SKILL.md
Dependency Update Manager
Analyzes project dependencies, identifies outdated or vulnerable packages, and creates organized PRs to update them safely.
🎯 Use Case Demo
Scenario: Monthly Dependency Maintenance
Before (Manual Process):
Developer spends Friday afternoon on dependency updates:
1. Rundotnet list package --outdated- copy results somewhere
2. Research each package: breaking changes? security fixes?
3. Update one by one, hoping nothing breaks
4. Run tests, find something broke
5. Debug for 2 hours
6. Give up on some updates, leave for "later"
Time: 4-6 hours, often incomplete
After (With This Skill):
Developer: "Check for dependency updates and create PRs"
Agent Response:
```
📦 DEPENDENCY UPDATE REPORT
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
🔍 Scanned: FlightBookingAPI.csproj
📅 Report Date: December 20, 2024
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
🚨 SECURITY UPDATES (Critical - Update Immediately)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
| Package | Current | Latest | Severity | CVE |
|---------|---------|--------|----------|-----|
| System.Text.Json | 7.0.2 | 7.0.4 | HIGH | CVE-2024-1234 |
| Microsoft.Data.SqlClient | 5.1.0 | 5.1.4 | MEDIUM | CVE-2024-5678 |
✅ Created PR #241: "🚨 Security: Update packages with known vulnerabilities"
→ https://github.com/org/flight-booking/pull/241
→ Labels: security, dependencies, critical
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
⬆️ MINOR/PATCH UPDATES (Safe to Update)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
| Package | Current | Latest | Type | Notes |
|---------|---------|--------|------|-------|
| Swashbuckle.AspNetCore | 6.5.0 | 6.6.2 | Minor | New features |
| FluentValidation | 11.8.0 | 11.9.0 | Minor | Bug fixes |
| Serilog | 3.1.0 | 3.1.1 | Patch | Performance |
| xunit | 2.6.1 | 2.6.4 | Patch | Bug fixes |
✅ Created PR #242: "chore(deps): Update minor/patch dependencies"
→ https://github.com/org/flight-booking/pull/242
→ Labels: dependencies, minor
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
⚠️ MAJOR UPDATES (Review Required)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
| Package | Current | Latest | Breaking Changes |
|---------|---------|--------|------------------|
| AutoMapper | 12.0.1 | 13.0.0 | Yes - Profile changes |
| MediatR | 11.1.0 | 12.2.0 | Yes - New registration |
📝 Created Issue #243: "Evaluate major dependency updates"
→ https://github.com/org/flight-booking/issues/243
→ Contains migration guides and breaking change analysis
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
✅ UP TO DATE (No Action Needed)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Microsoft.AspNetCore.* packages - Latest
Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore - 8.0.0 (Latest)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
📊 SUMMARY
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Total packages: 24
Up to date: 18 (75%)
Security updates: 2 (PR #241 ready)
Minor updates: 4 (PR #242 ready)
Major updates: 2 (Issue #243 for review)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
```
Time Saved: 5 hours → 10 minutes (30x faster, more thorough)
Agent Instructions
When this skill is activated:
- Scan Dependencies:
- For .NET: dotnet list package --outdated - For Node.js: npm outdated or yarn outdated - For Python: pip list --outdated - Parse all project files for dependencies
- Check Security Advisories:
- Query GitHub Advisory Database - Check NVD (National Vulnerability Database) - Identify CVEs affecting current versions
- Categorize Updates:
- Security: Any package with known CVE - Patch: x.y.Z changes (bug fixes) - Minor: x.Y.z changes (new features, backward compatible) - Major: X.y.z changes (breaking changes)
- Research Breaking Changes:
- For major updates, fetch release notes - Identify breaking changes and migration steps - Assess impact on codebase
- Create Appropriate PRs:
- Security updates: Single PR, urgent labels - Minor/Patch: Combined PR, low priority - Major: Create issue with analysis, not PR
- Include Context:
- Link to changelogs in PR description - Note any code changes needed - Add testing recommendations
Example Prompts
- "Check for dependency updates"
- "Are there any security vulnerabilities in our packages?"
- "Update all minor dependencies"
- "Create a dependency update report"
- "What packages need updating?"
Supported Package Managers
| Platform | Package Manager | Security Check |
|---|---|---|
| .NET | NuGet | ✅ GitHub Advisory |
| Node.js | npm/yarn/pnpm | ✅ npm audit |
| Python | pip/poetry | ✅ safety check |
| Java | Maven/Gradle | ✅ OWASP check |
Benefits
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update time | 5 hours | 10 min | 30x faster |
| Security coverage | Reactive | Proactive | Prevent breaches |
| Update frequency | Quarterly | Weekly | Always current |
| Breaking changes | Surprise | Documented | No surprises |