Merge pull request #32904 from backstage/rugvip/translation-export-import

cli: add translations export and import commands

.changeset/cli-translations-export-import.md

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+Added `translations export` and `translations import` commands for managing translation files.
+
+The `translations export` command discovers all `TranslationRef` definitions across frontend plugin dependencies and exports their default messages as JSON files. The `translations import` command generates `TranslationResource` wiring code from translated JSON files, ready to be plugged into the app.
+
+Both commands support a `--pattern` option for controlling the message file layout, for example `--pattern '{lang}/{id}.json'` for language-based directory grouping.

docs/plugins/internationalization.md

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 ---
 id: internationalization
-title: Internationalization (Experimental)
-description: Documentation on adding internationalization to the plugin
+title: Internationalization
+description: Documentation on adding internationalization to plugins and apps
 ---
 
 ## Overview
 
-The Backstage core function provides internationalization for plugins. The underlying library is [`i18next`](https://www.i18next.com/) with some additional Backstage typescript magic for type safety with keys.
+The Backstage core function provides internationalization for plugins and apps. The underlying library is [`i18next`](https://www.i18next.com/) with some additional Backstage typescript magic for type safety with keys.
 
 ## For a plugin developer
 
@@ -183,16 +183,56 @@ return (
 
 The return type of the outer `t` function will be a `JSX.Element`, with the underlying value being a React fragment of the different parts of the message.
 
-## For an application developer overwrite plugin messages
+## For an application developer
 
-Step 1: Create translation resources
+As an app developer you can both override the default English messages of any plugin, and provide translations for additional languages.
 
-You should separate different translations to their own files and import them in the main file:
+### Overriding messages
+
+To customize specific messages without adding new languages, create a translation resource that overrides the default English messages:
+
+```ts
+// packages/app/src/translations/catalog.ts
+
+import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
+import { catalogTranslationRef } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog/alpha';
+
+export const catalogTranslations = createTranslationResource({
+  ref: catalogTranslationRef,
+  translations: {
+    en: () =>
+      Promise.resolve({
+        default: {
+          'indexPage.title': 'Service directory',
+          'indexPage.createButtonTitle': 'Register new service',
+        },
+      }),
+  },
+});
+```
+
+Then register it in your app:
+
+```diff
++ import { catalogTranslations } from './translations/catalog';
+
+ const app = createApp({
++  __experimentalTranslations: {
++    resources: [catalogTranslations],
++  },
+ })
+```
+
+You only need to include the keys you want to override — any missing keys fall back to the plugin's defaults.
+
+### Adding language translations
+
+To add support for additional languages, create translation resources with lazy-loaded message files for each language:
 
 ```ts
 // packages/app/src/translations/userSettings.ts
 
-import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api/alpha';
+import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
 import { userSettingsTranslationRef } from '@backstage/plugin-user-settings/alpha';
 
 export const userSettingsTranslations = createTranslationResource({
@@ -203,10 +243,12 @@ export const userSettingsTranslations = createTranslationResource({
 });
 ```
 
+The translation messages can be defined using `createTranslationMessages` for type safety:
+
 ```ts
 // packages/app/src/translations/userSettings-zh.ts
 
-import { createTranslationMessages } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api/alpha';
+import { createTranslationMessages } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
 import { userSettingsTranslationRef } from '@backstage/plugin-user-settings/alpha';
 
 const zh = createTranslationMessages({
@@ -221,7 +263,7 @@ const zh = createTranslationMessages({
 export default zh;
 ```
 
-It's also possible to export the list of messages directly:
+Or as a plain object export:
 
 ```ts
 // packages/app/src/translations/userSettings-zh.ts
@@ -239,11 +281,7 @@ export default {
 };
 ```
 
-You should change `zh` under the translations object to your local language.
-
-Step 2: Config translations in `packages/app/src/App.tsx`
-
-In an app you can both override the default messages, as well as register translations for additional languages:
+Register it with the available languages declared:
 
 ```diff
 + import { userSettingsTranslations } from './translations/userSettings';
@@ -256,6 +294,116 @@ In an app you can both override the default messages, as well as register transl
  })
 ```
 
-Step 3: Check everything is working correctly
+Go to the Settings page — you should see language switching buttons. Switch languages to verify your translations are loaded correctly.
 
-Go to `Settings` page, you should see change language buttons just under change theme buttons. And then switch language, you should see language had changed
+### Using the CLI for full translation workflows
+
+When translating your app to other languages at scale — especially when working with external translation systems — the Backstage CLI provides `translations export` and `translations import` commands that automate the extraction and wiring of translation messages across all your plugin dependencies.
+
+#### Exporting default messages
+
+From your app package directory (e.g. `packages/app`), run:
+
+```bash
+yarn backstage-cli translations export
+```
+
+This scans all frontend plugin dependencies (including transitive ones) for `TranslationRef` definitions and writes their default English messages as JSON files:
+
+```text
+translations/
+  manifest.json
+  messages/
+    catalog.en.json
+    org.en.json
+    scaffolder.en.json
+    ...
+```
+
+Each `.en.json` file contains the flattened message keys and their default values:
+
+```json
+{
+  "indexPage.title": "All your components",
+  "indexPage.createButtonTitle": "Create new component",
+  "entityPage.notFound": "Entity not found"
+}
+```
+
+#### Creating translations
+
+Copy the exported files and translate them for your target languages:
+
+```bash
+cp translations/messages/catalog.en.json translations/messages/catalog.zh.json
+```
+
+Then edit `catalog.zh.json` with the translated strings. You only need to include the keys you want to translate — missing keys fall back to the English defaults at runtime.
+
+#### Generating wiring code
+
+Once you have translated files in place, run:
+
+```bash
+yarn backstage-cli translations import
+```
+
+This generates a TypeScript module at `src/translations/resources.ts` that wires everything together:
+
+```ts
+// This file is auto-generated by backstage-cli translations import
+// Do not edit manually.
+
+import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';
+import { catalogTranslationRef } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog/alpha';
+
+export default [
+  createTranslationResource({
+    ref: catalogTranslationRef,
+    translations: {
+      zh: () => import('../../translations/messages/catalog.zh.json'),
+    },
+  }),
+];
+```
+
+Import the generated resources in your app:
+
+```ts
+import translationResources from './translations/resources';
+
+const app = createApp({
+  __experimentalTranslations: {
+    availableLanguages: ['en', 'zh'],
+    resources: translationResources,
+  },
+});
+```
+
+#### Custom file patterns
+
+By default, message files use the pattern `messages/{id}.{lang}.json` (e.g. `messages/catalog.en.json`). You can change this with the `--pattern` option:
+
+```bash
+yarn backstage-cli translations export --pattern '{lang}/{id}.json'
+```
+
+This produces a directory structure grouped by language instead:
+
+```text
+translations/en/catalog.json
+translations/zh/catalog.json
+```
+
+The pattern is stored in the manifest, so the `import` command automatically uses the same layout.
+
+#### Integration with external translation systems
+
+The exported JSON files are standard key-value pairs compatible with most external translation systems. A typical workflow looks like:
+
+1. Run `translations export` to generate the source English files
+2. Upload the `.en.json` files to your translation system
+3. Download the translated files back into the translations directory
+4. Run `translations import` to regenerate the wiring code
+
+For full command reference, see the [CLI commands documentation](../tooling/cli/03-commands.md#translations-export).

docs/tooling/cli/03-commands.md

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ repo [command]                                 Command that run across an entire
 package [command]                              Lifecycle scripts for individual packages
 migrate [command]                              Migration utilities
 versions:bump [options]                        Bump Backstage packages to the latest versions
+translations [command]                         Translation message management
 clean                                          Delete cache directories [DEPRECATED]
 build-workspace <workspace-dir> [packages...]  Builds a temporary dist workspace from the provided
                                                 packages
@@ -429,6 +430,73 @@ YAML file that can be referenced in the GitHub integration configuration.
 Usage: backstage-cli create-github-app <github-org>
 ```
 
+## translations export
+
+Export translation messages from an app and all of its frontend plugins to JSON
+files. This command must be run from within a package directory (e.g.
+`packages/app`), not from the repository root.
+
+The command discovers all `TranslationRef` definitions in the dependency tree,
+extracts their default messages using the TypeScript type system, and writes
+them as JSON files along with a manifest.
+
+For more details on the translation workflow, see the
+[Internationalization](../../plugins/internationalization.md) documentation.
+
+```text
+Usage: backstage-cli translations export [options]
+
+Options:
+  --output <dir>       Output directory for exported messages and manifest (default: "translations")
+  --pattern <pattern>  File path pattern for message files relative to the output
+                       directory, with {id} and {lang} placeholders
+                       (default: "messages/{id}.{lang}.json")
+  -h, --help           display help for command
+```
+
+### Examples
+
+Export translations with default settings:
+
+```bash
+cd packages/app
+yarn backstage-cli translations export
+```
+
+Export with language-based directory grouping:
+
+```bash
+yarn backstage-cli translations export --pattern '{lang}/{id}.json'
+```
+
+## translations import
+
+Generate translation resource wiring code from translated JSON files. Reads the
+manifest and translated message files produced by `translations export`, and
+generates a TypeScript module that creates `TranslationResource` objects for each
+translated ref.
+
+The file pattern used during export is stored in the manifest and automatically
+used by the import command.
+
+```text
+Usage: backstage-cli translations import [options]
+
+Options:
+  --input <dir>    Input directory containing the manifest and translated message files (default: "translations")
+  --output <path>  Output path for the generated wiring module (default: "src/translations/resources.ts")
+  -h, --help       display help for command
+```
+
+### Examples
+
+Generate wiring code with default settings:
+
+```bash
+cd packages/app
+yarn backstage-cli translations import
+```
+
 ## info
 
 Outputs debug information which is useful when opening an issue. Outputs system

mkdocs.yml

@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ nav:
       - Composability System: 'plugins/composability.md'
       - Plugin Analytics: 'plugins/analytics.md'
       - Feature Flags: 'plugins/feature-flags.md'
+      - Internationalization (i18n): 'plugins/internationalization.md'
       - OpenAPI:
           - Schema-first plugins with OpenAPI (Experimental): 'openapi/01-getting-started.md'
           - Generate a client from your OpenAPI spec: 'openapi/generate-client.md'

packages/cli/cli-report.md

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Commands:
   new
   package [command]
   repo [command]
+  translations [command]
   versions:bump
   versions:migrate
 ```
@@ -542,6 +543,44 @@ Options:
   -h, --help
 ```
 
+### `backstage-cli translations`
+
+```
+Usage: backstage-cli translations [options] [command] [command]
+
+Options:
+  -h, --help
+
+Commands:
+  export
+  help [command]
+  import
+```
+
+### `backstage-cli translations export`
+
+```
+Usage: <none>
+
+Options:
+  --help
+  --output
+  --pattern
+  --version
+```
+
+### `backstage-cli translations import`
+
+```
+Usage: <none>
+
+Options:
+  --help
+  --input
+  --output
+  --version
+```
+
 ### `backstage-cli versions:bump`
 
 ```

packages/cli/src/index.ts

@@ -27,5 +27,6 @@ import { CliInitializer } from './wiring/CliInitializer';
   initializer.add(import('./modules/migrate'));
   initializer.add(import('./modules/new'));
   initializer.add(import('./modules/test'));
+  initializer.add(import('./modules/translations'));
   await initializer.run();
 })();

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/commands/export.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { paths } from '../../../lib/paths';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import { dirname, resolve as resolvePath } from 'node:path';
+import {
+  discoverFrontendPackages,
+  readTargetPackage,
+} from '../lib/discoverPackages';
+import {
+  createTranslationProject,
+  extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile,
+  TranslationRefInfo,
+} from '../lib/extractTranslations';
+import {
+  DEFAULT_LANGUAGE,
+  formatMessagePath,
+  validatePattern,
+} from '../lib/messageFilePath';
+
+interface ExportOptions {
+  output: string;
+  pattern: string;
+}
+
+export default async (options: ExportOptions) => {
+  validatePattern(options.pattern);
+
+  const targetPackageJson = await readTargetPackage(
+    paths.targetDir,
+    paths.targetRoot,
+  );
+
+  const outputDir = resolvePath(paths.targetDir, options.output);
+  const manifestPath = resolvePath(outputDir, 'manifest.json');
+
+  const tsconfigPath = paths.resolveTargetRoot('tsconfig.json');
+  if (!(await fs.pathExists(tsconfigPath))) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `No tsconfig.json found at ${tsconfigPath}. ` +
+        'The translations export command requires a tsconfig.json in the repo root.',
+    );
+  }
+
+  console.log(
+    `Discovering frontend dependencies of ${targetPackageJson.name}...`,
+  );
+  const packages = await discoverFrontendPackages(
+    targetPackageJson,
+    paths.targetDir,
+  );
+  console.log(`Found ${packages.length} frontend packages to scan`);
+
+  console.log('Creating TypeScript project...');
+  const project = createTranslationProject(tsconfigPath);
+
+  const allRefs: TranslationRefInfo[] = [];
+
+  for (const pkg of packages) {
+    for (const [exportPath, filePath] of pkg.entryPoints) {
+      try {
+        const sourceFile = project.addSourceFileAtPath(filePath);
+        const refs = extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile(
+          sourceFile,
+          pkg.name,
+          exportPath,
+        );
+        allRefs.push(...refs);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.warn(
+          `  Warning: failed to process ${pkg.name} (${exportPath}): ${error}`,
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (allRefs.length === 0) {
+    console.log('No translation refs found.');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  console.log(`Found ${allRefs.length} translation ref(s):`);
+  for (const ref of allRefs) {
+    const messageCount = Object.keys(ref.messages).length;
+    console.log(`  ${ref.id} (${ref.packageName}, ${messageCount} messages)`);
+  }
+
+  // Write message files using the configured pattern
+  for (const ref of allRefs) {
+    const relPath = formatMessagePath(
+      options.pattern,
+      ref.id,
+      DEFAULT_LANGUAGE,
+    );
+    const filePath = resolvePath(outputDir, relPath);
+    await fs.ensureDir(dirname(filePath));
+    await fs.writeJson(filePath, ref.messages, { spaces: 2 });
+  }
+
+  // Write manifest
+  const manifest: Record<string, object> = {};
+  for (const ref of allRefs) {
+    manifest[ref.id] = {
+      package: ref.packageName,
+      exportPath: ref.exportPath,
+      exportName: ref.exportName,
+    };
+  }
+  await fs.writeJson(
+    manifestPath,
+    { pattern: options.pattern, refs: manifest },
+    { spaces: 2 },
+  );
+
+  const examplePath = formatMessagePath(
+    options.pattern,
+    '<ref-id>',
+    DEFAULT_LANGUAGE,
+  );
+  console.log(
+    `\nExported ${allRefs.length} translation ref(s) to ${options.output}/`,
+  );
+  console.log(`  Messages: ${options.output}/${examplePath}`);
+  console.log(`  Manifest: ${options.output}/manifest.json`);
+};

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/commands/import.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { paths } from '../../../lib/paths';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import {
+  resolve as resolvePath,
+  relative as relativePath,
+  sep,
+} from 'node:path';
+import { readTargetPackage } from '../lib/discoverPackages';
+import {
+  DEFAULT_LANGUAGE,
+  createMessagePathParser,
+  formatMessagePath,
+} from '../lib/messageFilePath';
+
+interface ImportOptions {
+  input: string;
+  output: string;
+}
+
+interface ManifestRefEntry {
+  package: string;
+  exportPath: string;
+  exportName: string;
+}
+
+interface Manifest {
+  pattern?: string;
+  refs: Record<string, ManifestRefEntry>;
+}
+
+export default async (options: ImportOptions) => {
+  await readTargetPackage(paths.targetDir, paths.targetRoot);
+
+  const inputDir = resolvePath(paths.targetDir, options.input);
+  const manifestPath = resolvePath(inputDir, 'manifest.json');
+  const outputPath = resolvePath(paths.targetDir, options.output);
+
+  if (!(await fs.pathExists(manifestPath))) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `No manifest.json found at ${manifestPath}. ` +
+        'Run "backstage-cli translations export" first.',
+    );
+  }
+
+  const manifest: Manifest = await fs.readJson(manifestPath);
+
+  if (!manifest.pattern) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'No pattern found in manifest.json. Re-run "backstage-cli translations export" to regenerate it.',
+    );
+  }
+  const pattern = manifest.pattern;
+
+  const parsePath = createMessagePathParser(pattern);
+
+  // Discover all JSON files under the translations directory
+  const allFiles = (await collectJsonFiles(inputDir)).filter(
+    f => f !== 'manifest.json',
+  );
+
+  // Parse each file to extract id + lang, filtering out default language files
+  const translationsByRef = new Map<
+    string,
+    Array<{ lang: string; relPath: string }>
+  >();
+  let skipped = 0;
+
+  for (const relPath of allFiles) {
+    const parsed = parsePath(relPath);
+    if (!parsed) {
+      skipped++;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (parsed.lang === DEFAULT_LANGUAGE) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (!manifest.refs[parsed.id]) {
+      console.warn(
+        `  Warning: skipping ${relPath} - ref '${parsed.id}' not found in manifest`,
+      );
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const existing = translationsByRef.get(parsed.id) ?? [];
+    existing.push({ lang: parsed.lang, relPath });
+    translationsByRef.set(parsed.id, existing);
+  }
+
+  if (skipped > 0) {
+    console.warn(
+      `  Warning: ${skipped} file(s) did not match the pattern '${pattern}'`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (translationsByRef.size === 0) {
+    console.log('No translated message files found.');
+    const example = formatMessagePath(pattern, '<ref-id>', 'sv');
+    console.log(
+      `Add translated files as ${example} in the translations directory.`,
+    );
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Generate the wiring module
+  const importLines: string[] = [];
+  const resourceLines: string[] = [];
+
+  importLines.push(
+    "import { createTranslationResource } from '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api';",
+  );
+
+  for (const [refId, entries] of [...translationsByRef.entries()].sort(
+    ([a], [b]) => a.localeCompare(b),
+  )) {
+    const refEntry = manifest.refs[refId];
+    const importPath =
+      refEntry.exportPath === '.'
+        ? refEntry.package
+        : `${refEntry.package}/${refEntry.exportPath.replace(/^\.\//, '')}`;
+
+    importLines.push(`import { ${refEntry.exportName} } from '${importPath}';`);
+
+    const translationEntries = entries
+      .sort((a, b) => a.lang.localeCompare(b.lang))
+      .map(({ lang, relPath }) => {
+        const jsonRelPath = relativePath(
+          resolvePath(outputPath, '..'),
+          resolvePath(inputDir, relPath),
+        )
+          .split(sep)
+          .join('/');
+        return `    ${JSON.stringify(lang)}: () => import('./${jsonRelPath}'),`;
+      })
+      .join('\n');
+
+    resourceLines.push(
+      [
+        `  createTranslationResource({`,
+        `    ref: ${refEntry.exportName},`,
+        `    translations: {`,
+        translationEntries,
+        `    },`,
+        `  }),`,
+      ].join('\n'),
+    );
+  }
+
+  const fileContent = [
+    '// This file is auto-generated by backstage-cli translations import',
+    '// Do not edit manually.',
+    '',
+    ...importLines,
+    '',
+    'export default [',
+    ...resourceLines,
+    '];',
+    '',
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  await fs.ensureDir(resolvePath(outputPath, '..'));
+  await fs.writeFile(outputPath, fileContent, 'utf8');
+
+  const totalFiles = [...translationsByRef.values()].reduce(
+    (sum, e) => sum + e.length,
+    0,
+  );
+  console.log(`Generated translation resources at ${options.output}`);
+  console.log(
+    `  ${translationsByRef.size} ref(s), ${totalFiles} translation file(s)`,
+  );
+  console.log(
+    '\nImport this file in your app and pass the resources to your translation API setup.',
+  );
+};
+
+/**
+ * Recursively collects all .json files under a directory, returning paths
+ * relative to that directory using forward slashes.
+ */
+async function collectJsonFiles(dir: string, prefix = ''): Promise<string[]> {
+  const entries = await fs.readdir(dir, { withFileTypes: true });
+  const results: string[] = [];
+
+  for (const entry of entries) {
+    const relPath = prefix ? `${prefix}/${entry.name}` : entry.name;
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      results.push(
+        ...(await collectJsonFiles(resolvePath(dir, entry.name), relPath)),
+      );
+    } else if (entry.isFile() && entry.name.endsWith('.json')) {
+      results.push(relPath);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return results;
+}

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/index.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+import yargs from 'yargs';
+import { createCliPlugin } from '../../wiring/factory';
+import { lazy } from '../../lib/lazy';
+import { DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN } from './lib/messageFilePath';
+
+export default createCliPlugin({
+  pluginId: 'translations',
+  init: async reg => {
+    reg.addCommand({
+      path: ['translations', 'export'],
+      description:
+        'Export translation messages from an app and all of its frontend plugins to JSON files',
+      execute: async ({ args }) => {
+        const argv = await yargs()
+          .options({
+            output: {
+              type: 'string',
+              default: 'translations',
+              description:
+                'Output directory for exported messages and manifest',
+            },
+            pattern: {
+              type: 'string',
+              default: DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN,
+              description:
+                'File path pattern for message files, with {id} and {lang} placeholders',
+            },
+          })
+          .help()
+          .parse(args);
+        await lazy(() => import('./commands/export'), 'default')(argv);
+      },
+    });
+
+    reg.addCommand({
+      path: ['translations', 'import'],
+      description:
+        'Generate translation resource wiring from translated JSON files',
+      execute: async ({ args }) => {
+        const argv = await yargs()
+          .options({
+            input: {
+              type: 'string',
+              default: 'translations',
+              description:
+                'Input directory containing the manifest and translated message files',
+            },
+            output: {
+              type: 'string',
+              default: 'src/translations/resources.ts',
+              description: 'Output path for the generated wiring module',
+            },
+          })
+          .help()
+          .parse(args);
+        await lazy(() => import('./commands/import'), 'default')(argv);
+      },
+    });
+  },
+});

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/lib/discoverPackages.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import {
+  BackstagePackageJson,
+  PackageGraph,
+  PackageRoles,
+} from '@backstage/cli-node';
+import { dirname, resolve as resolvePath } from 'node:path';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+
+/** A discovered package with its entry points resolved to file paths. */
+export interface DiscoveredPackage {
+  /** The package name, e.g. '@backstage/plugin-org' */
+  name: string;
+  /** The directory of the package */
+  dir: string;
+  /** Map of export subpath (e.g. '.', './alpha') to the resolved file path */
+  entryPoints: Map<string, string>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reads the package.json from the given directory and validates that it
+ * is a workspace package (not the repo root).
+ */
+export async function readTargetPackage(
+  packageDir: string,
+  repoRoot: string,
+): Promise<BackstagePackageJson> {
+  const packageJsonPath = resolvePath(packageDir, 'package.json');
+
+  if (!(await fs.pathExists(packageJsonPath))) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'No package.json found in the current directory. ' +
+        'The translations commands must be run from within a package directory.',
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (resolvePath(packageDir) === resolvePath(repoRoot)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'The translations commands must be run from within a package directory, ' +
+        'not from the repository root. For example: cd packages/app && backstage-cli translations export',
+    );
+  }
+
+  return fs.readJson(packageJsonPath);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Discovers frontend packages that are transitive dependencies of the given
+ * target package and resolves their entry point file paths. Walks both
+ * workspace packages (source) and npm-installed packages (declaration files).
+ */
+export async function discoverFrontendPackages(
+  targetPackageJson: BackstagePackageJson,
+  targetDir: string,
+): Promise<DiscoveredPackage[]> {
+  // Build a lookup of workspace packages for preferring source over dist
+  let workspaceByName: Map<
+    string,
+    { packageJson: BackstagePackageJson; dir: string }
+  >;
+  try {
+    const workspacePackages = await PackageGraph.listTargetPackages();
+    workspaceByName = new Map(
+      workspacePackages.map(p => [p.packageJson.name, p]),
+    );
+  } catch {
+    workspaceByName = new Map();
+  }
+
+  const visited = new Set<string>();
+  const result: DiscoveredPackage[] = [];
+
+  async function visit(
+    packageJson: BackstagePackageJson,
+    pkgDir: string,
+    includeDevDeps: boolean,
+  ) {
+    const deps: Record<string, string> = {
+      ...packageJson.dependencies,
+      ...(includeDevDeps ? packageJson.devDependencies ?? {} : {}),
+    };
+
+    for (const depName of Object.keys(deps)) {
+      if (visited.has(depName)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      visited.add(depName);
+
+      let depPkgJson: BackstagePackageJson;
+      let depDir: string;
+      let isWorkspace: boolean;
+
+      // Prefer workspace package (has source files) over npm-installed
+      const workspacePkg = workspaceByName.get(depName);
+      if (workspacePkg) {
+        depPkgJson = workspacePkg.packageJson;
+        depDir = workspacePkg.dir;
+        isWorkspace = true;
+      } else {
+        try {
+          const pkgJsonPath = require.resolve(`${depName}/package.json`, {
+            paths: [pkgDir],
+          });
+          depPkgJson = await fs.readJson(pkgJsonPath);
+          depDir = dirname(pkgJsonPath);
+          isWorkspace = false;
+        } catch {
+          continue;
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Only recurse into Backstage ecosystem packages
+      if (!depPkgJson.backstage) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      const role = depPkgJson.backstage?.role;
+      if (role && isFrontendRole(role)) {
+        const entryPoints = resolveEntryPoints(depPkgJson, depDir, isWorkspace);
+        if (entryPoints.size > 0) {
+          result.push({ name: depName, dir: depDir, entryPoints });
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Walk this package's production dependencies for transitive refs
+      await visit(depPkgJson, depDir, false);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Start from the target, including its devDependencies
+  await visit(targetPackageJson, targetDir, true);
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolves the entry points of a package to absolute file paths.
+ * For workspace packages, prefers source entry points (import/default).
+ * For npm packages, prefers type declaration entry points (.d.ts).
+ */
+function resolveEntryPoints(
+  packageJson: BackstagePackageJson,
+  packageDir: string,
+  isWorkspace: boolean,
+): Map<string, string> {
+  const entryPoints = new Map<string, string>();
+
+  const exports = (packageJson as any).exports as
+    | Record<string, string | Record<string, string>>
+    | undefined;
+
+  if (exports) {
+    for (const [subpath, target] of Object.entries(exports)) {
+      if (subpath === './package.json') {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      let filePath: string | undefined;
+      if (typeof target === 'string') {
+        filePath = target;
+      } else if (isWorkspace) {
+        // Workspace: exports point to source .ts files
+        filePath = target?.import ?? target?.types ?? target?.default;
+      } else {
+        // npm: prefer .d.ts for type-based extraction
+        filePath = target?.types ?? target?.import ?? target?.default;
+      }
+
+      if (typeof filePath === 'string') {
+        entryPoints.set(subpath, resolvePath(packageDir, filePath));
+      }
+    }
+  } else {
+    // Fallback: prefer types for npm, source for workspace
+    const main = isWorkspace
+      ? packageJson.main ?? packageJson.types
+      : packageJson.types ?? packageJson.main;
+    if (main) {
+      entryPoints.set('.', resolvePath(packageDir, main));
+    }
+  }
+
+  return entryPoints;
+}
+
+function isFrontendRole(role: string): boolean {
+  try {
+    return PackageRoles.getRoleInfo(role).platform === 'web';
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/lib/extractTranslations.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { resolve as resolvePath } from 'node:path';
+import {
+  createTranslationProject,
+  extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile,
+} from './extractTranslations';
+
+describe('extractTranslations', () => {
+  it('extracts translation refs from the org plugin', () => {
+    const project = createTranslationProject(
+      resolvePath(__dirname, '../../../../../../tsconfig.json'),
+    );
+
+    const sourceFile = project.addSourceFileAtPath(
+      resolvePath(__dirname, '../../../../../..', 'plugins/org/src/alpha.tsx'),
+    );
+
+    const refs = extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile(
+      sourceFile,
+      '@backstage/plugin-org',
+      './alpha',
+    );
+
+    expect(refs).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(refs[0]).toMatchObject({
+      id: 'org',
+      packageName: '@backstage/plugin-org',
+      exportPath: './alpha',
+      exportName: 'orgTranslationRef',
+    });
+
+    expect(refs[0].messages).toBeDefined();
+    expect(Object.keys(refs[0].messages)).not.toHaveLength(0);
+
+    // Verify some well-known keys exist without pinning exact wording
+    expect(refs[0].messages).toHaveProperty(['groupProfileCard.groupNotFound']);
+    expect(refs[0].messages).toHaveProperty(['membersListCard.title']);
+
+    // Verify interpolation placeholders are preserved
+    expect(refs[0].messages['membersListCard.subtitle']).toContain(
+      '{{groupName}}',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('ignores non-TranslationRef exports', () => {
+    const project = createTranslationProject(
+      resolvePath(__dirname, '../../../../../../tsconfig.json'),
+    );
+
+    // The main entry of org plugin exports components but no translation ref
+    const sourceFile = project.addSourceFileAtPath(
+      resolvePath(__dirname, '../../../../../..', 'plugins/org/src/index.ts'),
+    );
+
+    const refs = extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile(
+      sourceFile,
+      '@backstage/plugin-org',
+      '.',
+    );
+
+    expect(refs).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it('extracts from the test fixtures translation ref', () => {
+    const project = createTranslationProject(
+      resolvePath(__dirname, '../../../../../../tsconfig.json'),
+    );
+
+    const sourceFile = project.addSourceFileAtPath(
+      resolvePath(
+        __dirname,
+        '../../../../../..',
+        'packages/frontend-plugin-api/src/translation/__fixtures__/refs.ts',
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const refs = extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile(
+      sourceFile,
+      '@backstage/frontend-plugin-api',
+      '.',
+    );
+
+    expect(refs).toHaveLength(2);
+
+    const counting = refs.find(r => r.id === 'counting');
+    expect(counting).toMatchObject({
+      messages: {
+        one: 'one',
+        two: 'two',
+        three: 'three',
+      },
+    });
+
+    const fruits = refs.find(r => r.id === 'fruits');
+    expect(fruits).toMatchObject({
+      messages: {
+        apple: 'apple',
+        orange: 'orange',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+});

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/lib/extractTranslations.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { Node, Project, SourceFile, Type, ts } from 'ts-morph';
+
+/** Information about a discovered translation ref. */
+export interface TranslationRefInfo {
+  /** The ref ID, e.g. 'org' */
+  id: string;
+  /** The package name, e.g. '@backstage/plugin-org' */
+  packageName: string;
+  /** The subpath export where this ref is accessible, e.g. './alpha' or '.' */
+  exportPath: string;
+  /** The exported symbol name, e.g. 'orgTranslationRef' */
+  exportName: string;
+  /** Flattened message map: key -> default message string */
+  messages: Record<string, string>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Given a ts-morph SourceFile, finds all exported TranslationRef symbols
+ * and extracts their id and messages from the type system.
+ */
+export function extractTranslationRefsFromSourceFile(
+  sourceFile: SourceFile,
+  packageName: string,
+  exportPath: string,
+): TranslationRefInfo[] {
+  const results: TranslationRefInfo[] = [];
+
+  for (const exportSymbol of sourceFile.getExportSymbols()) {
+    const declarations = exportSymbol.getDeclarations();
+    if (declarations.length === 0) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const declaration = declarations[0];
+    const exportType = declaration.getType();
+
+    const refInfo = extractTranslationRefFromType(exportType, declaration);
+    if (!refInfo) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    results.push({
+      ...refInfo,
+      packageName,
+      exportPath,
+      exportName: exportSymbol.getName(),
+    });
+  }
+
+  return results;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks whether a type is a TranslationRef by inspecting the $$type
+ * property on the target type, then extracts the id and messages from
+ * the type arguments of the generic instantiation.
+ */
+function extractTranslationRefFromType(
+  type: Type<ts.Type>,
+  declaration: Node,
+): Pick<TranslationRefInfo, 'id' | 'messages'> | undefined {
+  // Check the $$type property on the uninstantiated (target) type
+  const resolvedType = type.getTargetType() ?? type;
+  const $$typeProperty = resolvedType
+    .getProperties()
+    .find(p => p.getName() === '$$type');
+  if (!$$typeProperty) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const $$typeDecl = $$typeProperty.getValueDeclaration();
+  if (!$$typeDecl) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (!$$typeDecl.getText().includes("'@backstage/TranslationRef'")) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  // The type is TranslationRef<TId, TMessages> - extract the type arguments
+  const typeArgs = type.getTypeArguments();
+  if (typeArgs.length < 2) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  const [idType, messagesType] = typeArgs;
+
+  if (!idType.isStringLiteral()) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const id = idType.getLiteralValueOrThrow() as string;
+
+  // Extract messages from the TMessages type argument
+  const messages: Record<string, string> = {};
+  for (const messageProp of messagesType.getProperties()) {
+    const key = messageProp.getName();
+    // Resolve the property type in the context of the declaration
+    const propType = messageProp.getTypeAtLocation(declaration);
+    if (propType.isStringLiteral()) {
+      messages[key] = propType.getLiteralValueOrThrow() as string;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (Object.keys(messages).length === 0) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  return { id, messages };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Creates a ts-morph Project using the target repo's tsconfig.json.
+ */
+export function createTranslationProject(tsconfigPath: string): Project {
+  return new Project({
+    tsConfigFilePath: tsconfigPath,
+    skipAddingFilesFromTsConfig: true,
+  });
+}

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/lib/messageFilePath.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import {
+  formatMessagePath,
+  createMessagePathParser,
+  messagePatternToGlob,
+  patternHasSubdirectories,
+  DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN,
+} from './messageFilePath';
+
+describe('messageFilePath', () => {
+  describe('formatMessagePath', () => {
+    it('formats the default pattern', () => {
+      expect(formatMessagePath(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN, 'org', 'en')).toBe(
+        'messages/org.en.json',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('formats with a different language', () => {
+      expect(formatMessagePath(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN, 'catalog', 'sv')).toBe(
+        'messages/catalog.sv.json',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('formats a language-directory pattern', () => {
+      expect(formatMessagePath('{lang}/{id}.json', 'org', 'sv')).toBe(
+        'sv/org.json',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('formats a pattern with lang first in filename', () => {
+      expect(formatMessagePath('{lang}.{id}.json', 'org', 'de')).toBe(
+        'de.org.json',
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('createMessagePathParser', () => {
+    it('parses the default pattern', () => {
+      const parse = createMessagePathParser(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN);
+      expect(parse('messages/org.en.json')).toEqual({ id: 'org', lang: 'en' });
+    });
+
+    it('parses dotted ref IDs in the default pattern', () => {
+      const parse = createMessagePathParser(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN);
+      expect(parse('messages/plugin.notifications.sv.json')).toEqual({
+        id: 'plugin.notifications',
+        lang: 'sv',
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('parses a language-directory pattern', () => {
+      const parse = createMessagePathParser('{lang}/{id}.json');
+      expect(parse('sv/org.json')).toEqual({ id: 'org', lang: 'sv' });
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined for non-matching paths', () => {
+      const parse = createMessagePathParser(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN);
+      expect(parse('not-a-match.txt')).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(parse('other/org.en.json')).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('returns undefined for invalid language code', () => {
+      const parse = createMessagePathParser('{lang}/{id}.json');
+      expect(parse('123/org.json')).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('throws on pattern missing {id}', () => {
+      expect(() => createMessagePathParser('{lang}.json')).toThrow(
+        'must contain {id}',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('throws on pattern missing {lang}', () => {
+      expect(() => createMessagePathParser('{id}.json')).toThrow(
+        'must contain {lang}',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('throws on pattern not ending with .json', () => {
+      expect(() => createMessagePathParser('{id}.{lang}.yaml')).toThrow(
+        'must end with .json',
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('messagePatternToGlob', () => {
+    it('converts the default pattern', () => {
+      expect(messagePatternToGlob(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN)).toBe(
+        'messages/*.*.json',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('converts a language-directory pattern', () => {
+      expect(messagePatternToGlob('{lang}/{id}.json')).toBe('*/*.json');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('patternHasSubdirectories', () => {
+    it('returns true for the default pattern', () => {
+      expect(patternHasSubdirectories(DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('returns true for patterns with directories', () => {
+      expect(patternHasSubdirectories('{lang}/{id}.json')).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
+});

packages/cli/src/modules/translations/lib/messageFilePath.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2026 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+// The default language for exported translation messages.
+export const DEFAULT_LANGUAGE = 'en';
+
+// Default file path pattern for translation message files relative to the
+// translations directory. Supported placeholders: {id} and {lang}.
+export const DEFAULT_MESSAGE_PATTERN = 'messages/{id}.{lang}.json';
+
+/** Formats a message file pattern into a concrete relative path. */
+export function formatMessagePath(
+  pattern: string,
+  id: string,
+  lang: string,
+): string {
+  return pattern.replace(/\{id\}/g, id).replace(/\{lang\}/g, lang);
+}
+
+/** Creates a parser that extracts id and lang from a relative file path. */
+export function createMessagePathParser(
+  pattern: string,
+): (relativePath: string) => { id: string; lang: string } | undefined {
+  validatePattern(pattern);
+
+  // Build a regex from the pattern by escaping special chars and replacing
+  // {id} and {lang} with named capture groups.
+  const escaped = pattern
+    .replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+    .replace(/\\{id\\}/g, '(?<id>[^/]+)')
+    .replace(/\\{lang\\}/g, '(?<lang>[a-z]{2})');
+
+  const regex = new RegExp(`^${escaped}$`);
+
+  return (relPath: string) => {
+    const match = relPath.match(regex);
+    if (!match?.groups) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    return { id: match.groups.id, lang: match.groups.lang };
+  };
+}
+
+/** Converts a message pattern into a glob string for discovering files. */
+export function messagePatternToGlob(pattern: string): string {
+  return pattern.replace(/\{id\}/g, '*').replace(/\{lang\}/g, '*');
+}
+
+/** Returns whether the pattern produces paths with subdirectories. */
+export function patternHasSubdirectories(pattern: string): boolean {
+  return pattern.includes('/');
+}
+
+export function validatePattern(pattern: string) {
+  if (!pattern.includes('{id}')) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid message file pattern: must contain {id} placeholder. Got: ${pattern}`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (!pattern.includes('{lang}')) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid message file pattern: must contain {lang} placeholder. Got: ${pattern}`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (!pattern.endsWith('.json')) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid message file pattern: must end with .json. Got: ${pattern}`,
+    );
+  }
+}