diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 0504e2a0..334dfd6d 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -103,10 +103,12 @@ Release notes
 * ``openstack-auto-commands``: Improved screen generation and swift
   subcommand xml output.
 * ``openstack-doc-tools``: Warn about non-breaking space, enhance
-  -v output.
+  -v output, special case building of localized high-availability
+  guide.
 * New command ``openstack-jsoncheck`` to check for niceness of JSON
   files and reformat them.
 
+
 0.13
 ----
 
diff --git a/os_doc_tools/doctest.py b/os_doc_tools/doctest.py
index 561a50d9..85dfb4ed 100755
--- a/os_doc_tools/doctest.py
+++ b/os_doc_tools/doctest.py
@@ -819,10 +819,14 @@ def build_book(book, publish_path, log_path):
             # Success
             base_book = "install-guide (for Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Ubuntu)"
         elif base_book == "high-availability-guide":
-            output = subprocess.check_output(
-                ["bash", os.path.join(SCRIPTS_DIR, 'build-ha-guide.sh'), ],
-                stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
-            )
+            # generatedocbook already calls build-ha-guide.sh, do not
+            # call it again here for translated languages.
+            if not cfg.CONF.language:
+                output = subprocess.check_output(
+                    ["bash", os.path.join(SCRIPTS_DIR,
+                                          'build-ha-guide.sh'), ],
+                    stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
+                )
             output = subprocess.check_output(
                 ["mvn", "generate-sources", comments, release, "-B"],
                 stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
diff --git a/os_doc_tools/handle_pot.py b/os_doc_tools/handle_pot.py
index a7db0301..f3ba11e0 100644
--- a/os_doc_tools/handle_pot.py
+++ b/os_doc_tools/handle_pot.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import codecs
 import optparse
 import os
 import shutil
+import subprocess
 import sys
 import tempfile
 import xml.dom.minidom
@@ -30,6 +31,9 @@ import xml.dom.minidom
 from xml2po import Main    # noqa
 from xml2po.modes.docbook import docbookXmlMode    # noqa
 
+OS_DOC_TOOLS_DIR = os.path.dirname(__file__)
+SCRIPTS_DIR = os.path.join(OS_DOC_TOOLS_DIR, 'scripts')
+
 
 class myDocbookXmlMode(docbookXmlMode):
     def __init__(self):
@@ -123,6 +127,7 @@ def changeXMLLangSetting(xmlFile, language):
     for node in nodelists:
         if node.hasAttribute("href"):
             node.setAttribute("xlink:href", node.getAttribute("href"))
+            node.setAttribute("xmlns:xlink", "http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink")
         if node.hasAttribute("title"):
             node.setAttribute("xlink:title", node.getAttribute("title"))
 
@@ -147,6 +152,28 @@ def get_default_book(root):
     return os.listdir(root)[0]
 
 
+# NOTE(berendt): check_output as provided in Python 2.7.5 to make script
+#                usable with Python < 2.7
+def check_output(*popenargs, **kwargs):
+    """Run command with arguments and return its output as a byte string.
+
+    If the exit code was non-zero it raises a CalledProcessError.  The
+    CalledProcessError object will have the return code in the returncode
+    attribute and output in the output attribute.
+    """
+    if 'stdout' in kwargs:
+        raise ValueError('stdout argument not allowed, it will be overridden.')
+    process = subprocess.Popen(stdout=subprocess.PIPE, *popenargs, **kwargs)
+    output, unused_err = process.communicate()
+    retcode = process.poll()
+    if retcode:
+        cmd = kwargs.get("args")
+        if cmd is None:
+            cmd = popenargs[0]
+        raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(retcode, cmd, output=output)
+    return output
+
+
 def generatedocbook():
     global IGNORE_FOLDER, IGNORE_FILE
 
@@ -196,8 +223,27 @@ def generatedocbook():
     if os.path.exists(destfolder):
         shutil.rmtree(destfolder)
 
+    # Build the XML original location first
+    if folder == 'high-availability-guide':
+        try:
+            curr = os.getcwd()
+            os.chdir(sourcepath)
+            subprocess.check_output(
+                ["bash", os.path.join(SCRIPTS_DIR, 'build-ha-guide.sh'), ],
+                stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
+            )
+            os.chdir(curr)
+        except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
+            print("build-ha-guide.sh failed: %s" % e)
+            sys.exit(1)
     os.system("cp -r %s %s" % (sourcepath, destpath))
     mergeback(folder, language, root)
+    # Somehow a lang="" is in the xml and breaks build, remove it
+    if folder == 'high-availability-guide':
+        bk_ha = os.path.join(destfolder, "bk-ha-guide.xml")
+        with open(bk_ha) as bk_ha_file:
+            newxml = bk_ha_file.read().replace('<book lang="" ', '<book ')
+        open(bk_ha, 'wb').write(newxml)
 
 
 def generatePoT(folder, root):
diff --git a/os_doc_tools/scripts/build-ha-guide.sh b/os_doc_tools/scripts/build-ha-guide.sh
index d3e5582a..75f67cbb 100755
--- a/os_doc_tools/scripts/build-ha-guide.sh
+++ b/os_doc_tools/scripts/build-ha-guide.sh
@@ -21,5 +21,6 @@ asciidoc -b docbook -d book -o - ha-guide.txt |  \
 xsltproc -o - $DB_UPGRADE - | \
 xmllint  --format - | \
 sed -e 's,<book,<book xml:id="bk-ha-guide",' | \
+sed -e 's,<!-- Converted by db4-upgrade version 1.0 -->,' |\
 sed -e 's,<info,<?rax pdf.url="../openstack-ha-guide-trunk.pdf"?><info,' \
     > bk-ha-guide.xml