keys created during that branch's lifecycle, preventing orphaned keys from cluttering the Lokalise workspace.

Connectors used: GitHub, Lokalise

### Create GitHub Issues for Untranslated Strings Detected in Lokalise

Periodically queries Lokalise for keys that are missing translations in one or more target languages and automatically creates GitHub issues assigned to the appropriate team, so untranslated strings are tracked and resolved before release.

Connectors used: Lokalise, GitHub

## Challenges Tray.ai solves

### Keeping Locale Files in Sync Across Two Different Platforms

Locale files live in GitHub but translations happen in Lokalise, so the two systems fall out of sync whenever changes in one aren't reflected in the other. Teams relying on manual exports and commits regularly find translators working from outdated source strings, or engineers shipping code with stale translations.

**How Tray.ai helps:** tray.ai listens for real-time events from both GitHub and Lokalise via webhooks, then pushes changes in either direction the moment they occur. Both platforms stay current without manual intervention.

### Managing Multiple Repositories and Lokalise Projects at Scale

Large engineering organizations often have multiple GitHub repositories — each representing a product, platform, or microservice — with corresponding Lokalise projects. Manually routing locale files between the right repos and the right projects is error-prone and time-consuming.

**How Tray.ai helps:** tray.ai's workflow logic lets you route data dynamically based on repository name, branch, file path, or custom metadata. A single integration can handle multiple repo-to-project mappings with conditional logic, so files always land in the correct Lokalise project regardless of where they originate.

### Handling Different File Formats Between Repositories

Different repositories may use different locale file formats — one service might use JSON, another YAML, and a mobile app XLIFF or Android XML. Syncing these formats reliably between GitHub and Lokalise requires format-specific parsing and export configuration that's hard to maintain manually.

**How Tray.ai helps:** tray.ai supports flexible data transformation steps between GitHub and Lokalise API calls, letting you specify the correct file format for each project or repository in the workflow configuration. Format-specific parameters are passed cleanly to the Lokalise Files API so translations are always imported and exported in the expected format.

### Avoiding Duplicate Keys and Translation Overwrites

When locale files are pushed to Lokalise from GitHub without deduplication logic, it's easy to overwrite existing translations or create duplicate keys — especially when multiple branches are active simultaneously and all feeding into the same Lokalise project. Translators end up confused, and completed translation work can disappear.

**How Tray.ai helps:** tray.ai workflows can be configured to use Lokalise's 'insert and replace' or 'insert only' import strategies depending on the context, and can apply branch-specific tags to keys to isolate work from parallel development streams. Logic gates in tray.ai prevent overwrites by checking key existence before creating or updating records in Lokalise.

### Giving Non-Technical Teams Visibility Into Repository-Driven Localization

Localization managers and translators typically don't have GitHub access and can't easily track which features are in progress, which strings are newly added, or when a release branch is ready for translation. That information gap pushes localization into a reactive mode instead of a planned one.

**How Tray.ai helps:** tray.ai can extract context from GitHub events — pull request titles, branch names, issue descriptions — and surface that information directly inside Lokalise as comments, task descriptions, or key tags. Localization teams get the context they need in their own tool, without requiring GitHub access or developer involvement.

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