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Gemini Executive Synthesis

Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment.

Technical Positioning
Achieving robust multi-locale support, particularly for CJK languages, in generated App Store marketing assets. Ensuring consistent and correct text rendering across all supported locales.
SaaS Insight & Market Implications
This issue exposes a critical internationalization deficiency within Goldie's core screenshot framing functionality. The inability to correctly render CJK characters in marketing overlays directly impedes market expansion into major Asian territories. Developers are forced to manually correct or abandon Goldie for these crucial markets, incurring significant operational overhead or foregoing market reach. The problem stems from an inadequate default font stack and bundled fonts lacking CJK support within the `@napi-rs/canvas` rendering environment. This technical limitation is not merely a bug; it represents a fundamental barrier to global adoption and a competitive disadvantage, as evidenced by the user referencing a more feature-complete competitor. Addressing this requires a strategic investment in comprehensive font management and locale-specific rendering capabilities.
Proprietary Technical Taxonomy
tofu boxes missing glyphs garbled characters marketing overlay device mockup font stack CJK-capable font Node canvas environment

Raw Developer Origin & Technical Request

Source Icon GitHub Issue Aug 30, 2026
Repo: kacperkapusciak/goldie
frame renders CJK headline/subhead as tofu boxes on zh-CN locales

### Description

When generating App Store screenshots with `goldie frame`, **Chinese text in the marketing overlay** (headline and subhead, outside the device mockup) fails to render correctly and appears as **tofu boxes, missing glyphs, or garbled characters**.

Text **inside the captured app screenshot renders fine** — only the headline/subhead added by Goldie’s framing layer is affected.

### Environment

- goldie: `0.2.1`
- macOS
- Node 20.x
- locale: `zh-CN`
- device: `iphone-6.9`

### Steps to Reproduce

1. Use the default font stack in `goldie.config.ts`:

```ts
theme: {
fontFamily: '-apple-system, "SF Pro Display", system-ui, sans-serif',
},
scenes: [{
headline: { "zh-CN": "反向打卡,不打卡就是成功" },
subhead: { "zh-CN": "只在破戒时记录,让戒除更轻松" },
}]
```

2. Capture screenshots, then run `goldie frame`
3. Open `out/screenshots/6.9/zh-CN/*.png`

### Expected Behavior

Headline and subhead display readable Simplified Chinese.

### Actual Behavior

Chinese characters render as tofu boxes or garbled text. For example, `反向打卡,不打卡就是成功` is not rendered correctly.

### Additional Notes

- Marketing copy is rendered with `@napi-rs/canvas`. The default `-apple-system` / `SF Pro Display` stack does not appear to resolve to a CJK-capable font in the Node canvas environment.
- Goldie’s bundled fonts (Lato, Montserrat, etc.) also do not support Chinese.
- If the design was edited in Studio, `goldie.design.json` overrides `fontFamily` from config, and the issue persists.

Developer Debate & Comments

kacperkapusciak • Aug 31, 2026
Thank you for the issue report! I'll work on improving the support for different locales including Simplified Chinese.
badboy-tian • Aug 31, 2026
@kacperkapusciak Thank you for your reply. I saw a website of the same type that has more complete features and more customizable options, which can be used as a reference. https://appcub.io/

Adjacent Repository Pain Points

Other highly discussed features and pain points extracted from kacperkapusciak/goldie.

Extracted Positioning
Dependency management and package installation stability. Goldie's declared dependency on `@swmansion/argent@^0.22.0` is unresolvable because that version range does not exist on the public npm registry.
Ensuring a reliable and frictionless developer onboarding experience through stable package installation. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date dependency declarations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Market intelligence mapped to Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment..

What problem does Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment. solve?
Based on our AI analysis of the original developer request, its primary technical positioning is: Achieving robust multi-locale support, particularly for CJK languages, in generated App Store marketing assets. Ensuring consistent and correct text rendering across all supported locales.
What is the general sentiment around Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment.?
Yes, we have tracked 3 direct responses and active debates regarding this specific topic originating from GitHub Issue.
What are the foundational technologies related to Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment.?
Our proprietary extraction maps Internationalization (i18n) and font rendering for CJK characters in marketing overlays. Goldie's `frame` command fails to render Chinese text correctly in headlines/subheads due to font stack limitations within the Node canvas environment. to adjacent architectural concepts including tofu boxes, missing glyphs, garbled characters, marketing overlay.

Engagement Signals

3
Replies
open
Issue Status

Cross-Market Term Frequency

Quantifies the cross-market adoption of foundational terms like tofu boxes and missing glyphs by tracking occurrence frequency across active SaaS architectures and enterprise developer debates.