Agent skill

gstack Upgrade

by garrytan in garrytan/gstack

Upgrades an installed gstack to the latest version, handling global and vendored installs, optional auto-upgrade and snooze, and showing what is new.

MITAuto-check: notesAgent Workflows

Install gstack Upgrade

skills CLI
$ npx skills add garrytan/gstack --skill gstack-upgrade -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install garrytan/gstack gstack-upgrade --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/garrytan/gstack.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/gstack-upgrade .claude/skills/gstack-upgrade && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
gstack-upgrade
GitHub stars
136k
Token cost
~5.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
1,422 words
Files
17
Skills in repo
57
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Upgrades an installed gstack to the latest version, handling global and vendored installs, optional auto-upgrade and snooze, and showing what is new.

  • Works in 10 steps: Ask the user (or auto-upgrade) → Detect install type → Save old version → …
  • Updating gstack to the newest release
  • SKILL.md covers When to invoke this skill, Inline upgrade flow and Standalone usage
  • Runs Shell scripts from its folder; calls git, bash and bun

What it does

The skill detects whether gstack is installed globally or vendored inside a project, runs the upgrade and shows what changed. Other skills call its inline flow when they detect an available update. It first checks whether auto-upgrade is enabled through an environment variable or the gstack config; if not, it asks whether to upgrade now, always stay up to date, wait, or never ask again.

Choosing not now snoozes the prompt with an escalating delay of 24 hours, then 48 hours, then a week, and never ask again turns the update check off. If setup fails, a vendored install restores its backup and a git install stops with the pre-upgrade commit recorded and no destructive reset. The folder includes a series of per-version migration shell scripts.

When your agent uses it

  • Updating gstack to the newest release
  • Responding to an upgrade-available prompt from another gstack skill
  • Turning on automatic gstack updates

Example prompts

  • “Upgrade gstack.”
  • “Update the tools and show me what is new.”
  • “Enable auto-upgrade for gstack so I stop getting prompts.”

Requirements

  • An existing gstack install, either global or vendored
  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion

Workflow steps

10 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Ask the user (or auto-upgrade)
  2. Detect install type
  3. Save old version
  4. Upgrade
  5. 5: Handle local vendored copy
  6. 75: Run version migrations
  7. 8: Stop any stale daemon (unconditional)
  8. Write marker + clear cache
  9. Show What's New
  10. Continue

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f67c478. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Bash
    • Read
    • Write
    • AskUserQuestion

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships script files (Shell), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • bash
    • bun

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

gstack Upgrade loads about 5.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 13 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,422 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~13
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~5.5k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md
    allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from garrytan/gstack at commit f67c478, republished under its MIT licence (© garrytan). 1,422 words, ~5,528 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/gstack-upgrade/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 16 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
gstack-upgrade
description
Upgrade gstack to the latest version.
allowed-tools
Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion
version
1.1.0
triggers
upgrade gstack, update gstack version, get latest gstack
<!-- AUTO-GENERATED from SKILL.md.tmpl — do not edit directly -->
<!-- Regenerate: bun run gen:skill-docs -->

When to invoke this skill

Detects global vs vendored install, runs the upgrade, and shows what's new. Use when asked to "upgrade gstack", "update gstack", or "get latest version".

Voice triggers (speech-to-text aliases): "upgrade the tools", "update the tools", "gee stack upgrade", "g stack upgrade".

/gstack-upgrade

Upgrade gstack to the latest version and show what's new.

Inline upgrade flow

This section is referenced by all skill preambles when they detect UPGRADE_AVAILABLE.

Step 1: Ask the user (or auto-upgrade)

First, check if auto-upgrade is enabled:

bash
_AUTO=""
[ "${GSTACK_AUTO_UPGRADE:-}" = "1" ] && _AUTO="true"
[ -z "$_AUTO" ] && _AUTO=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get auto_upgrade 2>/dev/null || true)
echo "AUTO_UPGRADE=$_AUTO"

If AUTO_UPGRADE=true or AUTO_UPGRADE=1: Skip AskUserQuestion. Log "Auto-upgrading gstack v{old} → v{new}..." and proceed directly to Step 2. On setup failure, follow Step 4's install-specific recovery: vendored installs restore their backup; git installs stop with the pre-upgrade commit recorded, without a destructive reset. Never claim restoration unless it actually succeeded.

Otherwise, use AskUserQuestion:

  • Question: "gstack v{new} is available (you're on v{old}). Upgrade now?"
  • Options: ["Yes, upgrade now", "Always keep me up to date", "Not now", "Never ask again"]

If "Yes, upgrade now": Proceed to Step 2.

If "Always keep me up to date":

bash
~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config set auto_upgrade true

Tell user: "Auto-upgrade enabled. Future updates will install automatically." Then proceed to Step 2.

If "Not now": Write snooze state with escalating backoff (first snooze = 24h, second = 48h, third+ = 1 week), then continue with the current skill. Do not mention the upgrade again.

bash
GSTACK_STATE_ROOT=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-paths --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT); : "${GSTACK_STATE_ROOT:?gstack-paths failed; reinstall with ./setup or /gstack-upgrade}"
_SNOOZE_FILE="$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/update-snoozed"
_REMOTE_VER="{new}"
_CUR_LEVEL=0
if [ -f "$_SNOOZE_FILE" ]; then
  _SNOOZED_VER=$(awk '{print $(1)}' "$_SNOOZE_FILE")
  if [ "$_SNOOZED_VER" = "$_REMOTE_VER" ]; then
    _CUR_LEVEL=$(awk '{print $(2)}' "$_SNOOZE_FILE")
    case "$_CUR_LEVEL" in *[!0-9]*) _CUR_LEVEL=0 ;; esac
  fi
fi
_NEW_LEVEL=$((_CUR_LEVEL + 1))
[ "$_NEW_LEVEL" -gt 3 ] && _NEW_LEVEL=3
echo "$_REMOTE_VER $_NEW_LEVEL $(date +%s)" > "$_SNOOZE_FILE"

Note: {new} is the remote version from the UPGRADE_AVAILABLE output — substitute it from the update check result.

Tell user the snooze duration: "Next reminder in 24h" (or 48h or 1 week, depending on level). Tip: "Set auto_upgrade: true in ~/.gstack/config.yaml for automatic upgrades."

If "Never ask again":

bash
~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config set update_check false

Tell user: "Update checks disabled. Run ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config set update_check true to re-enable." Continue with the current skill.

Step 2: Detect install type
bash
if [ -d "$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/.git" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="global-git"
  INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/repos/gstack/.git" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="global-git"
  INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.gstack/repos/gstack"
elif [ -d ".claude/skills/gstack/.git" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="local-git"
  INSTALL_DIR=".claude/skills/gstack"
elif [ -d ".agents/skills/gstack/.git" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="local-git"
  INSTALL_DIR=".agents/skills/gstack"
elif [ -d ".claude/skills/gstack" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="vendored"
  INSTALL_DIR=".claude/skills/gstack"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack" ]; then
  INSTALL_TYPE="vendored-global"
  INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack"
elif _SRC=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-paths --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT 2>/dev/null) && _SRC=$(awk -F '\t' '$(1) == "claude" && $(6) != "-" { print $(6); exit }' "$_SRC/installs.tsv" 2>/dev/null) && [ -d "$_SRC/.git" ]; then
  # The install registry names the checkout setup activated for this host (e.g. a ~/gstack clone).
  INSTALL_TYPE="global-git"
  INSTALL_DIR="$_SRC"
else
  echo "ERROR: gstack not found"
  exit 1
fi
INSTALL_DIR=$(cd -- "$INSTALL_DIR" && pwd -P) || { echo "ERROR: cannot enter the gstack install directory" >&2; exit 1; }
echo "Install type: $INSTALL_TYPE at $INSTALL_DIR"

The install type and the absolute directory printed above are used in all subsequent steps. Carry INSTALL_TYPE, INSTALL_DIR, OLD_VERSION, and later NEW_VERSION forward explicitly: tool calls may run in fresh shells, so start each later block by assigning them from the captured output (for example INSTALL_DIR=/abs/path/printed/above). Do not rely on a prior call's working directory or shell variables. Every block that changes files first checks INSTALL_DIR and stops before any git command when it is unset, empty, missing, unreadable, or not gstack's own checkout.

Step 3: Save old version

Use the install directory from Step 2's output below:

bash
OLD_VERSION=$(cat "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}/VERSION" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
echo "OLD_VERSION=$OLD_VERSION"
Step 4: Upgrade

Use the install type and directory detected in Step 2:

For git installs (global-git, local-git):

Fast-forward first — the same policy the session-update auto-upgrade uses. --autostash carries local edits over the pull; render-footprint dirt is discarded first because it is regenerable and poisons stashes:

bash
cd -- "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}" || exit 1
{ [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ] && [ "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)" = "$(pwd -P)" ]; } || { echo "ERROR: $INSTALL_DIR is not a gstack checkout; nothing was changed. Re-run Step 2." >&2; exit 1; }
# Discard render-footprint dirt: older gbrain-enabled installs rendered
# generated SKILL.md / sections files IN PLACE. They are regenerable (setup
# re-renders to ~/.gstack/render), so discarding is lossless.
git checkout -- 'SKILL.md' '*/SKILL.md' '*/sections/*.md' 2>/dev/null || true
git fetch origin
# Same pre-advance check as the auto-updater: the incoming release's Bun floor.
HOLD=$(. bin/gstack-bun-version.sh 2>/dev/null && gstack_bun_incoming_hold . origin/main) && { echo "BUN_TOO_OLD: $HOLD; nothing was changed" >&2; exit 1; }
PRE_UPGRADE_COMMIT=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
echo "PRE_UPGRADE_COMMIT=$PRE_UPGRADE_COMMIT"
if git pull --ff-only --autostash origin main; then
  if ./setup --refresh-registered; then echo "FF_OK"; else echo "SETUP_FAILED: git update succeeded; stop and inspect setup output (previous commit: $PRE_UPGRADE_COMMIT)" >&2; exit 1; fi
else
  echo "FF_REFUSED"
fi

Setup's --refresh-registered refreshes every install this checkout registered (each host, global and this project's), prints the source first, and ends with an Upgrade summary of one row per install. Relay those rows as printed. A failed row means that host kept its previous install; give its retry command and never say every host was refreshed. A skipped row belongs to another checkout or project; pass on its command, do not run it.

If the output ends with FF_OK, the upgrade is done — skip the fallback below entirely. On BUN_TOO_OLD, STOP: tell the user to run bun upgrade, then /gstack-upgrade again. On SETUP_FAILED, STOP; keep user changes and report the recovery commit. There is no .bak on the git path. Do not enter the divergence fallback merely because setup failed. Enter it only on FF_REFUSED, after inspecting the pull error; network/auth failures stop for repair, not reset.

Fallback (ff-only refused — local commits or divergence). git reset --hard DESTROYS things: a clean tree with unpushed local commits still loses those commits. Gate it:

  1. Run git status --porcelain and git rev-list origin/main..HEAD --oneline in $INSTALL_DIR.
  2. If BOTH are empty, the reset is provably safe — run the fallback block below without asking.
  3. Otherwise ask via AskUserQuestion (one-way door — destructive), listing exactly what will be discarded: each dirty file and each unpushed commit by hash + subject. Options: A) Discard them and upgrade (reset) — requires the explicit letter; B) Abort the upgrade so the user can rescue their work first (recommended when local commits exist). Never proceed on a vague reply.
bash
cd -- "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}" || exit 1
{ [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ] && [ "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)" = "$(pwd -P)" ]; } || { echo "ERROR: $INSTALL_DIR is not a gstack checkout; nothing was changed. Re-run Step 2." >&2; exit 1; }
STASH_OUTPUT=$(git stash 2>&1)
git reset --hard origin/main
./setup --refresh-registered

If $STASH_OUTPUT contains "Saved working directory", warn the user: "Note: local changes were stashed (any modified generated SKILL.md/sections files were discarded first — they regenerate on setup). Run git stash pop in the skill directory to restore your own changes."

For vendored installs (vendored, vendored-global):

bash
(cd -- "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}" && [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ]) || { echo "ERROR: INSTALL_DIR=${INSTALL_DIR:-} is not a gstack install; nothing was changed. Re-run Step 2." >&2; exit 1; }
# A stale .bak from a previously crashed upgrade would make the mv below NEST
# the live install inside it and the failure-restore arm would "restore" the
# stale backup. It may also be the only good copy from that crashed run —
# abort and let the human inspect, never delete it silently.
[ -e "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" ] && { echo "ERROR: stale backup exists at $INSTALL_DIR.bak (from a previous failed upgrade?) — inspect it, salvage/remove it, then re-run." >&2; exit 1; }
TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/gstack-upgrade.XXXXXX") || { echo "ERROR: mktemp failed — aborting upgrade (install untouched)." >&2; exit 1; }
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/garrytan/gstack.git "$TMP_DIR/gstack" || { echo "ERROR: clone failed — aborting upgrade (install untouched)." >&2; rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"; exit 1; }
mv "$INSTALL_DIR" "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" || { rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"; exit 1; }
if mv "$TMP_DIR/gstack" "$INSTALL_DIR"; then
  if (cd "$INSTALL_DIR" && ./setup --refresh-registered); then
    rm -rf "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" "$TMP_DIR"
  else
    rm -rf "$INSTALL_DIR"
    mv "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" "$INSTALL_DIR" || { echo "ERROR: restore failed; backup retained." >&2; exit 1; }
    rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"
    echo "ERROR: setup failed; previous install restored." >&2
    exit 1
  fi
else
  mv "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" "$INSTALL_DIR"
  echo "ERROR: swap failed — previous install restored; upgrade aborted." >&2
  rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"
  exit 1
fi
Step 4.5: Handle local vendored copy

Use the install directory from Step 2. Check if there's also a local vendored copy, and whether team mode is active:

bash
_RESOLVED_PRIMARY=$(cd -- "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}" && pwd -P) || exit 1
_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
LOCAL_GSTACK=""
if [ -n "$_ROOT" ] && [ -d "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack" ]; then
  _RESOLVED_LOCAL=$(cd "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack" && pwd -P)
  if [ "$_RESOLVED_LOCAL" != "$_RESOLVED_PRIMARY" ]; then
    LOCAL_GSTACK="$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack"
  fi
fi
_TEAM_MODE=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get team_mode 2>/dev/null || echo "false")
echo "LOCAL_GSTACK=$LOCAL_GSTACK"
echo "TEAM_MODE=$_TEAM_MODE"

If LOCAL_GSTACK is non-empty AND TEAM_MODE is true: Remove the vendored copy. Team mode uses the global install as the single source of truth.

bash
(cd -- "${LOCAL_GSTACK:?LOCAL_GSTACK is not set: re-run the detection block above and substitute the printed path}" && [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ]) || { echo "ERROR: LOCAL_GSTACK=${LOCAL_GSTACK:-} is not a gstack copy; nothing was changed." >&2; exit 1; }
_ROOT=${LOCAL_GSTACK%/.claude/skills/gstack}
{ [ "$_ROOT" != "$LOCAL_GSTACK" ] && cd -- "${_ROOT:?}" && [ "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)" = "$(pwd -P)" ]; } || { echo "ERROR: $LOCAL_GSTACK is not the vendored copy at the root of a git repository; nothing was changed." >&2; exit 1; }
git rm -r --cached .claude/skills/gstack/ 2>/dev/null || true
if ! grep -qF '.claude/skills/gstack/' .gitignore 2>/dev/null; then
  echo '.claude/skills/gstack/' >> .gitignore
fi
rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK"

Tell user: "Removed vendored copy at $LOCAL_GSTACK (team mode active — global install is the source of truth). Commit the .gitignore change when ready."

If LOCAL_GSTACK is non-empty AND TEAM_MODE is NOT true: Update it by copying from the freshly-upgraded primary install (same approach as README vendored install):

bash
(cd -- "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}" && [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ]) || { echo "ERROR: INSTALL_DIR=${INSTALL_DIR:-} is not a gstack install; nothing was changed." >&2; exit 1; }
(cd -- "${LOCAL_GSTACK:?LOCAL_GSTACK is not set: re-run the detection block above and substitute the printed path}" && [ -f VERSION ] && [ -f setup ] && [ -f bin/gstack-config ]) || { echo "ERROR: LOCAL_GSTACK=${LOCAL_GSTACK:-} is not a gstack copy; nothing was changed." >&2; exit 1; }
[ -e "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak" ] && { echo "ERROR: stale vendored backup; inspect it before retrying." >&2; exit 1; }
mv "$LOCAL_GSTACK" "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak" || exit 1
if cp -Rf "$INSTALL_DIR" "$LOCAL_GSTACK" && rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK/.git" && (cd "$LOCAL_GSTACK" && ./setup --refresh-registered); then
  rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak"
  echo "LOCAL_SYNC_OK"
else
  rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK"
  mv "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak" "$LOCAL_GSTACK" || { echo "ERROR: restore failed; backup retained." >&2; exit 1; }
  echo "ERROR: sync failed; previous vendored copy restored." >&2
  exit 1
fi

Only on LOCAL_SYNC_OK, tell user: "Also updated vendored copy at $LOCAL_GSTACK — commit .claude/skills/gstack/ when you're ready." Otherwise stop and report the recovery outcome; do not continue migrations or announce success.

Show full SKILL.md (560 more words)Show less
Step 4.75: Run version migrations

After ./setup completes, run any migration scripts for versions between the old and new version. Migrations handle state fixes that ./setup alone can't cover (stale config, orphaned files, directory structure changes).

bash
MIGRATIONS_DIR="${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}/gstack-upgrade/migrations"
: "${OLD_VERSION:?OLD_VERSION is not set: substitute the value Step 3 printed}"
if [ -d "$MIGRATIONS_DIR" ]; then
  for migration in $(find "$MIGRATIONS_DIR" -maxdepth 1 -name 'v*.sh' -type f 2>/dev/null | sort -V); do
    # Extract version from filename: v0.15.2.0.sh → 0.15.2.0
    m_ver="$(basename "$migration" .sh | sed 's/^v//')"
    # Run if this migration version is newer than old version
    # (simple string compare works for dotted versions with same segment count)
    if [ "$OLD_VERSION" != "unknown" ] && [ "$(printf '%s\n%s' "$OLD_VERSION" "$m_ver" | sort -V | head -1)" = "$OLD_VERSION" ] && [ "$OLD_VERSION" != "$m_ver" ]; then
      echo "Running migration $m_ver..."
      # GSTACK_INSTALL_DIR: migrations that clean the INSTALL (not just
      # ~/.gstack state) default to ~/.claude/skills/gstack when unset —
      # a repo-local install would silently no-op without this.
      GSTACK_INSTALL_DIR="$INSTALL_DIR" bash "$migration" || echo "  Warning: migration $m_ver had errors (non-fatal)"
    fi
  done
fi

Migrations are idempotent bash scripts in gstack-upgrade/migrations/. Each is named v{VERSION}.sh and runs only when upgrading from an older version. See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to add new migrations.

Step 4.8: Stop any stale daemon (unconditional)

A browse daemon started before the upgrade keeps serving the OLD binary's code until it is stopped — it survives git reset --hard and ./setup because the running process holds the old executable. Always run this step, using the install directory detected in Step 2.

bash
INSTALL_DIR_PLACEHOLDER="<install dir from Step 2>"
NEW_HASH=$(cat "$INSTALL_DIR_PLACEHOLDER/browse/dist/.version" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
_STATE_FILE="${BROWSE_STATE_FILE:-$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)/.gstack/browse.json}"
if [ -z "$NEW_HASH" ] || [ ! -f "$_STATE_FILE" ]; then
  echo "DAEMON_CHECK=none (no state file or no fresh build hash)"
else
  DAEMON_PID=$(sed -n 's/.*"pid"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*\([0-9][0-9]*\).*/\1/p' "$_STATE_FILE" | head -1)
  DAEMON_PORT=$(sed -n 's/.*"port"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*\([0-9][0-9]*\).*/\1/p' "$_STATE_FILE" | head -1)
  OLD_HASH=$(sed -n 's/.*"binaryVersion"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' "$_STATE_FILE" | head -1)
  if [ -z "$DAEMON_PID" ] || ! kill -0 "$DAEMON_PID" 2>/dev/null; then
    echo "DAEMON_CHECK=dead (no live daemon to stop)"
  elif [ "$OLD_HASH" = "$NEW_HASH" ]; then
    echo "DAEMON_CHECK=current (daemon already runs the new binary)"
  elif curl -fsS --max-time 2 "http://127.0.0.1:$DAEMON_PORT/health" 2>/dev/null | grep -q '"status":"healthy"'; then
    echo "DAEMON_CHECK=stale-responsive pid=$DAEMON_PID hash=${OLD_HASH:-unknown} -> $NEW_HASH"
    "$INSTALL_DIR_PLACEHOLDER/browse/dist/browse" stop && echo "DAEMON_STOPPED=yes"
  else
    echo "DAEMON_CHECK=stale-busy pid=$DAEMON_PID hash=${OLD_HASH:-unknown} -> $NEW_HASH"
  fi
fi

Replace <install dir from Step 2> with the actual install directory before running. Interpret the DAEMON_CHECK result:

  1. stale-responsive + DAEMON_STOPPED=yes: Tell the user "Stopped the old browse daemon (binary {OLD_HASH} → {NEW_HASH}). The next browse command starts a fresh daemon on the new binary."
  2. stale-busy: The daemon runs the old binary but is mid-work — DEFER to it, never kill a busy daemon during upgrade. Tell the user: "A browse daemon is still running the pre-upgrade binary ({OLD_HASH} → {NEW_HASH}) but is busy right now. When it finishes, stop it with browse stop — or force it immediately with browse --force-restart stop (loses that session's tabs/cookies/logins)."
  3. none / dead / current: Nothing to do — say nothing.
Step 5: Write marker + clear cache
bash
GSTACK_STATE_ROOT=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-paths --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT); : "${GSTACK_STATE_ROOT:?gstack-paths failed; reinstall with ./setup or /gstack-upgrade}"
mkdir -p "$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT"
echo "$OLD_VERSION" > "$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT"/just-upgraded-from
rm -f "$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT"/last-update-check
rm -f "$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT"/update-snoozed
Step 6: Show What's New

Read $INSTALL_DIR/CHANGELOG.md. Find all version entries between the old version and the new version. Summarize as 5-7 bullets grouped by theme. Don't overwhelm — focus on user-facing changes. Skip internal refactors unless they're significant.

Format:

gstack v{new} — upgraded from v{old}!

What's new:
- [bullet 1]
- [bullet 2]
- ...

Happy shipping!
Step 7: Continue

After showing What's New, continue with whatever skill the user originally invoked. The upgrade is done — no further action needed.


Standalone usage

When invoked directly as /gstack-upgrade (not from a preamble):

  1. Force a fresh update check (bypass cache):
bash
~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check --force 2>/dev/null || \
.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check --force 2>/dev/null || true

Use the output to determine if an upgrade is available.

  1. If UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>: follow Steps 2-6 above.

    If CHECK_FAILED ...: the remote version could not be read, so the update status is unknown. Show the line (it names the URL that failed) and tell the user the check failed; never report "already on the latest version". Stop.

  2. If no output (primary is up to date): check for a stale local vendored copy.

Run the Step 2 bash block above to detect the primary install type and directory (INSTALL_TYPE and INSTALL_DIR). Then run the Step 4.5 detection bash block above to check for a local vendored copy (LOCAL_GSTACK) and team mode status (TEAM_MODE).

If LOCAL_GSTACK is empty (no local vendored copy): tell the user "You're already on the latest version (v{version})."

If LOCAL_GSTACK is non-empty AND TEAM_MODE is true: Remove the vendored copy using the Step 4.5 team-mode removal bash block above. Tell user: "Global v{version} is up to date. Removed stale vendored copy (team mode active). Commit the .gitignore change when ready."

If LOCAL_GSTACK is non-empty AND TEAM_MODE is NOT true, compare versions:

bash
PRIMARY_VER=$(cat "${INSTALL_DIR:?INSTALL_DIR is not set: re-run Step 2 and substitute the printed path}/VERSION" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
LOCAL_VER=$(cat "${LOCAL_GSTACK:?LOCAL_GSTACK is not set: re-run the Step 4.5 detection block}/VERSION" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
echo "PRIMARY=$PRIMARY_VER LOCAL=$LOCAL_VER"

If versions differ: follow the Step 4.5 sync bash block above to update the local copy from the primary. Tell user: "Global v{PRIMARY_VER} is up to date. Updated local vendored copy from v{LOCAL_VER} → v{PRIMARY_VER}. Commit .claude/skills/gstack/ when you're ready."

If versions match: tell the user "You're on the latest version (v{PRIMARY_VER}). Global and local vendored copy are both up to date."

© garrytan, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 16 other files in gstack-upgrade of garrytan/gstack.

  • SKILL.md
  • SKILL.md.tmpl
  • migrations/v0.15.2.0.sh
  • migrations/v0.16.2.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.0.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.1.3.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.17.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.27.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.37.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.38.1.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.40.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.58.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.65.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.67.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.78.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.86.0.0.sh
  • migrations/v1.91.19.0.sh

Open the folder on GitHubat commit f67c478

Compare with similar skills

gstack Upgrade next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

gstack Upgrade compared with similar skills
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gstack Upgrade this skillgarrytan/gstack136k—~5.5kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
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Using Agent Skillsaddyosmani/agent-skills103k4 repos~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Ponytail Help CardDietrichGebert/ponytail158k—~728Automated safety check: PassMIT
Skill Creatorzhayujie/CowAgent47k—~4.7kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Task Observerrebelytics/one-skill-to-rule-them-all3.2k1 repos~12kAutomated safety check: PassCC-BY-4.0

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Categories

Questions about gstack Upgrade

What does gstack Upgrade do?

Upgrades an installed gstack to the latest version, handling global and vendored installs, optional auto-upgrade and snooze, and showing what is new. The skill detects whether gstack is installed globally or vendored inside a project, runs the upgrade and shows what changed. Other skills call its inline flow when they detect an available update.

When should I use gstack Upgrade?

gstack Upgrade fits situations like: updating gstack to the newest release; responding to an upgrade-available prompt from another gstack skill; turning on automatic gstack updates.

How do I install gstack Upgrade in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add garrytan/gstack --skill gstack-upgrade -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (gstack-upgrade in garrytan/gstack) into .claude/skills/gstack-upgrade in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install gstack Upgrade in Codex?

Run `npx skills add garrytan/gstack --skill gstack-upgrade -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (gstack-upgrade in garrytan/gstack) into .agents/skills/gstack-upgrade in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use gstack Upgrade in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add garrytan/gstack --skill gstack-upgrade -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/gstack-upgrade, .gemini/skills/gstack-upgrade, .github/skills/gstack-upgrade and .opencode/skills/gstack-upgrade in your project.

What does gstack Upgrade need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, gstack Upgrade needs a shell for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (git, bash and bun). Our summary lists: An existing gstack install, either global or vendored. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion.

Does gstack Upgrade access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is gstack Upgrade safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (pre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: bash)), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does gstack Upgrade use?

gstack Upgrade is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does gstack Upgrade use?

About 5.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 22k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to gstack Upgrade?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with gstack Upgrade: Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars), Using Agent Skills (addyosmani/agent-skills, 103k stars), Ponytail Help Card (DietrichGebert/ponytail, 158k stars) and Skill Creator (zhayujie/CowAgent, 47k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains gstack Upgrade?

garrytan (a GitHub user) maintains it in garrytan/gstack, which has 135,723 GitHub stars. The repository holds 57 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: garrytan/gstack on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.