diff --git a/.changeset/i18n-inline-label-default-locale.md b/.changeset/i18n-inline-label-default-locale.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..076e60d2cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/i18n-inline-label-default-locale.md
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/cli": patch
+---
+
+fix(cli): treat an inline `label:` as the default-locale source in i18n coverage
+
+A fresh `npm create objectstack` scaffold reported 4 `i18n/missing-object` /
+`i18n/missing-field` errors for its own `<ns>_note` object, even though the
+template authors `label: 'Note'`, `pluralLabel: 'Notes'`, `label: 'Title'` and
+`label: 'Body'` inline. The only way to silence them was to commit an `en`
+bundle restating strings the metadata already carries.
+
+The inline `label:` *is* the default-locale text: the runtime resolver falls
+back to it when a bundle has no entry (`translateObject`), and `os i18n
+extract` seeds bundles from it. Coverage now honours that contract — an inline
+label satisfies the default locale, and a bundle is what *other* locales need.
+Keys with no source string anywhere are no longer reported as i18n gaps; a
+missing label is already `required/label`'s finding.
+
+Non-default locales are unaffected: they still warn for every untranslated key
+(`os lint` on `examples/app-todo` reports the same 79 warnings as before, with
+its 39 default-locale errors gone). `os lint --include-platform` drops the
+platform baseline's default-locale errors for the same reason — the platform
+ships English labels inline — while keeping its non-default-locale warnings.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-coverage.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-coverage.ts
index 4d193408a2..c655a67905 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-coverage.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-coverage.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@
  * the actual translation bundles attached to the stack and reports any keys
  * that are missing or set to an empty string.
  *
+ * The inline `label:` in the metadata is the *source* string, authored in the
+ * default locale: the runtime resolver falls back to it when a bundle carries
+ * no entry, and `os i18n extract` seeds bundles from it. So an inline label
+ * satisfies the default locale on its own — a bundle is what other locales
+ * need. Keys with no source string anywhere are not reported here; a missing
+ * label is `required/label`'s finding.
+ *
  * Pure: no filesystem or network. Safe to invoke from `os lint`, `os i18n
  * check`, IDE tooling, and unit tests.
  */
@@ -18,6 +25,7 @@
 import type { TranslationBundle, TranslationData } from '@objectstack/spec/system';
 import { METADATA_FORM_REGISTRY } from '@objectstack/spec/system';
 import { DEFAULT_METADATA_TYPE_REGISTRY } from '@objectstack/spec/kernel';
+import { humanizeFieldPath } from './i18n-extract.js';
 
 export type CoverageSeverity = 'error' | 'warning';
 
@@ -150,12 +158,33 @@ interface ExpectedKey {
   displayKey: string;
   /** Description shown in the issue message when the key is missing. */
   context: string;
+  /**
+   * The source string authored inline in the metadata (`label: 'Note'`), when
+   * there is one. This *is* the default-locale text — see `computeI18nCoverage`.
+   */
+  inline?: string;
 }
 
-function pushKey(out: ExpectedKey[], path: string[], source: CoverageIssue['source'], context: string): void {
-  out.push({ source, path, displayKey: path.join('.'), context });
+function pushKey(
+  out: ExpectedKey[],
+  path: string[],
+  source: CoverageIssue['source'],
+  context: string,
+  inline?: string,
+): void {
+  out.push({ source, path, displayKey: path.join('.'), context, inline });
 }
 
+/** Narrow to a usable source string; empty strings are not authored text. */
+function inlineText(value: unknown): string | undefined {
+  return typeof value === 'string' && value.length > 0 ? value : undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Collects every key a translation bundle *may* carry, paired with the inline
+ * source string the metadata already authors for it. Callers drop the keys that
+ * are authored nowhere — see `computeI18nCoverage`.
+ */
 function collectExpectedKeys(config: any): ExpectedKey[] {
   const keys: ExpectedKey[] = [];
   const objects: any[] = Array.isArray(config?.objects) ? config.objects : [];
@@ -163,21 +192,34 @@ function collectExpectedKeys(config: any): ExpectedKey[] {
   for (const obj of objects) {
     if (!obj?.name) continue;
     const objectName = obj.name as string;
-    pushKey(keys, ['objects', objectName, 'label'], 'object', `Object "${objectName}" label`);
-    if (obj.pluralLabel || obj.label) {
-      pushKey(keys, ['objects', objectName, 'pluralLabel'], 'object', `Object "${objectName}" pluralLabel`);
-    }
+    pushKey(keys, ['objects', objectName, 'label'], 'object', `Object "${objectName}" label`, inlineText(obj.label));
+    pushKey(
+      keys,
+      ['objects', objectName, 'pluralLabel'],
+      'object',
+      `Object "${objectName}" pluralLabel`,
+      inlineText(obj.pluralLabel),
+    );
     if (obj.fields && typeof obj.fields === 'object') {
       for (const [fieldName, field] of Object.entries<any>(obj.fields)) {
-        pushKey(keys, ['objects', objectName, 'fields', fieldName, 'label'], 'field', `Field ${objectName}.${fieldName} label`);
+        pushKey(
+          keys,
+          ['objects', objectName, 'fields', fieldName, 'label'],
+          'field',
+          `Field ${objectName}.${fieldName} label`,
+          inlineText(field?.label),
+        );
         const opts = field?.options;
         if (opts && typeof opts === 'object' && !Array.isArray(opts)) {
-          for (const optionKey of Object.keys(opts)) {
+          for (const [optionKey, optionLabel] of Object.entries<any>(opts)) {
+            // Mirrors the extractor: an option's source text is its label, or
+            // its own value when the map holds no label string.
             pushKey(
               keys,
               ['objects', objectName, 'fields', fieldName, 'options', optionKey],
               'option',
               `Option ${objectName}.${fieldName}.${optionKey}`,
+              inlineText(optionLabel) ?? optionKey,
             );
           }
         }
@@ -195,6 +237,7 @@ function collectExpectedKeys(config: any): ExpectedKey[] {
       ['objects', objectName, '_views', view.name, 'label'],
       'view',
       `View ${objectName}.${view.name} label`,
+      inlineText(view.label),
     );
   }
 
@@ -205,13 +248,15 @@ function collectExpectedKeys(config: any): ExpectedKey[] {
     const root = objectName ? ['objects', objectName, '_actions', action.name] : ['globalActions', action.name];
     const source: CoverageIssue['source'] = objectName ? 'action' : 'globalAction';
     const ctxOwner = objectName ? `${objectName}.${action.name}` : action.name;
-    pushKey(keys, [...root, 'label'], source, `Action ${ctxOwner} label`);
-    if (action.confirmText) {
-      pushKey(keys, [...root, 'confirmText'], source, `Action ${ctxOwner} confirmText`);
-    }
-    if (action.successMessage) {
-      pushKey(keys, [...root, 'successMessage'], source, `Action ${ctxOwner} successMessage`);
-    }
+    pushKey(keys, [...root, 'label'], source, `Action ${ctxOwner} label`, inlineText(action.label));
+    pushKey(keys, [...root, 'confirmText'], source, `Action ${ctxOwner} confirmText`, inlineText(action.confirmText));
+    pushKey(
+      keys,
+      [...root, 'successMessage'],
+      source,
+      `Action ${ctxOwner} successMessage`,
+      inlineText(action.successMessage),
+    );
   }
 
   collectMetadataFormKeys(keys);
@@ -227,11 +272,20 @@ function collectExpectedKeys(config: any): ExpectedKey[] {
 function collectMetadataFormKeys(out: ExpectedKey[]): void {
   for (const entry of DEFAULT_METADATA_TYPE_REGISTRY) {
     const type = entry.type;
-    pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'label'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form "${type}" label`);
-    const desc = (entry as any).description;
-    if (typeof desc === 'string' && desc.length > 0) {
-      pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'description'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form "${type}" description`);
-    }
+    pushKey(
+      out,
+      ['metadataForms', type, 'label'],
+      'metadataForm',
+      `Metadata form "${type}" label`,
+      inlineText((entry as any).label) ?? type,
+    );
+    pushKey(
+      out,
+      ['metadataForms', type, 'description'],
+      'metadataForm',
+      `Metadata form "${type}" description`,
+      inlineText((entry as any).description),
+    );
   }
   for (const [type, form] of Object.entries(METADATA_FORM_REGISTRY)) {
     const sections: any[] = [
@@ -241,11 +295,9 @@ function collectMetadataFormKeys(out: ExpectedKey[]): void {
     for (const section of sections) {
       if (!section || typeof section !== 'object') continue;
       const sectionName = normalizeMetadataSectionName(section);
-      if (sectionName && typeof section.label === 'string') {
-        pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'sections', sectionName, 'label'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.sections.${sectionName} label`);
-      }
-      if (sectionName && typeof section.description === 'string' && section.description.length > 0) {
-        pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'sections', sectionName, 'description'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.sections.${sectionName} description`);
+      if (sectionName) {
+        pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'sections', sectionName, 'label'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.sections.${sectionName} label`, inlineText(section.label));
+        pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'sections', sectionName, 'description'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.sections.${sectionName} description`, inlineText(section.description));
       }
       if (Array.isArray(section.fields)) {
         for (const child of section.fields) walkMetadataFormField(child, type, '', out);
@@ -259,13 +311,13 @@ function walkMetadataFormField(field: any, type: string, parentPath: string, out
   const name = typeof field.field === 'string' ? field.field : undefined;
   const path = name ? (parentPath ? `${parentPath}.${name}` : name) : parentPath;
   if (path) {
-    pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'label'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} label`);
-    if (typeof field.helpText === 'string' && field.helpText.length > 0) {
-      pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'helpText'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} helpText`);
-    }
-    if (typeof field.placeholder === 'string' && field.placeholder.length > 0) {
-      pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'placeholder'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} placeholder`);
-    }
+    // Platform form fields routinely omit `label` and let the renderer
+    // humanize the field path ("name" → "Name"). That derived text is the
+    // source string — the field is not unlabelled — so other locales still
+    // owe it a translation. Mirrors the extractor's seed value.
+    pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'label'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} label`, inlineText(field.label) ?? humanizeFieldPath(path));
+    pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'helpText'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} helpText`, inlineText(field.helpText));
+    pushKey(out, ['metadataForms', type, 'fields', path, 'placeholder'], 'metadataForm', `Metadata form ${type}.fields.${path} placeholder`, inlineText(field.placeholder));
   }
   if (Array.isArray(field.fields)) {
     for (const child of field.fields) walkMetadataFormField(child, type, path, out);
@@ -313,7 +365,16 @@ export function computeI18nCoverage(config: any, opts: CoverageOptions = {}): Co
     activeLocales = discovered.includes(defaultLocale) ? discovered : [defaultLocale, ...discovered];
   }
 
-  const expected = collectExpectedKeys(config);
+  // A key is only worth translating if a source string is authored somewhere:
+  // inline in the metadata, or in some bundle (a project may externalize a
+  // string it never wrote inline — other locales still owe a translation for
+  // it). A key authored in neither place has no text to translate at all; a
+  // missing label is `required/label`'s finding, not an i18n gap.
+  const authoredInBundle = (path: string[]): boolean =>
+    Object.values(merged).some((data) => lookupKey(data, path) !== undefined);
+  const expected = collectExpectedKeys(config).filter(
+    (key) => key.inline !== undefined || authoredInBundle(key.path),
+  );
   const issues: CoverageIssue[] = [];
   const stats: CoverageStats[] = [];
 
@@ -321,7 +382,11 @@ export function computeI18nCoverage(config: any, opts: CoverageOptions = {}): Co
     const data = merged[locale];
     let translated = 0;
     for (const key of expected) {
-      const value = lookupKey(data, key.path);
+      // The inline `label:` IS the default-locale text — the runtime resolver
+      // falls back to it (i18n-resolver `translateObject`), and `os i18n
+      // extract` seeds bundles from it. Demanding a default-locale bundle entry
+      // that merely restates it reports a gap that does not exist.
+      const value = lookupKey(data, key.path) ?? (locale === defaultLocale ? key.inline : undefined);
       if (value !== undefined) {
         translated += 1;
         continue;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-extract.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-extract.ts
index 870457db48..84587f89ea 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-extract.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-extract.ts
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ function walkFormField(field: any, type: string, parentPath: string, out: Expect
 }
 
 /** Match the metadata form renderer's fallback label for fields without an explicit label. */
-function humanizeFieldPath(path: string): string {
+export function humanizeFieldPath(path: string): string {
   const leaf = path.split('.').pop() ?? path;
   return leaf
     .replace(/([a-z0-9])([A-Z])/g, '$1 $2')
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/i18n-coverage.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/i18n-coverage.test.ts
index 829d46b0e1..7cb564cd90 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/i18n-coverage.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/i18n-coverage.test.ts
@@ -138,13 +138,27 @@ describe('computeI18nCoverage', () => {
   });
 
   it('raises errors when the default locale itself is incomplete', () => {
+    // A genuine default-locale gap: zh-CN carries a string that has no source
+    // text anywhere for `en` — neither inline on the action nor in the bundle.
     const incomplete = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(baseConfig));
     delete incomplete.translations[0].en.objects.account._actions.merge_accounts.label;
+    delete incomplete.actions[0].label;
     const report = computeI18nCoverage(incomplete, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
     const enErrors = report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'en' && i.severity === 'error');
     expect(enErrors.some((i) => i.key === 'objects.account._actions.merge_accounts.label')).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it('does not fault the default locale for a string authored inline', () => {
+    // Dropping a bundle entry that merely restates the inline `label:` is not
+    // a gap — the runtime resolver falls back to the inline text. Regression
+    // guard for the blank template linting with i18n errors out of the box.
+    const inlineOnly = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(baseConfig));
+    delete inlineOnly.translations[0].en.objects.account._actions.merge_accounts.label;
+    const report = computeI18nCoverage(inlineOnly, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+    const enErrors = report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'en' && i.severity === 'error');
+    expect(enErrors.map((i) => i.key)).not.toContain('objects.account._actions.merge_accounts.label');
+  });
+
   it('honours an explicit --locales filter', () => {
     const report = computeI18nCoverage(baseConfig, { defaultLocale: 'en', locales: ['ja-JP'] });
     expect(report.locales.sort()).toEqual(['en', 'ja-JP']);
@@ -159,7 +173,94 @@ describe('computeI18nCoverage', () => {
     const objectSources = new Set(['object', 'field', 'option', 'view', 'action', 'globalAction']);
     expect(report.issues.filter((i) => objectSources.has(i.source))).toEqual([]);
     expect(report.totals.expectedKeys).toBeGreaterThan(0); // metadataForms baseline
-    expect(report.issues.some((i) => i.key === 'metadataForms.flow.fields.name.label')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  describe('inline metadata as the default-locale source', () => {
+    // Shape of the `create-objectstack` blank template: inline labels, no
+    // translation bundle. It must lint clean (#3103).
+    const scaffold: any = {
+      objects: [
+        {
+          name: 'demo_note',
+          label: 'Note',
+          pluralLabel: 'Notes',
+          fields: { title: { label: 'Title' }, body: { label: 'Body' } },
+        },
+      ],
+      translations: [],
+    };
+
+    it('reports no default-locale errors for a bundle-less scaffold', () => {
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(scaffold, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      expect(report.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'error')).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('reports 100% default-locale coverage when every string is authored inline', () => {
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(scaffold, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      expect(report.stats.find((s) => s.locale === 'en')!.coveragePercent).toBe(100);
+    });
+
+    it('still warns for a non-default locale — inline text is not a translation', () => {
+      const withZh = { ...scaffold, translations: [{ 'zh-CN': {} }] };
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(withZh, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      const zhKeys = report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'zh-CN').map((i) => i.key);
+      expect(zhKeys).toContain('objects.demo_note.label');
+      expect(zhKeys).toContain('objects.demo_note.fields.title.label');
+    });
+
+    it('treats the inline label as the source for whatever locale is the default', () => {
+      // Inline text is the source string, not "English" — a zh-CN-first
+      // project authoring inline Chinese labels is complete, not broken.
+      const zhFirst = {
+        objects: [{ name: 'demo_note', label: '备注', pluralLabel: '备注', fields: { title: { label: '标题' } } }],
+        translations: [],
+      };
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(zhFirst, { defaultLocale: 'zh-CN' });
+      expect(report.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'error')).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('does not demand a pluralLabel translation when none is authored', () => {
+      const noPlural = {
+        objects: [{ name: 'demo_note', label: 'Note', fields: {} }],
+        translations: [],
+      };
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(noPlural, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      expect(report.issues.map((i) => i.key)).not.toContain('objects.demo_note.pluralLabel');
+    });
+
+    it('leaves an unlabelled field to required/label rather than reporting an i18n gap', () => {
+      const unlabelled = {
+        objects: [{ name: 'demo_note', label: 'Note', fields: { title: {} } }],
+        translations: [],
+      };
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(unlabelled, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      expect(report.issues.map((i) => i.key)).not.toContain('objects.demo_note.fields.title.label');
+    });
+
+    it('still expects a key that is authored only in a bundle', () => {
+      // No inline label, but zh-CN externalizes one — `en` genuinely lacks a
+      // source string for it, so the default-locale gate must still fire.
+      const bundleOnly = {
+        objects: [{ name: 'demo_note', label: 'Note', fields: { title: {} } }],
+        translations: [{ 'zh-CN': { objects: { demo_note: { fields: { title: { label: '标题' } } } } } }],
+      };
+      const report = computeI18nCoverage(bundleOnly, { defaultLocale: 'en' });
+      const enErrors = report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'en' && i.severity === 'error');
+      expect(enErrors.map((i) => i.key)).toContain('objects.demo_note.fields.title.label');
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('counts the platform metadataForms baseline as covered for the default locale', () => {
+    // The registry authors those labels inline, so `en` needs no bundle. A
+    // non-default locale still owes a translation for each of them.
+    const report = computeI18nCoverage(
+      { objects: [], views: [], actions: [], translations: [{ 'zh-CN': {} }] },
+      { defaultLocale: 'en' },
+    );
+    expect(report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'en')).toEqual([]);
+    const zh = report.issues.filter((i) => i.locale === 'zh-CN');
+    expect(zh.some((i) => i.key === 'metadataForms.flow.fields.name.label')).toBe(true);
+    expect(zh.every((i) => i.severity === 'warning')).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it('treats data.object as fallback for view objectName', () => {