Node Dependencies Update Skill

Update Node.js dependencies using taze CLI with smart prompting: auto-apply MINOR/PATCH updates, prompt for MAJOR updates individually, skip fixed-version packages.

Prerequisites

Before starting, verify taze is installed by running:

~/.claude/skills/node-deps/scripts/run-taze.sh

If exit code is 1, stop and inform the user that taze must be installed:

• Global install: npm install -g taze
• One-time: nlx taze

Update Workflow

Step 1: Determine Scope

Ask the user if this is a monorepo project. Use the -r flag for recursive scanning of workspaces.

Step 2: Scan for Updates

Run the taze script to discover all available updates:

# Single package
~/.claude/skills/node-deps/scripts/run-taze.sh

# Monorepo (recursive)
~/.claude/skills/node-deps/scripts/run-taze.sh -r

Step 3: Parse and Categorize Updates

From the taze output, categorize each package update:

Identifying fixed versions: In package.json, fixed versions have no range prefix:

• Fixed: "lodash": "4.17.21" → skip
• Ranged: "lodash": "^4.17.21" → process

Step 4: Apply MINOR/PATCH Updates

Apply all non-major updates automatically without prompting:

# Single package
taze minor --write

# Monorepo
taze minor --write -r

Report the packages that were updated.

Step 5: Prompt for MAJOR Updates

Auto-skip packages: Never prompt for these packages—auto-apply their major updates:

• lucide-react (icon library with frequent major bumps, backward-compatible in practice)

For each remaining package with a major update available, use AskUserQuestion to ask the user individually:

Package: <package-name>
Current: <current-version>
Available: <new-version>

Update to major version?

Question format:

• header: Package name (max 12 chars, truncate if needed)
• options: "Yes, update" / "No, skip"
• multiSelect: false

Collect all approved major updates.

Step 6: Apply Approved MAJOR Updates

After collecting user approvals, apply the approved major updates:

# Apply specific packages
taze major --write --include <pkg1>,<pkg2>,<pkg3>

# With monorepo
taze major --write -r --include <pkg1>,<pkg2>,<pkg3>

Step 7: Install Dependencies

After all updates are applied, remind the user to run their package manager's install command:

npm install
# or
pnpm install
# or
yarn install

Taze Output Interpretation

Taze displays updates grouped by type. Example output:

@types/node  ^20.0.0  →  ^22.0.0   (major)
typescript   ^5.3.0   →  ^5.4.0    (minor)
eslint       ^8.56.0  →  ^8.57.0   (patch)

The rightmost column indicates update type (major/minor/patch).

Packages shown with --include-locked that have no ^ or ~ are fixed versions—skip these entirely.

Script Reference

Important Notes

• Fixed-version dependencies (no ^ or ~) indicate intentional pinning—never modify these
• MAJOR updates may contain breaking changes—always prompt the user
• MINOR/PATCH updates are backward-compatible by semver convention—safe to auto-apply
• The --include flag accepts comma-separated package names or regex patterns