# Refresh Cookiecutter-based repositories from their upstream template without losing local answers

> Use Cruft when an agent needs to pull new changes from a Cookiecutter template into an existing generated repository without redoing the project from scratch. The agent tracks the template origin, previews the diff, applies the update, and preserves the repository's saved answers and local customizations as carefully as possible.

- Skill: `agentskillexchange/refresh-cookiecutter-based-repositories-from-their-upstream-` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add agentskillexchange/refresh-cookiecutter-based-repositories-from-their-upstream-`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/agentskillexchange/refresh-cookiecutter-based-repositories-from-their-upstream-/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: agentskillexchange (https://skillmd.com/u/agentskillexchange)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/agentskillexchange/refresh-cookiecutter-based-repositories-from-their-upstream-

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# Refresh Cookiecutter-based repositories from their upstream template without losing local answers

Use Cruft when an agent needs to pull new changes from a Cookiecutter template into an existing generated repository without redoing the project from scratch. The agent tracks the template origin, previews the diff, applies the update, and preserves the repository's saved answers and local customizations as carefully as possible.

## Prerequisites

Python plus Cruft and a repository generated from a Cookiecutter template

## Installation

Requirements and caveats from upstream:
- [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/mashape/apistatus.svg)](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/cruft/)
- To get started - install cruft using a Python package manager:
- cruft create https://github.com/timothycrosley/cookiecutter-python/

Basic usage or getting-started notes:
- [![Build Status](https://github.com/cruft/cruft/workflows/Run%20tests/badge.svg)](https://github.com/cruft/cruft/actions?query=workflow%3A%22Run+tests%22+branch%3Amaster)
- ![Example Usage New Project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cruft/cruft/master/art/example.gif)
- ![Example Usage New Project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cruft/cruft/master/art/example_update.gif)

- Source: https://github.com/cruft/cruft
- Extracted from upstream docs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cruft/cruft/HEAD/README.md

## Documentation

- https://cruft.github.io/cruft/

## Source

- [Agent Skill Exchange](https://agentskillexchange.com/skills/refresh-cookiecutter-based-repositories-from-upstream-template/)