vc-update

name: vc:update description: Pull latest agent harness improvements from the remote kit repository. Shows a dry-run diff summary, waits for confirmation, then applies updates. metadata: author: vibecode version: "2.0.0"

Pull the latest agent harness improvements from the remote vibecode-pro-max-kit repository into the current project.

When to Use

After being told a new harness version is available
Periodically to check for updates
After bootstrapping a project with vc-setup and wanting the latest improvements

Workflow

Follow these steps exactly. Do NOT skip the dry-run or confirmation step.

Step 1: Check Worktree Status

Run git status --porcelain in the project root.

If output is non-empty: warn the user that they have uncommitted changes and suggest git stash or committing first. Do not block -- continue after warning.
If output is empty: proceed silently.

Step 2: Read Current Version

Read the file .vc-version in the project root.

If it exists: store its contents as currentVersion (a semver string like 2.0.4).
If it does not exist: set currentVersion to "0.0.0" (treat as first update).

Step 3: Clone Remote Repository

TMPDIR="/tmp/vc-update-$(date +%s)"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/withkynam/vibecode-pro-max-kit.git "$TMPDIR"

If the clone fails (network error, auth error, repo not found):

Print the error message.
Clean up the temp directory if it was partially created.
Stop. Do not proceed.

Step 4: Resolve Remote Manifest

Run the resolver script from the cloned repo:

node "$TMPDIR/resolve-manifest.mjs" --root "$TMPDIR" --json

Parse the JSON output to extract:

files (string[]) -- resolved managed file paths
merge (string[]) -- files where user customizations are preserved (not overwritten)
copyIfMissing (string[]) -- files only installed if they don't already exist locally
strip (string[]) -- files needing content stripping (informational)
symlinks (object) -- symlink path -> target mappings

Extract the remote version from the manifest:

node -e "console.log(JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('$TMPDIR/vc-manifest.json','utf8')).version)"

Legacy fallback: If resolve-manifest.mjs does not exist in the remote (very old kit version), fall back to reading vc-manifest.json directly and using the old managed/managedDirs/seedsDir fields for file resolution.

Step 5: Compare Versions

Compare the remote manifest version against currentVersion.

If they are equal: report "Already up to date (vX.Y.Z)" and clean up $TMPDIR. Stop.
If remote is newer (or currentVersion is 0.0.0): continue to diff.

Step 6: Read Local Snapshot and Compute Diff

Read .vc-installed-files from the project root (if it exists). This file contains one file path per line -- the list of files installed by the last update.

If .vc-installed-files does NOT exist (first update with new system):

Build a synthetic snapshot by scanning the user project for files that exist AND match the remote files list.
Also check for legacy deletions from the v2.0.4 era -- the resolver embeds these as legacyDeletions in legacy mode. For any path in the legacy deletions list that still exists locally, mark it for deletion.
Write this synthetic snapshot to .vc-installed-files for future updates.

Compute the diff using three lists: remote files, local snapshot, and local filesystem:

Additions: Files in remote files but NOT in local snapshot (new files to install).
Removals: Files in local snapshot but NOT in remote files (files removed from kit -- should be deleted locally).
Modifications: Files in both lists -- compare content via diff between $TMPDIR/{path} and {projectRoot}/{path}.
- If identical: unchanged.
- If different: modified (note line count changes).
Merge files: Files in the merge list (e.g. .claude/settings.json) that have local changes. Preserve local version entirely, show diff, flag for manual review.
Copy-if-missing files: Files in the copyIfMissing list that already exist locally. Show the diff but note they will NOT be overwritten.

Step 7: Check Symlinks

For each entry in the symlinks object (key = symlink path, value = target):

If the symlink exists and points to the correct target: mark as ok.
If the symlink is missing or points to a different target: mark as will fix.
If a real directory exists at the symlink path (not a symlink): mark as will replace dir with symlink.

Step 8: Print Dry-Run Summary

Print a summary with all collected results. Format:

vc-update dry run: v{currentVersion} -> v{remoteVersion}

FILES:
  [modified]  .claude/agents/vc-execute-agent.md  (+12 -3)
  [new]       .claude/hooks/lib/new-util.cjs
  [removed]   .claude/skills/deprecated-skill/SKILL.md
  [unchanged] .claude/agents/vc-debugger.md
  ...

MERGE (preserved, manual review needed):
  [differs]   .claude/settings.json  (+2 -1)

COPY-IF-MISSING (skipped, already present):
  (none)

SYMLINKS:
  [ok]        .agents/skills -> ../.claude/skills
  [will fix]  .codex/hooks -> ../.claude/hooks

Summary: 5 modified, 2 new, 1 removal, 1 merge skipped, 45 unchanged

Step 9: Wait for Confirmation

STOP HERE. Tell the user:

"This is a dry-run summary. Type apply to proceed with the update, or abort to cancel. The temp clone will be cleaned up either way."

Do NOT proceed until the user explicitly says "apply" (or a clear affirmative like "yes", "go", "do it").

If the user aborts:

Remove $TMPDIR.
Print "Update cancelled. No changes made."
Stop.

Step 10: Apply Changes

On user confirmation, apply in this order:

Additions and modifications: For each file in the remote files list:
- Skip if file is in merge list AND exists locally (preserve user version).
- Skip if file is in copyIfMissing list AND exists locally (preserve user version).
- Otherwise: mkdir -p the parent directory, copy from $TMPDIR/{path} to {projectRoot}/{path}.
Removals: For each file in the local snapshot but NOT in the remote files list:
- Delete the local file.
- If the parent directory is now empty, remove it too.
Symlinks: For each entry in symlinks:
- If a real directory exists at the path: rm -rf it first.
- If a wrong symlink exists: rm it first.
- Create the symlink: ln -s {target} {path}
Write snapshot: Write the remote files list (sorted, one per line) to .vc-installed-files.
Write version: Write the manifest version string to .vc-version.
Clean up: Remove $TMPDIR.

If any copy/delete fails with a permission error:

Print which file failed and the error.
Suggest running chmod on the affected path or checking file ownership.
Continue with remaining files (do not abort the entire update).

Step 11: Print Applied Changes Summary

vc-update complete: v{currentVersion} -> v{remoteVersion}

Applied:
  5 files modified
  2 files added
  1 file removed
  1 symlink fixed
  1 merge file preserved (review .claude/settings.json manually)

Snapshot written to .vc-installed-files
Version written to .vc-version: {remoteVersion}

Rules

process/_seeds/ is managed reference -- overwritten entirely on update (included in the resolved file list).
Real working files outside _seeds/ (process/context/, process/features/, process/general-plans/) are NEVER touched by vc-update.
Always show the dry-run diff before applying. Never apply without user confirmation.
Clean up the temp clone directory even on error or abort.
If .vc-version is missing, treat as version 0.0.0 (first update, apply everything).
CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md are harness-only files — overwritten freely on update. Project-specific content belongs in process/context/all-context.md, not in these files.
Files in the merge list (e.g. .claude/settings.json) are never overwritten if they exist locally. Show the diff for manual review.
Files in the copyIfMissing list are only installed if they don't already exist locally.
Removals are detected by comparing the local .vc-installed-files snapshot against the new resolved file list.

Reference

For detailed algorithm, error handling matrix, and edge cases, see references/vc-update.md.