update-plugins

Update SkillStack Plugins

Manages updates for npm-sourced plugins from SkillStack storefronts. Does NOT cover the buyer or creator plugins — those are git-based and use /plugin update natively.

Step 1: Discover installed plugins

Run the discovery script to find all installed SkillStack storefront plugins:

node <this-skill-dir>/../../../scripts/discover-plugins.mjs --plugin-dir ~/.claude/plugins

Output is a JSON array of { slug, currentVersion, marketplace, pluginName }.

If the script returns empty or produces no output:

• Tell the user no SkillStack storefront plugins were detected
• Suggest /skillstack:install-plugin to browse and install plugins
• If the script errored or produced unexpected output, show the error and suggest reaching out to [email protected]

Step 2: Check for updates

Call skillstack_check_updates with the slugs and current versions from Step 1.

The response has four parts — handle each; do not treat an empty updates_available as "all up to date" unless archived and unknown are also empty (a renamed/pulled plugin must never read as a silent all-clear):

• updates_available[]: plugins with a newer version. List them and ask which to update, then apply in Step 3 under the same slug the buyer has installed.
  • If an entry has renamed_from / canonical_slug, the creator renamed the plugin. Tell the user (e.g. "old-name was renamed to new-name"); the update still applies in place under the installed slug — no reinstall needed.
• archived[]: the creator pulled the plugin from sale. Tell the user they keep their installed version (frozen_version) and there are no new updates — this is expected, not an error, and their access is retained. Do NOT try to update these.
• unknown[]: the slug isn't on SkillStack (removed, or never registered). Show the per-entry message (recourse: re-resolve with /skillstack:activate-license using their key, or contact the creator). Never drop these silently.
• If all three lists are empty, then tell the user everything is up to date.

Tailor update messaging by license type (from skillstack_list):

• onetime: Update available but their license covers current version only — suggest lifetime upgrade
• subscription: Update included while active. If 403 on install, subscription may have lapsed
• lifetime: Update included

Also check for:

• Variant upgrades: If a freemium plugin was installed free but user now has a license, suggest reinstalling via /plugin uninstall then /plugin install
• License upgrade opportunities: If user has onetime but plugin also offers lifetime, mention it informationally

Step 3: Apply updates

For each plugin the user wants to update, run the update script:

node <this-skill-dir>/../../../scripts/update-plugin.mjs \
  <slug> <new-version> <marketplace-name> <plugin-name> \
  --plugin-dir ~/.claude/plugins

The script handles all phases automatically:

1. Cleans stale npm cache (package.json, package-lock.json, node_modules)
2. Adds exact version dependency (no caret ranges)
3. Runs npm install (reads ~/.npmrc for auth)
4. Copies to plugin cache (including dotfiles like .claude-plugin/)
5. Updates installed_plugins.json
6. Verifies plugin.json version matches

Output is JSON with { success, confirmedVersion, error }.

If the script fails, show the error and guide next steps:

• 403: License issue — subscription may have lapsed, or onetime license doesn't cover this version. Suggest /skillstack:activate-license to check license status.
• npm install failure: Network or registry issue — suggest retrying, or checking ~/.npmrc for correct registry config.
• Script error / unexpected output: Something went wrong on SkillStack's side. Suggest reaching out to [email protected] with the error details.

Important: Do NOT use /plugin update — it has a known npm lockfile bug with SkillStack plugins.

Step 4: Confirm

Summarize what was updated (plugin: old → new version) and tell the user to restart Claude Code to load the new version.