Updating Dex - Explained Simply

Updating Dex - Explained Simply

Last Updated: January 29, 2026

This guide explains how to get new features and improvements for Dex, written for people who've never used GitHub or command-line tools before.

The Big Picture: Why Updates Matter

What are updates?

Think of Dex like an app on your phone. Every few weeks, there are improvements:

• New features that make your work easier
• Bugs get fixed
• Things run smoother

The difference: Dex lives on your computer (not in an app store), so updating works differently.

What makes Dex updates safe:

Your data is completely separate from the Dex application. Updates only touch the application - never your notes, tasks, or projects.

It's like updating Microsoft Word. The app gets better, but your documents stay exactly as they are.

Your customizations are preserved too:

• CLAUDE.md personal notes: Anything between USER_EXTENSIONS_START/END is preserved during updates
• Custom MCP servers: Name them with user- or custom- (e.g., user-gmail) so updates always keep them

What You Need to Know First

You Have Two Versions of Dex

When you use Dex, there are actually TWO versions:

1. Your copy - Lives on your computer

   • Your notes, tasks, projects
   • Your customizations
   • Your daily work

2. The main version - Lives on GitHub

   • New features being added
   • Bug fixes
   • Improvements from other users

Updating means: Getting the improvements from the main version and adding them to your copy, without touching your data.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is like Dropbox for code.

Just like Dropbox stores your files in the cloud, GitHub stores Dex's files. But GitHub has special features that help:

• Track every change made to Dex
• Let you download improvements
• Keep your version and the main version in sync

Do you need a GitHub account?

Not for basic updates! You can:

• ✓ Check for updates (no account needed)
• ✓ Download updates (no account needed)
• ✓ Use all of Dex (no account needed)

When you DO need an account:

• If you want to save your copy of Dex on GitHub (like a backup)
• If you want to share improvements you make with others
• If you want to report problems

Creating a GitHub account is free and takes 2 minutes: github.com/signup

But again - not required for updating Dex.

What is Git?

Git is the tool that handles updates.

Think of it like this:

• GitHub = The website (like Dropbox.com)
• Git = The tool on your computer that talks to GitHub (like the Dropbox app)

Do you have Git?

Probably yes! If you followed the setup, you already have it.

To check, you'll type one command later. Don't worry - we'll tell you exactly what to do.

Updating Dex: The Simple Way

Step 1: Run the Update Command

In Cursor, in the chat where you talk to Dex, type:

/dex-update

Press Enter.

What happens:

Dex connects to GitHub, checks if there's a newer version, and shows you what's available.

You'll see one of two things:

Option A: You're up to date

✅ You're already on the latest version (v1.2.0)

No update needed!

Great! You're done. Come back in a few weeks.

Option B: An update is available

🎁 Dex v1.3.0 is available

You're on: v1.2.0
Latest: v1.3.0

What's new:
- Career coach improvements
- Task deduplication fix
- Meeting intelligence enhancement

[View full release notes]
[Update now]
[Cancel]

What this means:

• Someone (probably me) made Dex better
• Version 1.3.0 has new stuff
• You can get it by clicking [Update now]

Your choices:

1. [Update now] - Proceeds with the update (recommended)
2. [View full release notes] - Opens GitHub to see all details
3. [Cancel] - Exit without updating (you can run /dex-update again later)

Should you update?

Usually yes! Updates make things better. But you can cancel if:

• You're in the middle of something urgent
• You want to read the full release notes first
• You want to wait and see if others have problems

Note about "breaking changes":

Sometimes you'll see: ⚠️ BREAKING CHANGES

This means the update changes how something works in a big way. These are rare and come with extra instructions. Don't worry - the update process will guide you.

Step 2: Confirm and Update

If you clicked [Update now], here's what happens next:

/dex-update

Press Enter.

What happens next:

Dex will walk you through the update. Here's what to expect:

A. Dex Checks If You Have Git

You'll see:

✓ Git detected

If you see this instead:

❌ Git not detected

Dex updates require Git. Here's how to install...

Don't panic! Follow the simple instructions. It's a one-time thing:

On Mac:

1. Open Terminal (press Cmd+Space, type "Terminal", press Enter)
2. Type: xcode-select --install
3. Press Enter
4. Click "Install" when a window pops up
5. Wait 5 minutes for download
6. Come back to Cursor and try /dex-update again

On Windows:

1. Go to: https://git-scm.com/download/win
2. Click the download link
3. Run the installer (click Next on everything)
4. Restart Cursor
5. Try /dex-update again

This only happens once. After this, updates are automatic.

B. Dex Checks Your Setup

You'll see:

✓ Setup verified

If this is your first time updating, Dex might configure a few things behind the scenes. This is normal and automatic.

What's actually happening:

Dex is telling Git where to look for updates (on GitHub). Think of it like saving a bookmark in your browser.

C. Dex Downloads the Updates

You'll see:

⬇️ Downloading updates from GitHub...
✓ Updates downloaded

What's happening:

Dex is getting the new files from GitHub and bringing them to your computer.

This requires internet. If you see an error about network, check your WiFi and try again.

D. Dex Protects Your Work

You'll see:

💾 Saving your work...
✓ Your work is saved

What's happening:

Before changing anything, Dex saves a snapshot of how things are right now. It's like creating a restore point on your computer.

Why this matters:

If something goes wrong (very rare), you can undo the update instantly with /dex-rollback.

This makes updating completely safe. You can always go back.

E. Dex Applies the Updates

You'll see:

🔄 Applying updates...

What's happening:

Dex is carefully updating its own files (the application) while leaving your files (your data) completely alone.

Two possible outcomes:

Outcome 1: Clean update (most common)

✓ Updates applied successfully

This means the update fit perfectly with your setup. No problems. This happens 95% of the time.

Outcome 2: Overlapping changes (rare)

Sometimes both you AND the main version changed the same file. For example:

• You customized a skill
• The update also changed that skill

You'll see:

🔍 Resolving overlapping changes...

Found changes in the same files:
- CLAUDE.md (your version vs update version)

Automatically keeping: Your customizations
Automatically updating: Core Dex features

✓ Resolved automatically

What Dex does automatically:

For each file with overlapping changes:

Translation: Your stuff stays yours. Dex improvements come through. Conflicts resolved automatically.

You don't need to do anything. Dex handles this.

F. Dex Updates Dependencies

You'll see:

📦 Updating dependencies...
✓ Dependencies updated

What are dependencies?

Think of Dex like a car. The car (Dex) needs certain parts to work: tires, battery, engine.

Dependencies are those parts. When Dex updates, sometimes it needs newer parts.

What's happening:

Dex is automatically installing or updating these parts. You don't need to do anything.

This takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on your internet.

G. Dex Verifies Everything

You'll see:

✓ Update complete! Now testing...
✅ Update successful!

What's happening:

Dex is checking that everything works:

• Can it find your tasks?
• Can it read your profile?
• Are all the features working?

If anything fails, Dex will offer to undo the update automatically.

Step 3: Confirmation

You'll see a summary:

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✅ Dex Updated: v1.2.0 → v1.3.0
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

What's new:
• Career coach improvements
• Task deduplication fix
• Meeting intelligence enhancement

Your data:
✓ All notes preserved
✓ All tasks preserved
✓ All customizations preserved

Time taken: 2 minutes

You're done! The new features are ready to use.

Step 4: Try It Out

Test that everything works:

1. Run your daily plan:

   /daily-plan
   

2. Open a person page:

   • Go to 05-Areas/People/ and open someone

3. Check your tasks:

   • Open 03-Tasks/Tasks.md

Everything should work normally, plus you'll have the new features from the update.

If Something Goes Wrong

The Instant Undo Button

If anything feels wrong after updating, type:

/dex-rollback

What happens:

Dex instantly restores everything to exactly how it was before you updated.

How long it takes: 30 seconds

What gets restored:

• ✓ Dex features go back to old version
• ✓ All your notes, tasks, projects stay as they are

Translation: You tried the update, didn't like it, and now you're back to the old version. Your work is completely safe.

You can try updating again later, or just stay on the old version.

Understanding How This Works (Optional)

This section is for people who want to understand what's happening behind the scenes. You can skip this if you're happy just using the commands.

Why GitHub?

Dex is "open source" - this means:

• Anyone can see how it works
• Anyone can improve it
• It's free forever
• You're not locked into a company

GitHub is where open source projects live. It's like a public workshop where improvements happen.

Your copy of Dex is completely yours. It's on your computer, not on GitHub. But GitHub is where the "official" version lives, with all the latest improvements.

What Git Actually Does

When you run /dex-update, here's what Git does:

1. Looks at GitHub - "What's new since I last checked?"

2. Downloads the changes - "Let me grab those new features"

3. Merges them into your copy - "Let me carefully add these without touching your data"

Why is this better than just re-downloading Dex?

If you re-downloaded Dex, you'd have to:

• Delete your old version
• Download new version
• Copy all your files over manually
• Hope you didn't miss anything

Git does all this automatically in 2 minutes, without you lifting a finger.

What "Version Control" Means

Git is a "version control" system. Think of it like Track Changes in Microsoft Word, but for an entire application.

Every time someone improves Dex:

• Git records exactly what changed
• Git can show you the difference
• Git can combine improvements from multiple people
• Git can undo changes if something breaks

For you, this means:

• Updates are precise (only what changed gets updated)
• Your customizations are preserved (Git knows what you changed)
• Rollback is instant (Git remembers previous versions)

The "Upstream" Concept

When you first downloaded Dex, you downloaded it from GitHub. That GitHub location is called the "upstream" source.

Think of it like a river:

• Upstream = Where the water comes from (main Dex on GitHub)
• Your location = Where you are (Dex on your computer)

Updates flow downstream to you.

/dex-update is just asking: "What's new upstream? Let me get it."

Why Your Data Is Safe

Your data is in folders that Git ignores:

• 00-Inbox/
• 03-Tasks/
• 04-Projects/
• 05-Areas/
• All your notes and work

Git is told: "Never track these folders. Never change them. Never touch them."

It's in a file called .gitignore that explicitly lists everything to ignore.

So when updates come in, Git sees your data and thinks: "Not my job, skip these."

This is why updates can't hurt your data. Git literally doesn't see it.

Automatic Update Checks

You don't have to remember to check for updates.

Every 7 days, during /daily-plan, Dex automatically checks GitHub and tells you if an update is available:

🎁 Dex v1.3.0 is available. Run /dex-update to see what's new and update.

---

Here's your plan for today...

It's non-intrusive - just a heads up at the top of your daily plan.

You decide when to update. Dex will never update itself without you asking. Running /dex-update shows you what's new and asks for confirmation before proceeding.

Want to disable these notifications?

Edit System/user-profile.yaml and add:

updates:
  auto_check: false

FAQs for Non-Technical Users

Do I need to update?

Not required, but recommended. Updates make things better:

• New features
• Bug fixes
• Performance improvements

Your current version will keep working fine. But you miss out on improvements.

Good rule: Update monthly, or when you see a feature you want.

How often do updates come out?

Every few weeks to every few months, depending on what's being improved.

You'll know when they're available because of the automatic check during /daily-plan.

Will I lose my work?

No. Never. Impossible.

Your work is in protected folders that updates don't touch. It's technically impossible for an update to delete your notes, tasks, or projects.

The worst that can happen: A new feature doesn't work right. But your data is always safe.

And if anything breaks, /dex-rollback undoes the update in 30 seconds.

What if my internet is slow?

The download step might take 3-5 minutes instead of 30 seconds. But it will complete.

The update process is patient - it won't time out.

Can I skip an update?

Yes! If v1.3.0 comes out and you don't update, then v1.4.0 comes out, you can jump straight from v1.2.0 to v1.4.0.

Git handles this automatically.

What are "breaking changes"?

Very rarely (maybe once a year), an update changes something in a big way. Examples:

• Renaming a major folder
• Changing how a feature works
• Updating the configuration format

These are marked with ⚠️ BREAKING CHANGES in the release notes.

What to do:

The update process will guide you with extra steps (usually just running one extra command). It's still safe and still has rollback.

Breaking changes come with:

• Clear explanation of what's changing
• Why it's changing
• Step-by-step migration instructions
• Extra safety checks

Don't avoid them - just read the notes carefully first.

Can I see what will change before updating?

Yes! When you run:

/dex-update

Dex shows you the release notes and asks for confirmation before proceeding. You can:

• Read what's new
• View full release notes on GitHub
• Choose [Update now] or [Cancel]

You're never forced to update - you always confirm first.

What if I made changes to Dex itself?

Customizations in recommended places:

• .claude/skills-custom/ - Your custom skills
• core/mcp-custom/ - Your custom integrations
• CLAUDE-custom.md - Your prompt customizations

These are protected. Updates won't touch them.

Changes to core Dex files:

If you edited a core file (like .claude/skills/daily-plan/SKILL.md), and an update also changes that file, Dex will:

1. Detect the overlap
2. Ask which version to keep
   • In Cursor or Claude Code, Dex shows a guided choice with clickable buttons
   • If neither tool is available, Dex shows a text prompt with the same options + tradeoffs
3. Usually keep your version (your customizations)

But better practice: Put your customizations in the -custom folders so they never conflict.

Can I undo an undo?

Yes! When you run /dex-rollback, Dex saves a snapshot before rolling back.

So if you rollback and then think "wait, I want the update back," you can restore it.

The rollback skill explains this.

What if the update fails halfway through?

Dex is careful about this. If something fails:

1. The update stops immediately
2. Dex offers to restore to before the update
3. You're back to where you started (safe)
4. You can report the problem or try again later

You're never left in a broken state. Either the update completes successfully, or it rolls back automatically.

Different Ways to Update (Summary)

Option 1: Automatic (Recommended)

/dex-update

• Easiest
• Safest
• Handles everything
• Use this method

Option 2: Manual (Advanced Users Only)

If you're comfortable with command-line tools and want to see exactly what's changing:

cd ~/Documents/dex
git fetch upstream
git merge upstream/main

Only use this if you understand Git. Everyone else should use /dex-update.

Option 3: Re-download (Last Resort)

If Git isn't working or you just want a fresh start:

1. Download latest Dex from GitHub as a ZIP
2. Copy your data folders (00-07, System/) from old to new
3. Delete old Dex folder
4. Rename new folder to 'dex'
5. Open in Cursor

This works but takes 10-15 minutes vs. 2 minutes for /dex-update.

Getting Help

Something Broke and Rollback Didn't Fix It

1. Don't panic - Your data is safe (it's in separate folders)

2. Report the issue:

   • Go to: https://github.com/davekilleen/dex/issues
   • Click "New Issue"
   • Describe what happened and what you see

3. Temporary workaround:

   • Re-download Dex
   • Copy your data folders back
   • Continue working while we fix the bug

Questions About What Changed

• Read release notes: https://github.com/davekilleen/dex/releases
• Or run: /dex-update (shows release notes before asking to proceed)

Want to Learn More About Git

• GitHub's guide: https://guides.github.com/introduction/git-handbook/
• Git for non-programmers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JJ101D3knE

But remember: You don't need to learn Git to use Dex. The /dex-update command handles it all.

Summary: The 2-Minute Update

Update Dex:

/dex-update

Shows what's new, you confirm, it updates.

Undo if needed:

/dex-rollback

Instantly restores previous version.

That's it. Two commands. Your data is always safe. You can always undo.

Updates should improve your work, not create anxiety. If you're ever unsure, just ask in Cursor chat: "Should I update to v1.3.0?" and Dex will explain what's new.

Remember: Dex is yours. Update when you want, skip updates if you want, rollback if something feels off. You're in control.