# Debug Renovate

> Use renovate-dryrun to test Renovate configuration locally. Use this skill when debugging or validating renovate.json5 changes.

- Skill: `majiayu000/debug-renovate` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add majiayu000/debug-renovate`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/debug-renovate/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/debug-renovate

---


# Debug Renovate Configuration

Test Renovate configuration changes locally with the `renovate-dryrun` command. This wrapper script runs Renovate in dry-run mode against the current repository and displays a formatted summary of proposed updates.

## Usage

```bash
# Basic usage
renovate-dryrun --token $GH_TOKEN > .z/renovate-dryrun.log

# Test specific branch (defaults to current branch)
renovate-dryrun --token $GH_TOKEN --branch feature/update-deps > .z/renovate-dryrun.log

# Debug mode with raw Renovate output
renovate-dryrun --token $GH_TOKEN --raw > .z/renovate-debug.log
```

The output displays proposed updates in this format:

```
[renovate/aws-5.x] chore(deps): update terraform aws to v5.68.0 (automerge: true)
  depName: aws
  version: 5.49.0 -> 5.68.0
  datasource: terraform-provider
  packageFile: terraform/tfaction/main.tf
```

## Important Notes

- You MUST validate `renovate.json5` configuration file in the current directory. To validate:
    ```bash
    # Validate renovate.json5 in current directory
    npx --package renovate -c 'renovate-config-validator renovate.json5'
    ```
- You SHOULD save output to `.z/` since the command takes time and produces extensive output:
- You MUST specify `--token $GH_TOKEN`. Use the `$GH_TOKEN` environment variable, not `$GITHUB_TOKEN`.