Navigator Upgrade Skill
Automate Navigator plugin updates with version detection, conflict resolution, and post-update validation.
When to Invoke
Auto-invoke when user says:
- "Update Navigator"
- "Upgrade Navigator plugin"
- "Get latest Navigator version"
- "Update to Navigator v3.3.0"
- "Install new Navigator features"
- "Check for Navigator updates"
What This Does
6-Step Workflow:
- Version Detection: Check current Navigator version vs latest
- Plugin Update: Execute
/plugin update navigator - Verification: Confirm update succeeded
- CLAUDE.md Update: Update project configuration (via nav-sync-claude)
- Hooks Setup: Install/update token monitoring hooks in project
- Feature Discovery: Show new features available
Time Savings: Manual update (10-15 min) → Automated (2 min)
Prerequisites
- Navigator plugin installed
- Project initialized with Navigator
- Internet connection for plugin update
Workflow Protocol
Step 1: Version Detection
Execute: version_detector.py
Check both stable and pre-release versions:
bash# Current installed version grep '"version"' .claude-plugin/plugin.json # Get all releases (including pre-releases) curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/alekspetrov/navigator/releases # Parse: # - Latest stable (prerelease: false) # - Latest pre-release (prerelease: true) # - Compare with current version
Output scenarios:
Scenario 1: Stable update available
json{ "current_version": "4.0.0", "latest_stable": "4.2.0", "latest_prerelease": null, "recommendation": "update_to_stable" }
Scenario 2: Pre-release available (user on stable)
json{ "current_version": "4.0.0", "latest_stable": "4.0.0", "latest_prerelease": "4.3.0", "recommendation": "offer_prerelease_option" }
Present choice:
✅ You're on the latest stable version (v4.0.0) ⚡ Experimental version available: v4.3.0 New in v4.3.0 (Experimental): • Multi-Claude agentic workflows • 30% success rate (use for simple features) • PM integration with ticket closing Options: [1] Stay on stable v4.0.0 (recommended) [2] Try experimental v4.3.0 (early adopter) Your choice [1-2]:
Scenario 3: Already on latest (stable or pre-release)
✅ You're on v4.3.0 (latest experimental) Latest stable: v4.0.0 Status: You're ahead of stable (testing experimental features) New features in your version: - Multi-Claude workflows - Task agents in sub-Claude phases
Skip to Step 5 (Feature Discovery).
Scenario 4: On pre-release, newer stable available
⚠️ You're on v4.3.0 (experimental) Latest stable: v4.6.0 Recommendation: Update to stable v4.6.0 Experimental features from v4.3.0 are now stable.
Step 2: Plugin Update
Scenario-based update strategy:
Scenario 2: Pre-release Available (User on Stable)
When pre-release detected, present choice using AskUserQuestion tool:
markdown✅ You're on latest stable version (v4.0.0) ⚡ Experimental version available: v4.3.0 New in v4.3.0 (Experimental): • Multi-Claude agentic workflows • 30% success rate (use for simple features) • PM integration with ticket closing **Question**: Which version would you like? **Options**: [1] **Stay on stable v4.0.0** (recommended) - Production-ready - No experimental features - Most reliable [2] **Try experimental v4.3.0** (early adopter) - Multi-Claude workflows - Latest features - 30% completion rate - Help test new functionality Your choice?
If user chooses [1] (Stay stable):
✓ Staying on v4.0.0 (latest stable) No action needed. Run nav-upgrade again when you're ready to try experimental features.
If user chooses [2] (Try experimental):
bash# Uninstall current version /plugin uninstall navigator # Add marketplace (if not already added) /plugin marketplace add alekspetrov/navigator # Install specific pre-release version # Note: /plugin update only fetches stable, must install specific version git clone https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator.git /tmp/navigator-v4.3.0 cd /tmp/navigator-v4.3.0 git checkout v4.3.0 # Install from local checkout /plugin install /tmp/navigator-v4.3.0
Then verify installation:
bash/plugin list | grep navigator # Should show: navigator (v4.3.0)
Scenario 1: Stable Update Available
Execute: /plugin update navigator
Monitor output:
Updating navigator... ✅ Navigator updated to v4.2.0
If update fails:
❌ Update failed: [error message] Troubleshooting: 1. Restart Claude Code 2. Try: /plugin uninstall navigator && /plugin install navigator 3. Check internet connection 4. Report issue: https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator/issues
Automatic retry (once): If update fails, try uninstall/reinstall automatically:
bash/plugin uninstall navigator /plugin marketplace add alekspetrov/navigator /plugin install navigator
Step 3: Verification
Execute: plugin_verifier.py
Verify:
- Plugin version matches latest
- New skills registered in plugin.json
- Skills are invokable
Test new skills (v3.3.0 example):
bash# Test that visual-regression skill exists ls ~/.config/claude/plugins/navigator/skills/visual-regression/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null || echo "Skill not found"
Output:
✅ Update Verification Version: v3.3.0 ✅ New Skills Registered: visual-regression ✅ Skills Invokable: ✅ Update successful!
If verification fails:
⚠️ Update completed but verification failed Issue: visual-regression skill not found Fix: Restart Claude Code to reload skills After restarting, verify: "Set up visual regression for Button"
Prompt user to restart Claude Code.
IMPORTANT - Restart Required After All Updates:
Claude Code caches skill paths at session start. Even successful updates require a restart to load new skills:
⚠️ RESTART REQUIRED Plugin updated successfully to vX.Y.Z. Claude Code caches skill paths at session start. To use new/updated skills: 1. Close Claude Code 2. Reopen Claude Code 3. Run "nav start" to verify new version Without restart: - Old skill versions continue running - New skills won't be available - May see "skill not found" errors
This is a Claude Code behavior, not a Navigator issue. The plugin files update correctly, but the active session continues using cached skill paths from the old version.
Step 4: Update Project CLAUDE.md (Automatic)
After plugin update, automatically invoke: nav-sync-claude skill
🔄 Syncing project CLAUDE.md with updated plugin... ✓ Using template from GitHub (v4.3.0) ✓ Extracted customizations ✓ Generated updated CLAUDE.md
What happens automatically:
- Detects new plugin version (e.g., v4.3.0)
- Fetches matching template from GitHub
- Preserves project customizations
- Updates CLAUDE.md in current project
- Shows diff for review
Template sync benefits:
- ✅ CLAUDE.md always matches installed plugin version
- ✅ No template drift (v4.0 templates with v4.3 plugin)
- ✅ Pre-release templates accessible
- ✅ Offline fallback to bundled templates
User action required:
Review changes and commit: git add CLAUDE.md git commit -m "chore: update CLAUDE.md to Navigator v4.3.0"
See: nav-sync-claude skill for details.
Step 5: Migrate Legacy Hooks Out of .claude/settings.json
v6.13.0+: Navigator's lifecycle hooks now ship with the plugin manifest
(.claude-plugin/plugin.json's top-level hooks field). Claude Code only
substitutes ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} for hooks declared in a plugin manifest,
so the prior approach (merging hooks into the project's .claude/settings.json)
produced broken commands like /hooks/X.py (empty expansion). Hooks ship
with the plugin from v6.13.0 onwards.
For existing installs, the old hook entries are duplicated in
.claude/settings.json and must be removed to prevent double-firing:
bashPLUGIN_DIR="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/navigator-marketplace/navigator}" if [ ! -d "$PLUGIN_DIR" ]; then PLUGIN_DIR="$HOME/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/navigator-marketplace" fi python3 "$PLUGIN_DIR/skills/nav-upgrade/functions/migrate_hooks_out_of_settings.py" \ .claude/settings.json # Output: # ✓ Backup written → .claude/settings.json.pre-migrate.<timestamp> # ✓ Removed N Navigator hook entries (commands path matched) # ✓ Preserved K unrelated user hooks
Behavior:
- Conservative match: command string must contain BOTH
hooks/AND one of the known Navigator hook names (nav_session_start,nav_pre_compact,nav_post_compact,nav_workflow_state,nav_read_guard,nav_task_graph_sync,nav_profile_sync,nav_commit_reminder,nav_brief,token_monitor,workflow_enforcer). - Writes a
.pre-migrate.<timestamp>backup before any change. - Logs every removed entry to stderr.
- Idempotent: re-running on an already-migrated file is a no-op.
- Never touches entries with unrelated commands.
Fresh installs do not need this step — they never had hooks in
.claude/settings.json to begin with.
v7.0.0 migration note: the nine per-hook scripts were replaced by a
single dispatcher (hooks/nav_dispatch.py) routing to hooks/ops/* — the
old files no longer exist in the plugin. Any consumer settings.json entry
still referencing an old hook path (e.g. hooks/nav_session_start.py,
hooks/workflow_enforcer.py, hooks/nav_brief.py) is stale and now fails
with "No such file or directory" on every event. Run the same
migrate_hooks_out_of_settings.py step above — its basename list covers all
nine v6 hooks — then restart Claude Code. Per-hook state files are archived
automatically by the SessionStart op to .agent/.nav-v6-state.bak/
(replaced by .agent/.nav-runtime-state.json, schema 2).
⚠️ RESTART REQUIRED to activate hooks from the plugin manifest. Claude Code caches plugin hook definitions at session start.
Step 6: Post-Upgrade Setup Check
Check if new features require setup:
bash# Check for skills with setup requirements if [ -f "$NAVIGATOR_PATH/skills/product-design/setup.sh" ]; then # Check if venv exists if [ ! -d "$NAVIGATOR_PATH/skills/product-design/venv" ]; then echo "⚠️ product-design skill requires setup" NEEDS_SETUP=true fi fi
If setup needed, show instructions:
markdown⚠️ New Feature Requires Setup The product-design skill (v3.4.0+) requires Python dependencies: **One-time setup** (30 seconds): ```bash cd ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/navigator-marketplace/skills/product-design ./setup.sh
What this installs:
- Python MCP SDK for direct Figma connection
- 95% orchestration reduction
- 92% token savings
After setup, use: "Review this Figma design: [URL]"
**Record setup needed in TodoWrite** for tracking. --- ### Step 7: Feature Discovery **Show new features** available in updated version. **For v3.3.0 update**: ````markdown 🎉 Navigator v3.3.0 Update Complete! ## New Features Available ### visual-regression Skill (NEW) Set up Storybook + Chromatic in 5 minutes instead of 2-3 hours. **Usage**:
"Set up visual regression for ProfileCard" "Add Chromatic to Button component" "Configure visual tests for Input, Card, Modal"
**What it does**: ✅ Generates Storybook stories with all variants ✅ Configures Chromatic/Percy/BackstopJS ✅ Creates CI workflows (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) ✅ Adds accessibility tests **Complete Design Pipeline** (v3.2 + v3.3): 1. "Review this design from Figma" (v3.2) 2. Implement components 3. "Set up visual regression" (v3.3 NEW) 4. Automated visual testing in CI ### Updated Skills Count - **17 total skills** (was 16) - 10 core Navigator skills - 7 development skills ### Integration visual-regression integrates with product-design skill for complete design→code→testing workflow. ## Try It Now If you have Storybook in this project:
"Set up visual regression for [ComponentName]"
If you don't have Storybook: ```bash npx storybook init
Then:
"Set up visual regression for [ComponentName]"
Documentation
- Release Notes: https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator/releases/tag/v3.3.0
- Skill Docs: skills/visual-regression/SKILL.md
- Examples: skills/visual-regression/examples/
- SOP: .agent/sops/testing/visual-regression-setup.md (created in your project)
--- ## Predefined Functions ### functions/version_detector.py **Purpose**: Detect current and latest Navigator versions **Usage**: ```bash python3 functions/version_detector.py ``` **Output**: ```json { "current_version": "3.2.0", "latest_version": "3.3.0", "update_available": true, "release_url": "https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator/releases/tag/v3.3.0", "changes": { "new_skills": ["visual-regression"], "updated_skills": ["product-design"], "new_features": ["Multi-tool VR support", "CI workflows"], "breaking_changes": [] } } ``` ### functions/plugin_updater.py **Purpose**: Execute plugin update with retry logic **Usage**: ```bash python3 functions/plugin_updater.py --target-version 3.3.0 ``` **Actions**: 1. Execute `/plugin update navigator` 2. If fails, retry with uninstall/reinstall 3. Verify update succeeded 4. Return status ### functions/plugin_verifier.py **Purpose**: Verify update completed successfully **Usage**: ```bash python3 functions/plugin_verifier.py --expected-version 3.3.0 ``` **Checks**: - Plugin version matches expected - New skills exist in filesystem - Skills registered in plugin.json - Skills are invokable (test invocation) --- ## Error Handling ### Update Failed: Network Error ``` ❌ Update failed: Could not connect to plugin marketplace Fix: 1. Check internet connection 2. Try again in a few minutes 3. Manual update: /plugin uninstall navigator && /plugin install navigator ``` ### Update Failed: Permission Denied ``` ❌ Update failed: Permission denied Fix: 1. Close Claude Code 2. Check ~/.config/claude/plugins/ permissions 3. Restart Claude Code 4. Try update again ``` ### Verification Failed: Skills Not Found ``` ⚠️ Update completed but new skills not found Fix: 1. Restart Claude Code (required for skill reload) 2. Verify: /plugin list 3. Test: "Set up visual regression for Button" ``` Automatically prompt user to restart. ### CLAUDE.md Update Conflicts ``` ⚠️ CLAUDE.md update has conflicts with your customizations Options: [1] Keep my customizations (merge new features) [2] Use new template (lose customizations) [3] Show me the diff first Reply with choice ``` Let user decide how to handle conflicts. --- ## Upgrade Paths ### From v3.0.x to v3.3.0 **Changes**: - +2 skills (nav-markers in v3.1, visual-regression in v3.3) - OpenTelemetry integration (v3.1) - Product design skill (v3.2) - Visual regression skill (v3.3) **Breaking changes**: None (fully backward compatible) ### From v3.1.x to v3.3.0 **Changes**: - Product design skill (v3.2) - Visual regression skill (v3.3) - Updated skills count (17 total) **Breaking changes**: None ### From v3.2.x to v3.3.0 **Changes**: - Visual regression skill - Integration with product-design workflow - Updated skills count (17 total) **Breaking changes**: None --- ## Post-Update Checklist After upgrade, verify: - ✅ `/plugin list` shows new version - ✅ CLAUDE.md updated with new patterns - ✅ New skills auto-invoke on natural language - ✅ Existing skills still work - ✅ No conflicts in project configuration **If all checked**: Update successful! --- ## Rollback If update causes issues: ``` "Rollback Navigator to v3.2.0" ``` This will: 1. Uninstall current version 2. Install specific version from marketplace 3. Update CLAUDE.md to match 4. Verify rollback succeeded --- ## Integration Points ### With nav-sync-claude After plugin update, automatically invokes `nav-sync-claude` to sync project configuration. ### With nav-start After update, `nav-start` shows new features available in session statistics. ### With nav-init If upgrading before project initialization, suggests running `nav-init` with latest features. --- ## Examples ### Example 1: Simple Update ``` User: "Update Navigator" → Detects: v3.2.0 → v3.3.0 available → Updates plugin → Updates CLAUDE.md → Shows: "visual-regression skill now available" → Suggests: "Set up visual regression for [Component]" ``` ### Example 2: Already on Latest ``` User: "Update Navigator" → Detects: Already on v3.3.0 → Shows new features available → Suggests trying visual-regression if not used yet ``` ### Example 3: Update with Restart Required ``` User: "Update Navigator" → Updates plugin → Verification: Skills not found (needs restart) → Prompts: "Please restart Claude Code to complete update" → After restart: Verification succeeds ``` --- ## Best Practices 1. **Update regularly**: Check for updates monthly 2. **Read release notes**: Understand new features before using 3. **Test new skills**: Try new features in test project first 4. **Report issues**: File GitHub issues for update problems 5. **Backup CLAUDE.md**: Keep backup before update (auto-created) --- ## Version History - **v1.0.0**: Initial nav-upgrade skill (Navigator v3.3.1) --- ## Future Enhancements - Auto-update check on `nav-start` (opt-in) - Changelog display in CLI - Update notifications for major versions - Automated migration scripts for breaking changes --- **Last Updated**: 2025-10-21 **Skill Type**: Core Navigator **Auto-Invocation**: Yes

