Skills wshobson agents

dependency-upgrade

Use it when:
You're moving a JavaScript project to a new major version of a framework or library, or clearing out outdated and vulnerable packages.
It does:
Audits what's outdated, maps compatible versions, then upgrades in three phases, one package at a time with tests after each, rolling back if they fail.
You get:
An UPGRADE_PLAN.md with the upgrade order, an updated package.json and lockfile, and compatibility tests.
Also covers:
jscodeshift codemods for breaking changes, Renovate and Dependabot configs, lockfile commands and peer-dependency conflicts.

TL;DR

A staged process with npm and yarn commands, using a React upgrade as the running example. It opens with semantic versioning and the ^ and ~ ranges, then audits with npm outdated, npm audit and npm-check-updates and traces why a package is installed. A compatibility matrix records which versions of related packages go together, such as React with react-dom, React Router and Testing Library. Phase 1 lists current versions, reads changelogs and migration guides, and writes the upgrade order to UPGRADE_PLAN.md: TypeScript, then React, React Router, testing libraries and build tools. Phase 2 upgrades one package, and one major version, at a time, running tests and the build after each. Phase 3 adds tests that check matching versions and no peer-dependency warnings. Breaking changes get codemods (jscodeshift scripts that rewrite code, tried with a dry run first) or a custom find-and-replace script. Testing covers unit, integration, snapshot and Cypress end-to-end tests. A rollback script upgrades on a branch and commits only if tests pass. It ends with a Renovate config that auto-merges minor and patch updates but not majors, a weekly Dependabot config, and commands for lockfiles, peer dependencies and workspaces.

Summarizes the skill at 4bde316.

npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill dependency-upgrade
Total Downloads
11,500 on skills.sh, Nov 9, 2026
Repo stars
42,334 wshobson/agents
First seen
Jan 20, 2026 on skills.sh
Weekly Downloads
157
-19% over the 8 weeks to Nov 9
Weekly values
Week toInstalls
Sep 21195
Sep 28225
Oct 5265
Oct 12207
Oct 19186
Oct 26186
Nov 2176
Nov 9157
Category

Test-first work, implementation from specs, git hygiene and scope control.

Everything for building software: planning, coding, debugging, design, frameworks, cloud, agents and skills.

Type

A multi-step process the agent follows: interview, debug, run a TDD loop, review.

Effect

Its own steps create or change files, git state or local tools.

Needs

Instructions only. Works in any agent that supports skills.

Publisher

Everyone else. Unverified vendor claims default to community.

Topics
Stack

SKILL.md

From wshobson/agents at 4bde316. Checked daily, last changed Nov 6, 2026.

Frontmatter
name: dependency-upgrade
description: Manage major dependency version upgrades with compatibility analysis, staged rollout, and comprehensive testing. Use when upgrading framework versions, updating major dependencies, or managing breaking changes in libraries.

Dependency Upgrade

Master major dependency version upgrades, compatibility analysis, staged upgrade strategies, and comprehensive testing approaches.

When to Use This Skill

  • Upgrading major framework versions
  • Updating security-vulnerable dependencies
  • Modernizing legacy dependencies
  • Resolving dependency conflicts
  • Planning incremental upgrade paths
  • Testing compatibility matrices
  • Automating dependency updates

Semantic Versioning Review

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 2.3.1)

MAJOR: Breaking changes
MINOR: New features, backward compatible
PATCH: Bug fixes, backward compatible

^2.3.1 = >=2.3.1 <3.0.0 (minor updates)
~2.3.1 = >=2.3.1 <2.4.0 (patch updates)
2.3.1 = exact version

Dependency Analysis

Audit Dependencies
# npm
npm outdated
npm audit
npm audit fix

# yarn
yarn outdated
yarn audit

# Check for major updates
npx npm-check-updates
npx npm-check-updates -u  # Update package.json
Analyze Dependency Tree
# See why a package is installed
npm ls package-name
yarn why package-name

# Find duplicate packages
npm dedupe
yarn dedupe

# Visualize dependencies
npx madge --image graph.png src/

Compatibility Matrix

// compatibility-matrix.js
const compatibilityMatrix = {
  react: {
    "16.x": {
      "react-dom": "^16.0.0",
      "react-router-dom": "^5.0.0",
      "@testing-library/react": "^11.0.0",
    },
    "17.x": {
      "react-dom": "^17.0.0",
      "react-router-dom": "^5.0.0 || ^6.0.0",
      "@testing-library/react": "^12.0.0",
    },
    "18.x": {
      "react-dom": "^18.0.0",
      "react-router-dom": "^6.0.0",
      "@testing-library/react": "^13.0.0",
    },
  },
};

function checkCompatibility(packages) {
  // Validate package versions against matrix
}

Staged Upgrade Strategy

Phase 1: Planning
# 1. Identify current versions
npm list --depth=0

# 2. Check for breaking changes
# Read CHANGELOG.md and MIGRATION.md

# 3. Create upgrade plan
echo "Upgrade order:
1. TypeScript
2. React
3. React Router
4. Testing libraries
5. Build tools" > UPGRADE_PLAN.md
Phase 2: Incremental Updates
# Don't upgrade everything at once!

# Step 1: Update TypeScript
npm install typescript@latest

# Test
npm run test
npm run build

# Step 2: Update React (one major version at a time)
npm install react@17 react-dom@17

# Test again
npm run test

# Step 3: Continue with other packages
npm install react-router-dom@6

# And so on...
Phase 3: Validation
// tests/compatibility.test.js
describe("Dependency Compatibility", () => {
  it("should have compatible React versions", () => {
    const reactVersion = require("react/package.json").version;
    const reactDomVersion = require("react-dom/package.json").version;

    expect(reactVersion).toBe(reactDomVersion);
  });

  it("should not have peer dependency warnings", () => {
    // Run npm ls and check for warnings
  });
});

Breaking Change Handling

Identifying Breaking Changes
# Check the changelog directly
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/facebook/react/master/CHANGELOG.md
Codemod for Automated Fixes
# Run jscodeshift with transform URL
npx jscodeshift -t <transform-url> <path>

# Example: Rename unsafe lifecycle methods
npx jscodeshift -t https://raw.githubusercontent.com/reactjs/react-codemod/master/transforms/rename-unsafe-lifecycles.js src/

# For TypeScript files
npx jscodeshift -t https://raw.githubusercontent.com/reactjs/react-codemod/master/transforms/rename-unsafe-lifecycles.js --parser=tsx src/

# Dry run to preview changes
npx jscodeshift -t https://raw.githubusercontent.com/reactjs/react-codemod/master/transforms/rename-unsafe-lifecycles.js --dry src/
Custom Migration Script
// migration-script.js
const fs = require("fs");
const glob = require("glob");

glob("src/**/*.tsx", (err, files) => {
  files.forEach((file) => {
    let content = fs.readFileSync(file, "utf8");

    // Replace old API with new API
    content = content.replace(
      /componentWillMount/g,
      "UNSAFE_componentWillMount",
    );

    // Update imports
    content = content.replace(
      /import { Component } from 'react'/g,
      "import React, { Component } from 'react'",
    );

    fs.writeFileSync(file, content);
  });
});

Testing Strategy

Unit Tests
// Ensure tests pass before and after upgrade
npm run test

// Update test utilities if needed
npm install @testing-library/react@latest
Integration Tests
// tests/integration/app.test.js
describe("App Integration", () => {
  it("should render without crashing", () => {
    render(<App />);
  });

  it("should handle navigation", () => {
    const { getByText } = render(<App />);
    fireEvent.click(getByText("Navigate"));
    expect(screen.getByText("New Page")).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});
Visual Regression Tests
// visual-regression.test.js
describe("Visual Regression", () => {
  it("should match snapshot", () => {
    const { container } = render(<App />);
    expect(container.firstChild).toMatchSnapshot();
  });
});
E2E Tests
// cypress/e2e/app.cy.js
describe("E2E Tests", () => {
  it("should complete user flow", () => {
    cy.visit("/");
    cy.get('[data-testid="login"]').click();
    cy.get('input[name="email"]').type("user@example.com");
    cy.get('button[type="submit"]').click();
    cy.url().should("include", "/dashboard");
  });
});

Automated Dependency Updates

Renovate Configuration
// renovate.json
{
  "extends": ["config:base"],
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "automerge": true
    },
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
      "automerge": false,
      "labels": ["major-update"]
    }
  ],
  "schedule": ["before 3am on Monday"],
  "timezone": "America/New_York"
}
Dependabot Configuration
# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 5
    reviewers:
      - "team-leads"
    commit-message:
      prefix: "chore"
      include: "scope"

Rollback Plan

// rollback.sh
#!/bin/bash

# Save current state
git stash
git checkout -b upgrade-branch

# Attempt upgrade
npm install package@latest

# Run tests
if npm run test; then
  echo "Upgrade successful"
  git add package.json package-lock.json
  git commit -m "chore: upgrade package"
else
  echo "Upgrade failed, rolling back"
  git checkout main
  git branch -D upgrade-branch
  npm install  # Restore from package-lock.json
fi

Common Upgrade Patterns

Lock File Management
# npm
npm install --package-lock-only  # Update lock file only
npm ci  # Clean install from lock file

# yarn
yarn install --frozen-lockfile  # CI mode
yarn upgrade-interactive  # Interactive upgrades
Peer Dependency Resolution
# npm 7+: strict peer dependencies
npm install --legacy-peer-deps  # Ignore peer deps

# npm 8+: override peer dependencies
npm install --force
Workspace Upgrades
# Update all workspace packages
npm install --workspaces

# Update specific workspace
npm install package@latest --workspace=packages/app