6cfa0c55d2
Removes kilo, kimi, kimi-code, copilot, windsurf, augment, trae, qwen, hermes, cline, codebuddy and pi end to end: capability descriptors, installer branches and converters (bin/install.js 14.9k -> 11.2k lines), TypeScript converters, hook surfaces and runtime homes, review lanes qwen/kimi-code, the two pi migrations, Kimi payload normalization in the hook guards, dead hostBehaviors vocabulary, launcher home probes, fixtures, runtime-specific tests and the prose that presented them as supported. Installer output for the six kept runtimes is byte-identical to before the prune. The Kimi tool-vocabulary tests in workflow-guard, read-guard and read-injection-scanner are left in place pending a decision.
9.2 KiB
How to update MSD Core
Update an existing MSD Core install to the latest release, preview the changelog before committing, and recover any local customisations that the update would overwrite.
What you need: The same runtime MSD is installed for. The update command re-runs the installer under the hood, so it needs Node.js and npx available (same requirement as the original install).
The standard update path
From inside your AI runtime, run:
/msd-update
MSD will:
- Detect the installed version and install scope (global or local).
- Check npm for the latest release of
@golem15/msd-core. - Fetch the changelog and show you what changed between your installed version and the latest.
- Ask for confirmation before touching anything.
- Back up any user-added files found inside MSD-managed directories to
msd-user-files-backup/. - Run the installer (
npx @golem15/msd-core@latest --<runtime> --<scope>). - Clear the update-check cache so the statusline indicator resets.
- Offer to restore the user-added files it backed up in step 5.
- Report whether locally modified MSD files were backed up to
msd-local-patches/.
Before reporting completion, the installer checks each MSD-managed script and interpreter path written into runtime configuration, resolving the interpreter against the current install-time PATH. This only proves the path resolves now — a hook fired later under a different, more restricted PATH (e.g. a GUI launcher) can still fail even after this check passes.
If a script is missing, unreadable, has the wrong file type, lacks a required execute permission, or its interpreter cannot be resolved, the update fails and reports every invalid path, each tagged with what happens to that runtime's config next. For Claude Code and other settings.json-based runtimes, this check runs before the update writes settings.json, so nothing new is persisted (an earlier settings.json/settings.local.json migration, if one applied, is the one exception and stays applied) — reported as "not persisted". For Codex, this reverts config.toml/hooks.json along with the rest of that runtime's pre-install snapshot (skills/, agents/, msd-core/VERSION) — reported as "reverted". For Cursor, the runtime's config file is already written earlier in the update, ahead of this check, so a failure is reported but that file is left in place, broken — reported as "NOT reverted". Fix the reported path problem and rerun /msd-update — do not restart into the incomplete update.
Restart your runtime after a successful update to pick up new commands and agents.
If the update target cannot be resolved
UPDATE_TARGET_UNRESOLVED means MSD could not identify an installed runtime to update. No update, cache clear, or installer run occurred. Rerun /msd-update from a valid installed runtime, or use the standard installer for a fresh install.
Flags
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
--sync |
After updating, sync skills from the MSD registry |
--reapply |
After updating, merge locally modified MSD files back in from msd-local-patches/ |
--next / --rc |
Target the @next RC dist-tag instead of @latest (installs or refreshes a release candidate; see ADR #660) |
/msd-update --sync # Update and sync skills
/msd-update --reapply # Update and reapply local patches
/msd-update --next # Install from the @next RC dist-tag
Install or refresh a release candidate
MSD publishes release candidates on the @next npm dist-tag (established by ADR #660). To install or refresh from that channel:
/msd-update --next
# or equivalently:
/msd-update --rc
The full update flow applies — scope/runtime detection, changelog preview, custom-file backup, and cache clearing all run normally. The only difference is that check-latest-version.cjs resolves the @next tag and npx installs from @golem15/msd-core@next.
Only latest and next are supported channels; no arbitrary dist-tag can be passed (the script enforces an allowlist and exits with code 2 on an invalid tag).
Omitting --next/--rc keeps targeting @latest (stable channel, no change in behavior).
Reviewing the changelog before updating
/msd-update always shows the changelog diff between your installed version and the latest before it asks for confirmation. You do not need to visit GitHub separately. The output looks like:
## MSD Update Available
Installed: 1.39.0
Latest: 1.41.0
### What's New
---
[changelog entries for 1.40.0 and 1.41.0]
---
Proceed with update? [Yes, update now / No, cancel]
If the changelog cannot be fetched (no network access, npm outage), the update still proceeds after confirmation — it does not block on changelog availability.
Recovering local customisations
Files you added inside MSD-managed directories
If you placed custom files inside directories that MSD owns (for example, custom agents prefixed with msd- or extra files in commands/msd/), the installer detects them and copies them to msd-user-files-backup/ before wiping those directories.
After the new version is installed, the update offers to put them back. You get a list of what was backed up, then a choice:
- Restore them now — each file is copied back to its original location and the update reports what it restored.
- Leave them in the backup — nothing is copied; the backup stays exactly where it is.
Either way the backup is never deleted, so declining is not destructive and you can restore later.
Before copying anything back, the restore runs a compatibility pass against the version that was just installed and attaches a warning to any file that looks like it may no longer work — one that references a workflow or /msd: command the new release retired, or a skill missing its name / description frontmatter. Warnings are advisory: the file is still restored, with the warning shown next to it, so you can decide whether to fix it.
Two cases are skipped rather than restored, because restoring would destroy something:
- The new release now ships a file at that exact path (your custom file would overwrite MSD's).
- A different file is already sitting at that path (restoring would overwrite your current version).
Both stay in the backup and are reported with the reason.
To restore later — or after an update where you declined — run the same operation directly:
node <config-dir>/msd-core/bin/msd-tools.cjs restore-custom-files --config-dir <config-dir> --apply
Drop --apply to preview what would be restored without writing anything.
Files you placed outside MSD-managed directories — custom agents not prefixed with msd-, custom commands outside commands/msd/, your CLAUDE.md files, and custom hooks — are never touched by the installer.
MSD files you modified directly
If you edited a file that MSD installed (for example, tweaking an agent's system prompt), the installer detects the modification via a hash comparison against its manifest, backs the file up to msd-local-patches/, and then replaces it with the new version. After the update:
/msd-update --reapply
This merges your modifications from msd-local-patches/ back into the newly installed files.
If you skipped --reapply after a previous update and want to apply patches now:
/msd-update --reapply
It is safe to run --reapply on its own without triggering a new download — if you are already on the latest version, MSD skips the install step and goes straight to reapplying patches.
When npm is unavailable
If npx @golem15/msd-core@latest fails due to an npm outage, network restrictions, or because you are working from the source repository, use the manual update procedure in docs/manual-update.md. That document covers pulling the latest commit, building the hooks dist, and running node bin/install.js directly.
If you are already on the latest version
/msd-update exits early with a confirmation message — no download, no install, no restart needed.
Installer migrations
Each MSD release may include installer migrations that rename, move, or retire managed files. The migration layer runs automatically before the new package payload is written. Migrations that would affect files you have modified prompt for confirmation rather than acting silently. For the full design and runtime-configuration contract registry, see docs/installer-migrations.md.
Related
CLI version-skew warning
MSD warns (to stderr, non-blocking) when the resolved msd-tools.cjs is outside your project root while a project-local install exists — a sign that a global install (often a retired @gsd-build/sdk canary) is shadowing your project-local MSD. The warning names the resolved path and, for the @gsd-build/sdk case, gives the removal command:
npm uninstall -g @gsd-build/sdk
If you see this warning, remove the stale global package so msd_run resolves the project-local install.