eslint-plugin-i18next

6.1.4 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

ESLint plugin enforcing i18n best practices by flagging untranslated literal strings in JSX and JavaScript. Current stable version 6.1.4 is ESM-only, requires Node >=18.10, and ships TypeScript declarations. Breaking change in v6: default behavior only validates plain text in JSX markup (not all strings). Provides flat config support for ESLint 9 and legacy .eslintrc format for ESLint 8. Key differentiator: auto-fix is intentionally disabled because translation keys rarely match the literal string.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'eslint-plugin-i18next' ↓

cause Plugin not installed or not in node_modules.

fix

npm install eslint-plugin-i18next --save-dev

error TypeError: eslint-plugin-i18next is not a function or TypeError: i18next.configs is not iterable ↓

cause Using require() on v6 ESM package in CommonJS context.

fix

Switch to ESM: change file extension to .mjs or use dynamic import: const i18next = await import('eslint-plugin-i18next');

error ESLint couldn't find the plugin "eslint-plugin-i18next". ↓

cause Plugin not listed in plugins array of flat config.

fix

Add plugins: { i18next } or use the spread config: ...i18next.configs['flat/recommended']

error Definition for rule 'i18next/no-literal-string' was not found ↓

cause Plugin not loaded correctly or rule name typo.

fix

Ensure the plugin is in plugins array and rule is spelled 'i18next/no-literal-string' (not 'i18n/no-literal-string').

Warnings

breaking v6 changed default no-literal-string mode from 'all' to 'jsx-text-only'. Existing projects may miss untranslated strings in non-JSX contexts. ↓

fix Explicitly set mode: 'all' in rule options to restore v5 behavior.

breaking v6 drops support for Node versions below 18.10.0. Installments on older Node fail or break. ↓

fix Upgrade Node to >=18.10.0 or pin plugin to version 5.x.

breaking v6 is ESM-only. Any require() call will throw ERR_REQUIRE_ESM. ↓

fix Use import syntax or migrate to dynamic import().

breaking Legacy .eslintrc config no longer works with ESLint 9 flat config. Mixing formats breaks. ↓

fix Use flat config with i18next.configs['flat/recommended'] in eslint.config.mjs.

deprecated v5 and below are deprecated and will stop receiving updates. v6 rewrote the plugin. ↓

fix Upgrade to v6 and migrate configuration accordingly.

Install

npm install eslint-plugin-i18next

yarn add eslint-plugin-i18next

pnpm add eslint-plugin-i18next

Imports

default (i18next)

wrong

const i18next = require('eslint-plugin-i18next');

correct

import i18next from 'eslint-plugin-i18next';

Plugin is ESM-only since v6; require() fails with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

configs['flat/recommended']

wrong

require('eslint-plugin-i18next').configs['flat/recommended']

correct

import i18next from 'eslint-plugin-i18next';
// in eslint.config.mjs
i18next.configs['flat/recommended']

Flat config is available only in v6+ with ESLint 9.

recommended (legacy)

wrong

require('eslint-plugin-i18next').configs.recommended

correct

// .eslintrc
{
  "extends": ["plugin:i18next/recommended"]
}

Legacy config can still be used with ESLint 8; do not import in flat config.

rule: no-literal-string

wrong

import { rules } from 'eslint-plugin-i18next';
rules['no-literal-string']

correct

// .eslintrc
{
  "rules": {
    "i18next/no-literal-string": "error"
  }
}

Rules are accessed via the plugin prefix in ESLint config, not by direct import.

Quickstart

Flat ESLint 9 configuration with default mode (JSX-only text) and recommended rules.

// eslint.config.mjs
import i18next from 'eslint-plugin-i18next';

export default [
  {
    files: ['**/*.{js,jsx,mjs,ts,tsx}'],
    ...i18next.configs['flat/recommended'],
  },
  // override to only validate JSX text (v6 default)
  {
    rules: {
      'i18next/no-literal-string': ['error', { mode: 'jsx-text-only' }]
    }
  }
];