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Dependency Updater TEXT

Automatically detects the project's language and package manager, then updates dependencies by auto-applying safe minor/patch versions and prompting for major version changes. It also diagnoses broken dependency trees and runs security audits to fix vulnerabilities.

2 uses this weeksource softaworkslicence MITneeds internet for packages
Quality gate: FAIL · better answers · measured 2026-10-23
Blind-judged against the bare model on 2 requests: average lift -10.0 points (specificity, structure, method, fit).
won 0/2, lift -10.0, tokens ×279.12
Security scan: clean · 2026-10-24 · 4 files · ran in sandbox
no network calls, shell tricks, credential access or instruction tampering found in its files.

Try asking

Say it in your own words; the assistant finds this recipe by itself. Examples:

“Opdater alle mine afhængigheder i Node.js-projektet.”
“Tjek om mine Python-pakker er forældede og ret sikkerhedsfejl.”
“Min Go-build fejler pga. versionskonflikt, kan du diagnosticere det?”
“Update all dependencies in my Node.js project.”
“Check if my Python requirements are outdated and fix any security issues.”
“My Go build is failing due to a version conflict, can you diagnose it?”
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Good for

dependency-managementpackage-updatessecurity-auditversion-controltroubleshootingnodejspythongorustautomation

Not for

Do not use this skill for general code refactoring, writing new application logic, or configuring CI/CD pipelines. It is not for creating new projects or initializing package managers from scratch.

Details

When it is the right choice

Use this skill when the user wants to update their project's dependencies, check for outdated packages, or fix broken dependency installations. It is also appropriate for running security audits on dependencies or resolving version conflicts and peer dependency errors.

The full recipe the assistant reads

Dependency Updater

Smart dependency management for any language with automatic detection and safe updates.


Quick Start

update my dependencies

The skill auto-detects your project type and handles the rest.


Triggers

Trigger Example
Update dependencies "update dependencies", "update deps"
Check outdated "check for outdated packages"
Fix dependency issues "fix my dependency problems"
Security audit "audit dependencies for vulnerabilities"
Diagnose deps "diagnose dependency issues"

Supported Languages

Language Package File Update Tool Audit Tool
Node.js package.json taze npm audit
Python requirements.txt, pyproject.toml pip-review safety, pip-audit
Go go.mod go get -u govulncheck
Rust Cargo.toml cargo update cargo audit
Ruby Gemfile bundle update bundle audit
Java pom.xml, build.gradle mvn versions:* mvn dependency:*
.NET *.csproj dotnet outdated dotnet list package --vulnerable

Quick Reference

Update Type Version Change Action
Fixed No ^ or ~ Skip (intentionally pinned)
PATCH x.y.z → x.y.Z Auto-apply
MINOR x.y.z → x.Y.0 Auto-apply
MAJOR x.y.z → X.0.0 Prompt user individually

Workflow

User Request
    │
    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Step 1: DETECT PROJECT TYPE                         │
│ • Scan for package files (package.json, go.mod...) │
│ • Identify package manager                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 2: CHECK PREREQUISITES                         │
│ • Verify required tools are installed               │
│ • Suggest installation if missing                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 3: SCAN FOR UPDATES                            │
│ • Run language-specific outdated check              │
│ • Categorize: MAJOR / MINOR / PATCH / Fixed         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 4: AUTO-APPLY SAFE UPDATES                     │
│ • Apply MINOR and PATCH automatically               │
│ • Report what was updated                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 5: PROMPT FOR MAJOR UPDATES                    │
│ • AskUserQuestion for each MAJOR update             │
│ • Show current → new version                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 6: APPLY APPROVED MAJORS                       │
│ • Update only approved packages                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 7: FINALIZE                                    │
│ • Run install command                               │
│ • Run security audit                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Commands by Language

Node.js (npm/yarn/pnpm)

# Check prerequisites
scripts/check-tool.sh taze "npm install -g taze"

# Scan for updates
taze

# Apply minor/patch
taze minor --write

# Apply specific majors
taze major --write --include pkg1,pkg2

# Monorepo support
taze -r  # recursive

# Security
npm audit
npm audit fix

Python

# Check outdated
pip list --outdated

# Update all (careful!)
pip-review --auto

# Update specific
pip install --upgrade package-name

# Security
pip-audit
safety check

Go

# Check outdated
go list -m -u all

# Update all
go get -u ./...

# Tidy up
go mod tidy

# Security
govulncheck ./...

Rust

# Check outdated
cargo outdated

# Update within semver
cargo update

# Security
cargo audit

Ruby

# Check outdated
bundle outdated

# Update all
bundle update

# Update specific
bundle update --conservative gem-name

# Security
bundle audit

Java (Maven)

# Check outdated
mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

# Update to latest
mvn versions:use-latest-releases

# Security
mvn dependency:tree
mvn dependency-check:check

.NET

# Check outdated
dotnet list package --outdated

# Update specific
dotnet add package PackageName

# Security
dotnet list package --vulnerable

Diagnosis Mode

When dependencies are broken, run diagnosis:

Common Issues & Fixes

Issue Symptoms Fix
Version Conflict "Cannot resolve dependency tree" Clean install, use overrides/resolutions
Peer Dependency "Peer dependency not satisfied" Install required peer version
Security Vuln npm audit shows issues npm audit fix or manual update
Unused Deps Bloated bundle Run depcheck (Node) or equivalent
Duplicate Deps Multiple versions installed Run npm dedupe or equivalent

Emergency Fixes

# Node.js - Nuclear reset
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm cache clean --force
npm install

# Python - Clean virtualenv
rm -rf venv
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Go - Reset modules
rm go.sum
go mod tidy

Security Audit

Run security checks for any project:

# Node.js
npm audit
npm audit --json | jq '.metadata.vulnerabilities'

# Python
pip-audit
safety check

# Go
govulncheck ./...

# Rust
cargo audit

# Ruby
bundle audit

# .NET
dotnet list package --vulnerable

Severity Response

Severity Action
Critical Fix immediately
High Fix within 24h
Moderate Fix within 1 week
Low Fix in next release

Anti-Patterns

Avoid Why Instead
Update fixed versions Intentionally pinned Skip them
Auto-apply MAJOR Breaking changes Prompt user
Batch MAJOR prompts Loses context Prompt individually
Skip lock file Irreproducible builds Always commit lock files
Ignore security alerts Vulnerabilities Address by severity

Verification Checklist

After updates:

  • [ ] Updates scanned without errors
  • [ ] MINOR/PATCH auto-applied
  • [ ] MAJOR updates prompted individually
  • [ ] Fixed versions untouched
  • [ ] Lock file updated
  • [ ] Install command ran
  • [ ] Security audit passed (or issues noted)

Deep Dive: Project Detection The skill auto-detects project type by scanning for package files: | File Found | Language | Package Manager | |------------|----------|-----------------| | `package.json` | Node.js | npm/yarn/pnpm | | `requirements.txt` | Python | pip | | `pyproject.toml` | Python | pip/poetry | | `Pipfile` | Python | pipenv | | `go.mod` | Go | go modules | | `Cargo.toml` | Rust | cargo | | `Gemfile` | Ruby | bundler | | `pom.xml` | Java | Maven | | `build.gradle` | Java/Kotlin | Gradle | | `*.csproj` | .NET | dotnet | **Detection order matters for monorepos:** 1. Check current directory first 2. Then check for workspace/monorepo patterns 3. Offer to run recursively if applicable
Deep Dive: Node.js with taze ### Prerequisites
# Install taze globally (recommended)
npm install -g taze

# Or use npx
npx taze
### Smart Update Flow
# 1. Scan all updates
taze

# 2. Apply safe updates (minor + patch)
taze minor --write

# 3. For each major, prompt user:
#    "Update @types/node from ^20.0.0 to ^22.0.0?"
#    If yes, add to approved list

# 4. Apply approved majors
taze major --write --include approved-pkg1,approved-pkg2

# 5. Install
npm install  # or pnpm install / yarn
### Auto-Approve List Some packages have frequent major bumps but are backward-compatible: | Package | Reason | |---------|--------| | `lucide-react` | Icon library, majors are additive | | `@types/*` | Type definitions, usually safe |
Deep Dive: Version Strategies ### Semantic Versioning
MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 2.3.1)

MAJOR: Breaking changes - requires code changes
MINOR: New features - backward compatible
PATCH: Bug fixes - backward compatible
### Range Specifiers | Specifier | Meaning | Example | |-----------|---------|---------| | `^1.2.3` | Minor + Patch OK | `>=1.2.3 <2.0.0` | | `~1.2.3` | Patch only | `>=1.2.3 <1.3.0` | | `1.2.3` | Exact (fixed) | Only `1.2.3` | | `>=1.2.3` | At least | Any `>=1.2.3` | | `*` | Any | Latest (dangerous) | ### Recommended Strategy
{
  "dependencies": {
    "critical-lib": "1.2.3",      // Exact for critical
    "stable-lib": "~1.2.3",       // Patch only for stable
    "modern-lib": "^1.2.3"        // Minor OK for active
  }
}
Deep Dive: Conflict Resolution ### Node.js Conflicts **Diagnosis:**
npm ls package-name      # See dependency tree
npm explain package-name # Why installed
yarn why package-name    # Yarn equivalent
**Resolution with overrides:**
// package.json
{
  "overrides": {
    "lodash": "^4.18.0"
  }
}
**Resolution with resolutions (Yarn):**
{
  "resolutions": {
    "lodash": "^4.18.0"
  }
}
### Python Conflicts **Diagnosis:**
pip check
pipdeptree -p package-name
**Resolution:**
# Use virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or use constraints
pip install -c constraints.txt -r requirements.txt

Script Reference

Script Purpose
scripts/check-tool.sh Verify tool is installed
scripts/run-taze.sh Run taze with proper flags

Related Tools

Tool Language Purpose
taze Node.js Smart dependency updates
npm-check-updates Node.js Alternative to taze
pip-review Python Interactive pip updates
cargo-edit Rust Cargo dependency management
bundler-audit Ruby Security auditing
Files in this skill (5)
  • LICENSE
  • README.md
  • SKILL.md
  • scripts/check-tool.sh
  • scripts/run-taze.sh
Where it comes from

Vendored from softaworks/agent-toolkit, commit 3027f20f3181, path skills/dependency-updater, licence MIT. The upstream licence file ships inside the skill.