Update mechanisms and distribution strategies for AI agents and automations. Use when the user mentions: update agent, upgrade agent, agent versioning, semantic versioning agents, auto-update, rollback agent, migration, breaking changes, distribute updates, agent release, MCP update, plugin update, docker update, npm update agent, pip upgrade agent, agent rollback, version pinning
{ "mcpServers": { "my-agent": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@your-org/my-agent-mcp"] } } }
Pros: Users always get the latest. No update command needed. Cons: Breaking changes hit immediately. No offline support. Slower startup.
npm install -g @your-org/my-agent-mcp@2.1.0 # exact version
npm update -g @your-org/my-agent-mcp # update explicitly
@2.1.0 -- exact version, never auto-updates@^2.0.0 -- allows minor/patch within major 2@latest or omitted -- always fetches newestcd ~/.claude/plugins/my-agent-plugin
git pull origin main
./install.sh # if plugin has install script
npm install # if it has JS dependencies
{ "name": "my-agent-plugin", "version": "2.3.1", "minClaudeCodeVersion": "1.5.0" }
Bump version on every release. Set minClaudeCodeVersion to block incompatible hosts. Tag in git: git tag v2.3.1 && git push --tags.
#!/bin/bash
# commands/update/run.sh
PLUGIN_DIR="$(dirname "$(dirname "$(realpath "$0")")")"
cd "$PLUGIN_DIR"
echo "Current: $(jq -r .version plugin.json)"
git fetch origin main
LOCAL=$(git rev-parse HEAD); REMOTE=$(git rev-parse origin/main)
if [ "$LOCAL" = "$REMOTE" ]; then echo "Up to date."
else git pull origin main; echo "Updated to: $(jq -r .version plugin.json)"; fi
docker build -t my-agent:2.3.1 -t my-agent:2.3 -t my-agent:2 -t my-agent:latest .
2.3.1 -- immutable, never changes after push2.3 / 2 -- mutable, points to latest in that rangelatest -- newest releasedocker compose pull && docker compose up -d
docker compose logs --tail 20 my-agent # verify
#!/bin/bash
# migrate.sh — runs before agent starts
CURRENT=$(cat /app/data/.version 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0.0")
TARGET=$(jq -r .version /app/package.json)
if [ "$CURRENT" != "$TARGET" ]; then
python /app/migrations/run.py "$CURRENT" "$TARGET"
echo "$TARGET" > /app/data/.version
fi
COPY migrations/ /app/migrations/
CMD ["sh", "-c", "./migrate.sh && python agent.py"]
pip install --upgrade my-agent # latest
pip install my-agent==2.3.1 # specific version
uv tool upgrade my-agent # if installed via uv
my-agent==2.3.1 # exact pin (production)
my-agent~=2.3.0 # >=2.3.0, <2.4.0 (allow patches)
my-agent>=2.3,<3 # any 2.x (development)
npm update -g @your-org/my-agent # update global install
npm install -g @your-org/my-agent@2.3.1 # specific version
npx --yes @your-org/my-agent@latest # force fresh download
npx caches packages. Use --yes with @latest to guarantee a fresh fetch.
No package manager -- updates go through the OpenAI builder interface.
Embed version in the GPT's system instructions:
You are MyAgent v2.3.1 (2026-02-15).
CHANGELOG:
- v2.3.1: Fixed date parsing
- v2.3.0: Added CSV export
python build_knowledge.py --output knowledge_v2.3.1.json
# Upload via https://chatgpt.com/gpts/editor/g-xxx
# Update instructions version number, save, publish
Automate knowledge file generation. Keep the manual upload step as small as possible.
def migrate_v1_to_v2(config_path="~/.my-agent/config.yaml"):
"""v1 used 'api_key', v2 uses 'credentials.anthropic_key'"""
config = load_yaml(config_path)
shutil.copy(config_path, config_path + ".v1.backup") # backup first
if "api_key" in config:
config.setdefault("credentials", {})["anthropic_key"] = config.pop("api_key")
save_yaml(config_path, config)
MIGRATIONS = {
"1.0.0 -> 2.0.0": migrate_v1_to_v2,
"2.0.0 -> 3.0.0": migrate_v2_to_v3,
}
def migrate(current, target):
for step in find_migration_path(current, target):
MIGRATIONS[step]()
save_version(target)
Always: Back up before migrating. Print each step. Provide my-agent doctor to verify success. Document in release notes.
2.3.1-alpha.1 # Incomplete, early feedback
2.3.1-beta.1 # Feature-complete, not fully tested
2.3.1-rc.1 # Believed ready, final testing
import requests
from packaging import version
def check_for_updates():
try:
resp = requests.get(UPDATE_CHECK_URL, timeout=3)
latest = resp.json()["tag_name"].lstrip("v")
if version.parse(latest) > version.parse(CURRENT_VERSION):
print(f"Update available: v{latest}. Run: pip install --upgrade my-agent")
except Exception:
pass # Never block startup for update checks
Rules: Timeout at 2-3s. Check at most once per day. Never auto-install without consent. Allow disabling: MY_AGENT_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1.
| Strategy | When to Use | |---|---| | Silent notice | Default for CLI tools and plugins | | Prompt to update | Critical security fix available | | Block until updated | Only if old version risks others' security | | Auto-update background | Docker/container deployments you control |
pip install my-agent==2.2.0 # pip
npm install -g @your-org/my-agent@2.2.0 # npm
uv tool install my-agent==2.2.0 # uv
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="$HOME/.my-agent/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
cp ~/.my-agent/config.yaml "$BACKUP_DIR/"
cp ~/.my-agent/.env "$BACKUP_DIR/" 2>/dev/null
echo "Backup: $BACKUP_DIR"
docker tag my-agent:latest my-agent:known-good # save current
docker pull my-agent:latest && docker compose up -d # update
# If broken:
docker tag my-agent:known-good my-agent:latest && docker compose up -d
cd ~/.claude/plugins/my-agent-plugin
git log --oneline --tags # see versions
git checkout v2.2.0 # rollback
git checkout main # return to latest
#!/bin/bash
CURRENT=$(my-agent --version)
pip install --upgrade my-agent
if my-agent doctor --quiet; then
echo "Updated to $(my-agent --version)"
else
echo "Health check failed. Rolling back..."
pip install "my-agent==$CURRENT"
exit 1
fi
Golden rule: Every update path must have a corresponding rollback path. If you can't roll back, you can't safely update.
npm update command, including behavior with global installs (-g), semver range resolution, and interaction with package-lock.json.pip install --upgrade, version constraint syntax (==, ~=, >=), and dependency resolution behavior during agent upgrades.latest tag convention used in agent container distribution.npx skills add phazurlabs/agent-update-distribution下载完整 Skill 目录，包含 SKILL.md 及所有相关文件
Search for places (restaurants, cafes, etc.) via Google Places API proxy on localhost.
Interact with GitHub using the `gh` CLI. Use `gh issue`, `gh pr`, `gh run`, and `gh api` for issues, PRs, CI runs, and advanced queries.
Create or update AgentSkills. Use when designing, structuring, or packaging skills with scripts, references, and assets.
Start voice calls via the OpenClaw voice-call plugin.
Notion API for creating and managing pages, databases, and blocks.
Gemini CLI for one-shot Q&A, summaries, and generation.
Category:developer