# gt: General Translation CLI tool: Plain text
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/docs/cli/reference/formats/plain-text-files.mdx
---

title: Plain text
description: Translate plain text files with the General Translation CLI. API Reference for the plain text file format.

---

The CLI translates arbitrary plain text (`txt`) files.

## Configuration [#config]

Add a `txt` entry under `files` with an `include` array of glob patterns. Use the `[locale]` placeholder so the CLI can find source files and save translations to the right path.

```json title="gt.config.json"
{
  "defaultLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["es", "fr"],
  "files": {
    "txt": {
      "include": ["docs/[locale]/**/*.txt"]
    }
  }
}
```

See the [configuration reference](/docs/cli/reference/config#files) for all file keys, including `transform` for renaming translated output.