Nativ MCP Server

mcp-name: io.github.Nativ-Technologies/nativ

AI-powered localization for any MCP-compatible tool — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and more.

Nativ is a localization platform that uses AI to translate content while respecting your brand voice, translation memory, glossaries, and style guides. This MCP server brings Nativ's full localization engine into your AI coding workflow.

<a href="https://smithery.ai/server/@nativ-ai/nativ-mcp"><img alt="Smithery" src="https://smithery.ai/badge/@nativ-ai/nativ-mcp"></a>

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Why use Nativ via MCP?

• Translate in-context — localize strings, copy, and content directly from your editor without switching to a browser
• Translation Memory aware — every translation checks your TM first, ensuring consistency across your project
• Brand voice built-in — your team's tone, formality, and style guides are applied automatically
• Review and approve — add approved translations to TM from your editor, building quality over time
• Multi-format — JSON, CSV, Markdown, or freeform text — Nativ handles it all

Quick Start

1. Get a Nativ API Key

Sign up at dashboard.usenativ.com, go to Settings → API Keys, and create a key. It looks like nativ_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

2. Install

Add to your MCP configuration:

Claude Code / Claude Desktop (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nativ": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "nativ-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NATIV_API_KEY": "nativ_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json in your project or ~/.cursor/mcp.json globally)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nativ": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "nativ-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NATIV_API_KEY": "nativ_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nativ": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "nativ-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NATIV_API_KEY": "nativ_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: npx auto-downloads the package on first run — no manual install needed. If uv isn't already on your machine, it will be installed automatically on first launch.

<details><summary>Alternative: use <code>uvx</code> directly</summary>

If you already have uv installed and prefer to skip the npm wrapper:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nativ": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["nativ-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "NATIV_API_KEY": "nativ_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

macOS tip: If you get spawn uvx ENOENT in Cursor or Claude Desktop, GUI apps don't inherit your shell PATH. Use the full path (e.g. "command": "/Users/you/.local/bin/uvx") or wrap in a login shell: "command": "/bin/sh", "args": ["-lc", "uvx nativ-mcp"].

</details>

3. Use it

Ask your AI assistant things like:

• "Translate 'Welcome back!' to French and German"
• "Check our translation memory for existing translations of 'Sign up'"
• "What are our style guides for localization?"
• "Localize these i18n strings to all configured languages"
• "Review this German translation against our TM and brand voice"

Tools

Tool	Description
translate	Translate text using the full localization engine (TM, style guides, brand voice, glossary)
translate_batch	Translate multiple texts to a target language in one call
search_translation_memory	Fuzzy-search the translation memory for existing translations
add_translation_memory_entry	Add an approved translation to TM for future reuse
get_languages	List all configured languages with formality and style settings
get_translation_memory_stats	Get TM statistics — total entries, sources, and breakdown
get_style_guides	List all style guides with their content and status
get_brand_voice	Get the brand voice prompt that shapes all translations

Resources

URI	Description
nativ://languages	Configured languages (JSON)
nativ://style-guides	All style guides (JSON)
nativ://brand-prompt	Brand voice prompt (JSON)
nativ://tm/stats	Translation memory statistics (JSON)

Prompts

Prompt	Description
localize-content	Guided workflow to localize content into target languages
review-translation	Review a translation against TM, style guides, and brand voice
batch-localize-strings	Batch-localize i18n strings with structured output

Examples

Translate a marketing headline

You: Translate "The future of luxury, delivered" to French and Japanese

AI: [calls translate tool for each language]

Translation (French): "L'avenir du luxe, livré chez vous"
  TM Match: 0% — new translation, no prior TM entries
  Rationale: "Livré chez vous" adds a personal touch absent from the literal
  "livré", aligning with the brand's premium yet approachable voice.

Translation (Japanese): "ラグジュアリーの未来を、あなたの元へ"
  TM Match: 45% partial — similar pattern found in TM from brand_voice source

Check existing translations

You: Do we have translations for "Add to cart" in our TM?

AI: [calls search_translation_memory]

TM Search Results for "Add to cart" (3 matches):
- 95% [strong] "Add to cart" → "Ajouter au panier" (source: approved)
- 95% [strong] "Add to cart" → "In den Warenkorb" (source: brand_voice)
- 72% [partial] "Add items to cart" → "Ajouter des articles" (source: phrase_tm)

Batch localize i18n strings

You: Localize these to French:
  - "Sign up"
  - "Log in"
  - "Forgot password?"
  - "Continue with Google"

AI: [calls translate_batch]

Batch translation to French (4 items):
1. "Sign up" → "S'inscrire" (TM 100%)
2. "Log in" → "Se connecter" (TM 100%)
3. "Forgot password?" → "Mot de passe oublié ?" (TM 92%)
4. "Continue with Google" → "Continuer avec Google" (TM 85%)

Configuration

Environment Variable	Required	Description
NATIV_API_KEY	Yes	Your Nativ API key (nativ_xxx...)
NATIV_API_URL	No	API base URL (defaults to https://api.usenativ.com)

How It Works

This MCP server acts as a bridge between your AI coding assistant and the Nativ API:

┌─────────────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  Claude / Cursor /   │────▶│  Nativ MCP   │────▶│   Nativ API     │
│  Windsurf / etc.     │◀────│  Server      │◀────│ (Translation,   │
│                      │     │  (stdio)     │     │  TM, Styles)    │
└─────────────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

The MCP server runs locally via stdio. It authenticates with your API key and calls the Nativ REST API on your behalf. Your AI assistant sees Nativ's tools, resources, and prompts as native capabilities.

Development

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/nativ-ai/nativ-mcp.git
cd nativ-mcp

# Set up environment
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run the server (for testing)
NATIV_API_KEY=nativ_xxx nativ-mcp

# Run with MCP Inspector
NATIV_API_KEY=nativ_xxx npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run nativ-mcp

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Links

• Nativ Platform
• Nativ Dashboard
• MCP Protocol
• Report Issues