Dependency Upgrade

Handles the messy reality of major dependency upgrades with a structured approach that actually works. Runs compatibility checks against version matrices, generates migration scripts for breaking changes, and sets up staged rollout plans so you're not upgrading everything at once and breaking your build. Includes automated testing strategies, rollback procedures, and configurations for Renovate and Dependabot to keep dependencies current without the chaos. The compatibility matrix and codemod examples are solid for handling framework upgrades like React major versions where the breaking changes can be subtle but destructive.

skills.sh installs: 11.5K
GitHub stars: 42.4K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add wshobson/agents --skill dependency-upgrade --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

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npm outdated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yarn outdated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/