---
title: "Localization"
source: https://docs.autohand.ai/working-with-autohand-code/localization
---

# Localization

Use Autohand in your preferred language. The CLI supports 16 locales with full UI translation and LLM-aware locale integration so the agent responds in your language.

## Supported languages

| Locale | Language | Locale | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| en | English | ja | Japanese |
| es | Spanish | ko | Korean |
| fr | French | zh | Chinese (Simplified) |
| de | German | zh-TW | Chinese (Traditional) |
| it | Italian | ar | Arabic |
| pt | Portuguese | hi | Hindi |
| ru | Russian | nl | Dutch |
| pl | Polish | tr | Turkish |

## Setting the language

There are three ways to change the display language:

### CLI flag

``` bash
# Set language for this session
autohand --display-language ja

# Short form
autohand --display-language es
```

### Slash command

``` bash
# Interactive language selector
/language

# Set directly
/language fr
```

### Configuration

``` json
{
  "ui": {
    "locale": "ja"
  }
}
```

## What gets translated

When you set a locale, the following elements change:

-   **UI chrome** — Prompts, status messages, confirmation dialogs, and help text
-   **Agent responses** — The LLM is instructed to respond in your chosen language
-   **Error messages** — Validation errors and warnings
-   **Slash command descriptions** — Help text for commands

Code, file paths, and technical identifiers remain in their original form.

## LLM locale integration

Setting a display language does more than translate the UI. Autohand passes the locale to the LLM so it responds in the appropriate language:

-   Agent explanations and reasoning are in your language
-   Commit messages and documentation can be generated in your language
-   Error explanations are localized

Code comments and variable names remain in the language of the codebase (typically English).

**Tip:** If you want the agent to respond in English but use a localized UI, you can set the UI locale separately from the agent language in your system prompt.

## Precedence

Language settings are resolved in this order (highest to lowest):

1.  `--display-language` CLI flag
2.  `/language` slash command (session override)
3.  `ui.locale` in project settings
4.  `ui.locale` in user settings
5.  System locale (auto-detected)
6.  English (fallback)