How do I install the Gstack Upgrade skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add garrytan/gstack-upgrade in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Gstack Upgrade skill do?

Upgrade gstack to the latest version. It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Gstack Upgrade safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Gstack Upgrade?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Gstack Upgrade free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Gstack Upgrade?

garrytan (@garrytan) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Gstack Upgrade by garrytan — Agent Skill

Name: Gstack Upgrade
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: garrytan

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:

_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. If ./setup fails during auto-upgrade, restore from backup (.bak directory) and warn the user: "Auto-upgrade failed — restored previous version. Run /gstack-upgrade manually to retry."

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":

~/.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.

_SNOOZE_FILE="$HOME/.gstack/update-snoozed"
_REMOTE_VER="{new}"
_CUR_LEVEL=0
if [ -f "$_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":

~/.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

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"
else
  echo "ERROR: gstack not found"
  exit 1
fi
echo "Install type: $INSTALL_TYPE at $INSTALL_DIR"

The install type and directory path printed above will be used in all subsequent steps.

Step 3: Save old version

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

OLD_VERSION=$(cat "$INSTALL_DIR/VERSION" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")

Step 4: Upgrade

Use the install type and directory detected in Step 2:

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

cd "$INSTALL_DIR"
STASH_OUTPUT=$(git stash 2>&1)
git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main
./setup

If $STASH_OUTPUT contains "Saved working directory", warn the user: "Note: local changes were stashed. Run git stash pop in the skill directory to restore them."

For vendored installs (vendored, vendored-global):

PARENT=$(dirname "$INSTALL_DIR")
TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/garrytan/gstack.git "$TMP_DIR/gstack"
mv "$INSTALL_DIR" "$INSTALL_DIR.bak"
mv "$TMP_DIR/gstack" "$INSTALL_DIR"
cd "$INSTALL_DIR" && ./setup
rm -rf "$INSTALL_DIR.bak" "$TMP_DIR"

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:

_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
LOCAL_GSTACK=""
if [ -n "$_ROOT" ] && [ -d "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack" ]; then
  _RESOLVED_LOCAL=$(cd "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack" && pwd -P)
  _RESOLVED_PRIMARY=$(cd "$INSTALL_DIR" && pwd -P)
  if [ "$_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.

cd "$_ROOT"
git rm -r --cached .claude/skills/gstack/ 2>/dev/null || true
if ! grep -qF '.claude/skills/gstack/' .gitignore 2>/dev/null; then
  echo '.claude/skills/gstack/' >> .gitignore
fi
rm -rf "$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):

mv "$LOCAL_GSTACK" "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak"
cp -Rf "$INSTALL_DIR" "$LOCAL_GSTACK"
rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK/.git"
cd "$LOCAL_GSTACK" && ./setup
rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak"

Tell user: "Also updated vendored copy at $LOCAL_GSTACK — commit .claude/skills/gstack/ when you're ready."

If ./setup fails, restore from backup and warn the user:

rm -rf "$LOCAL_GSTACK"
mv "$LOCAL_GSTACK.bak" "$LOCAL_GSTACK"

Tell user: "Sync failed — restored previous version at $LOCAL_GSTACK. Run /gstack-upgrade manually to retry."

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).

MIGRATIONS_DIR="$INSTALL_DIR/gstack-upgrade/migrations"
if [ -d "$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 $m_ver..."
      bash "$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 5: Write marker + clear cache

mkdir -p ~/.gstack
echo "$OLD_VERSION" > ~/.gstack/just-upgraded-from
rm -f ~/.gstack/last-update-check
rm -f ~/.gstack/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):

Force a fresh update check (bypass cache):

~/.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.

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

PRIMARY_VER=$(cat "$INSTALL_DIR/VERSION" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
LOCAL_VER=$(cat "$LOCAL_GSTACK/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."

Source: garrytan/gstack → gstack-upgrade/SKILL.md

Gstack Upgrade

File contents

When to invoke this skill

/gstack-upgrade

Inline upgrade flow

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

Step 2: Detect install type

Step 3: Save old version

Step 4: Upgrade

Step 4.5: Handle local vendored copy

Step 4.75: Run version migrations

Step 5: Write marker + clear cache

Step 6: Show What's New

Step 7: Continue

Standalone usage

Frequently asked questions

Gstack Upgrade

File contents

When to invoke this skill

/gstack-upgrade

Inline upgrade flow

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

Step 2: Detect install type

Step 3: Save old version

Step 4: Upgrade

Step 4.5: Handle local vendored copy

Step 4.75: Run version migrations

Step 5: Write marker + clear cache

Step 6: Show What's New

Step 7: Continue

Standalone usage

Related skills

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Gstack Upgrade skill?

What does the Gstack Upgrade skill do?

Is Gstack Upgrade safe to use?

Which AI agents work with Gstack Upgrade?

Is Gstack Upgrade free to use?

Who published Gstack Upgrade?