# Upgrading Emdash

Upgrade an existing EmDash project with upgrade-emdash, interpret .emdash/UPGRADE.md...

- Repository: https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash (14094 stars)
- Category: Data and ML
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill upgrading-emdash -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill upgrading-emdash -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill upgrading-emdash -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill upgrading-emdash -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Upgrade an existing EmDash project with upgrade-emdash, interpret .emdash/UPGRADE.md, apply required project changes, and verify the package, skill, and migration result. Use when asked to update or upgrade EmDash dependencies. Do not use for an unrelated schema change or a known database migration without a package upgrade.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Upgrading EmDash

Use `upgrade-emdash` to resolve the selected npm release tag, update every direct EmDash package, refresh the EmDash skills, and create the project-specific work order. The updater does not edit application code, apply database migrations, or deploy.

## Prepare the work order

Run from the project root:

```sh
npx upgrade-emdash@latest --dry-run
npx upgrade-emdash@latest
```

Use `--to <tag>` for another npm dist-tag such as `next` or `beta`. `--to` does not accept a version. Use `--yes` to accept the updater prompt in a non-interactive environment, `--json` for a machine-readable dry-run, and `--cwd <path>` when the project root is elsewhere.

The updater writes `.emdash/UPGRADE.md`. Read that file after the command finishes. It contains the complete authored changelog entries crossed by the direct packages in this project, with generated dependency-bump entries removed, plus the exact core migration delta found after installation.

## Complete the upgrade

The rest: https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash/blob/HEAD/skills/upgrading-emdash/SKILL.md