> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://glotctl.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# glot init

> Create a glot configuration file

The `init` command creates a default `.glotrc.json` configuration file in your project root.

## Usage

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  npx glot init
  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  pnpm exec glot init
  ```

  ```bash yarn theme={null}
  yarn glot init
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  bunx glot init
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## What It Creates

Running `glot init` creates a `.glotrc.json` file with sensible defaults:

```json theme={null}
{
  "primaryLocale": "en",
  "messagesDir": "./messages",
  "includes": [
    "src/app/[locale]",
    "src/components",
    "app/[locale]",
    "components"
  ],
  "ignores": [],
  "ignoreTestFiles": true,
  "ignoreTexts": [],
  "checkedAttributes": [
    "placeholder",
    "title",
    "alt",
    "aria-label",
    "aria-description",
    "aria-placeholder",
    "aria-roledescription",
    "aria-valuetext"
  ]
}
```

## Behavior

* Creates the file in the current directory
* Fails if `.glotrc.json` already exists (won't overwrite)
* Uses defaults suitable for typical Next.js projects

## Example

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash npm theme={null}
  $ npx glot init
  ✓ Created .glotrc.json

  $ cat .glotrc.json
  {
  "primaryLocale": "en",
  "messagesDir": "./messages",
  ...
  }

  ```

  ```bash pnpm theme={null}
  $ pnpm exec glot init
  ✓ Created .glotrc.json

  $ cat .glotrc.json
  {
    "primaryLocale": "en",
    "messagesDir": "./messages",
    ...
  }
  ```

  ```bash yarn theme={null}
  $ yarn glot init
  ✓ Created .glotrc.json

  $ cat .glotrc.json
  {
    "primaryLocale": "en",
    "messagesDir": "./messages",
    ...
  }
  ```

  ```bash bun theme={null}
  $ bunx glot init
  ✓ Created .glotrc.json

  $ cat .glotrc.json
  {
    "primaryLocale": "en",
    "messagesDir": "./messages",
    ...
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## After Initialization

After creating the config file, you should:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review Paths">
    Check that `includes` matches your project structure. Adjust paths if your
    components are in different directories.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Primary Locale">
    Change `primaryLocale` if your primary language isn't English.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Messages Directory">
    Update `messagesDir` to point to your locale JSON files.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run Check">
    Test your configuration:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash npm theme={null}
      npx glot check
      ```

      ```bash pnpm theme={null}
      pnpm exec glot check
      ```

      ```bash yarn theme={null}
      yarn glot check
      ```

      ```bash bun theme={null}
      bunx glot check
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Related

<Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/configuration">
  Full configuration reference
</Card>