diff --git a/ftl/sync.py b/ftl/sync.py
index f929ce9354e..0696d99f636 100644
--- a/ftl/sync.py
+++ b/ftl/sync.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 import os
 import sys
 from typing import Optional, Tuple
+import requests
+from hashlib import sha256
 
 root = os.environ["BUILD_WORKSPACE_DIRECTORY"]
 repos_bzl = os.path.join(root, "repos.bzl")
@@ -64,18 +66,32 @@ def update_git_repos():
 @dataclass
 class GitInfo:
     sha1: str
-    shallow_since: str
+    zip_sha256: str
+
+
+def git_url_to_zip_url(repo: str, commit: str) -> str:
+    repo = repo.replace("git@github.com:", "https://github.com/")
+    return f"{repo}/archive/{commit}.zip"
+
+
+def get_zip_sha(zip_url: str) -> str:
+    resp = requests.get(zip_url)
+    resp.raise_for_status()
+    return sha256(resp.content).hexdigest()
 
 
 def module_git_info(module: Module) -> GitInfo:
     folder = module.folder()
-    sha = subprocess.check_output(
+    sha1 = subprocess.check_output(
         ["git", "log", "-n", "1", "--pretty=format:%H"], cwd=folder
+    ).decode("utf8")
+    zip_url = git_url_to_zip_url(module.repo, sha1)
+    zip_sha = get_zip_sha(zip_url)
+
+    return GitInfo(
+        sha1=sha1,
+        zip_sha256=zip_sha,
     )
-    shallow = subprocess.check_output(
-        ["git", "log", "-n", "1", "--pretty=format:%cd", "--date=raw"], cwd=folder
-    )
-    return GitInfo(sha1=sha.decode("utf8"), shallow_since=shallow.decode("utf8"))
 
 
 def update_repos_bzl():
@@ -85,12 +101,12 @@ def update_repos_bzl():
         git = module_git_info(module)
         prefix = f"{module.name}_i18n_"
         entries[prefix + "commit"] = git.sha1
-        entries[prefix + "shallow_since"] = git.shallow_since
+        entries[prefix + "zip_csum"] = git.zip_sha256
 
     # apply
     out = []
     path = repos_bzl
-    reg = re.compile(r'(\s+)(\S+_(?:commit|shallow_since)) = "(.*)"')
+    reg = re.compile(r'(\s+)(\S+_(?:commit|zip_csum)) = "(.*)"')
     for line in open(path).readlines():
         if m := reg.match(line):
             (indent, key, _oldvalue) = m.groups()
diff --git a/repos.bzl b/repos.bzl
index b10f34a1ac7..a4ebd492da7 100644
--- a/repos.bzl
+++ b/repos.bzl
@@ -131,11 +131,13 @@ def register_repos():
     # translations
     ################
 
+    core_i18n_repo = "anki-core-i18n"
     core_i18n_commit = "b1c03cebb554e8568529e293756ac36cdf62341a"
-    core_i18n_shallow_since = "1608607833 +1000"
+    core_i18n_zip_csum = "ce9c846e6985af9bda2d51390df4dd8a65e91ce9f8f217a0ef46565271303e43"
 
-    qtftl_i18n_commit = "e7dda1058c0510665f2ea8d8ffd74e506e578f7a"
-    qtftl_i18n_shallow_since = "1608607833 +1000"
+    qtftl_i18n_repo = "anki-desktop-ftl"
+    qtftl_i18n_commit = "e8fa8cb9a9a5eb4d6f9b4c14111aa2c48ac62cc9"
+    qtftl_i18n_zip_csum = "557b7ae01324e38d23009805c7bef87d32413682a8bb68726df8724fbb9424c7"
 
     i18n_build_content = """
 filegroup(
@@ -147,19 +149,29 @@ exports_files(["l10n.toml"])
 """
 
     maybe(
-        new_git_repository,
+        http_archive,
         name = "rslib_ftl",
         build_file_content = i18n_build_content,
-        commit = core_i18n_commit,
-        shallow_since = core_i18n_shallow_since,
-        remote = "https://github.com/ankitects/anki-core-i18n",
+        strip_prefix = core_i18n_repo + "-" + core_i18n_commit,
+        urls = [
+            "https://github.com/ankitects/{}/archive/{}.zip".format(
+                core_i18n_repo,
+                core_i18n_commit,
+            ),
+        ],
+        sha256 = core_i18n_zip_csum,
     )
 
     maybe(
-        new_git_repository,
+        http_archive,
         name = "extra_ftl",
         build_file_content = i18n_build_content,
-        commit = qtftl_i18n_commit,
-        shallow_since = qtftl_i18n_shallow_since,
-        remote = "https://github.com/ankitects/anki-desktop-ftl",
+        strip_prefix = qtftl_i18n_repo + "-" + qtftl_i18n_commit,
+        urls = [
+            "https://github.com/ankitects/{}/archive/{}.zip".format(
+                qtftl_i18n_repo,
+                qtftl_i18n_commit,
+            ),
+        ],
+        sha256 = qtftl_i18n_zip_csum,
     )