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# I18n MCP

Max Prilutskiy·Updated about 1 month ago·2 min read

We found that AI coding agents get stuck when setting up internationalization in web apps from scratch. Too many interdependent steps - locale routing, middleware, translation files, provider wrappers, language switcher - and agents lose track of what's done and what's left.

Inspired by the [Sequential Thinking MCP](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/sequentialthinking), we built a free MCP server that breaks i18n setup into a guided checklist the agent follows step by step. Connect it to your AI agent, type "Set up i18n," and the full setup completes in minutes.

How to set up i18n in Next.js 16 (App Router) with Lingo.dev MCP Server - YouTube

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[How to set up i18n in Next.js 16 (App Router) with Lingo.dev MCP Server](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BX4t014B2I) [Lingo Dot Dev](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBeLQD8mRw_m7qT6MFpC_Sw)

### What the MCP provides

The server exposes four tools to the AI agent:

| Tool | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `i18n_checklist` | A step-by-step implementation guide that coordinates the entire setup. The agent calls it at each step to know what to do next. |
| `get_project_context` | Captures the project's architecture - framework, router, directory structure - to inform the implementation strategy. |
| `get_framework_docs` | Retrieves official framework documentation for the detected framework (Next.js, React Router, TanStack Start). |
| `get_i18n_library_docs` | Retrieves documentation for i18n libraries (e.g., react-intl) used during provider and component setup. |

The `i18n_checklist` tool is the coordinator. It walks the agent through 13 steps - from project analysis through locale routing, translation setup, language switcher, and build validation. Each step tells the agent exactly what to implement and which tools to call.

### What gets implemented

A typical MCP-guided setup produces:

- **Locale-aware routes** - URLs prefixed with the active locale (`/en/about`, `/es/about`)
- **Language switcher** - A UI component for switching between supported locales
- **Locale detection** - Automatic detection of the user's preferred language
- **Translation infrastructure** - Provider setup, translation files, and helper functions

### Supported frameworks

| Framework | Versions |
| --- | --- |
| Next.js App Router | v13-16 |
| Next.js Pages Router | v13-16 |
| TanStack Start | v1 |
| React Router | v7 |

### Usage

Once the MCP is connected to your AI coding assistant, prompt it:

> Set up i18n

Or be specific about locales:

> Set up i18n with the following locales: en, es, and pt-BR. The default locale is "en".

The agent calls `i18n_checklist` to start, then follows the guided steps - calling the other tools as needed. The result is a working i18n setup tailored to your framework and project structure.

AI-assisted coding is inherently non-deterministic. The MCP improves consistency through its checklist-driven approach, but exact results may vary between runs.

### Next Steps

[Setup](/content/en/docs/react/mcp/setup/index.html)  [Claude Code](/content/en/docs/react/mcp/claude-code/index.html)  [Cursor](/content/en/docs/react/mcp/cursor/index.html)  [GitHub Copilot](/content/en/docs/react/mcp/github-copilot/index.html)