OpenPress Upgrade

openpress-upgrade owns framework package upgrades and workspace migrations. Use openpress for command/source-boundary routing, then use this skill for the upgrade and migration workflow.

Responsibilities

• Detect installed and target OpenPress versions.
• Refresh framework packages and installed OpenPress skills after confirmation.
• Select applicable migration docs from the OpenPress repo.
• Scan workspace source before editing.
• Generate and implement migration plans from the docs.
• Run migration QA checkpoints in a loop until all pass or a blocker needs user input.

Source Boundaries

Use the source/generated boundary from openpress. During migration, edit only:

• press/
• root package.json and openpress/settings.json
• project-owned local skill files in .agents/skills/
• project config explicitly named by a migration doc

Do not hand-edit node_modules/, public/openpress/, dist-react/, .deploy/, .openpress/, .turbo/cache/, or installer-managed .claude/skills/ links.

Workflow

0. Resolve The CLI Command

Use the workspace's local OpenPress CLI. Do not use npx open-press; open-press is a binary name, not the npm package name.

Use one of these forms:

open-press <command> .
npm run openpress:skills
node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs <command> .

Prefer the core CLI path in workspaces that only install @open-press/core. Use the open-press binary only when @open-press/cli is installed and node_modules/.bin/open-press exists.

1. Inspect

Run:

git status --short
node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs doctor . --json

Record:

• current @open-press/core version;
• target/latest version from doctor;
• installed and tracked skills, all lockfile sources, missing canonical skills,

and broken or missing agent links;

• unrelated dirty files that must not be touched.

Doctor is informational and exits 0 even when stale. If latest version cannot be checked, report the network limitation and do not guess the migration range.

2. Preview

Run:

node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs upgrade . --dry-run

Explain that the local OpenPress CLI upgrade command updates dependencies and skills. It does not rewrite workspace content.

3. Confirm Before Mutation

Ask before running commands or edits that mutate dependencies, skills, or workspace source.

After confirmation, run:

node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs upgrade .

When doctor reports settingsMigrationRequired, this command also performs the built-in package.json#openpress → openpress/settings.json migration. It validates the complete result, writes settings atomically, and only then removes the legacy package field. Do not manually delete the legacy field first. Unsupported fields or conflicting values require user resolution.

Useful variants when the user asks for a narrower update:

node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs upgrade . --no-skills
node node_modules/@open-press/core/engine/cli.mjs upgrade . --no-deps

After the command completes, confirm:

• framework version before -> after, reading from

node_modules/@open-press/core/package.json when available;

• seven default OpenPress workflow skills installed, exact tracked optional and

third-party skills refreshed, and .claude/skills/ links repaired, unless --no-skills was used.

4. Select Migration Docs

Migration docs live in the OpenPress repo under docs/migrations/<version>.md. Select each doc where:

currentVersion < version <= targetVersion

If a release has no migration doc, treat it as no workspace migration required. Do not invent migration steps from changelog text.

5. Scan Workspace Source

For each selected migration doc, run every Find command or pattern against the current workspace source. Prefer the migration doc's exact command; adapt only old document/ paths to the current press/ tree when the workspace uses the modern source layout.

Scan at least:

rg '<pattern-from-migration-doc>' press openpress/settings.json package.json .agents/skills .claude/skills

Skip missing optional directories without treating them as failure.

6. Generate And Apply Plan

Summarize matched migration work before editing:

• affected migration versions;
• matched files and patterns;
• proposed source edits;
• manual steps the agent cannot perform;
• QA checkpoints that must pass.

Apply workspace source edits only after the user confirms the migration plan. Keep edits limited to the migration doc. Do not bundle unrelated refactors, design changes, content rewrites, or deploy work.

7. Migration QA Loop

Run every checkpoint in each selected migration doc's ## Migration QA section. A checkpoint must include a command or inspection, expected result, and what failure means.

If a checkpoint fails:

1. Diagnose the failure against the migration doc.
2. Apply the smallest source fix that satisfies the checkpoint.
3. Re-run the failed checkpoint.
4. Re-run any later checkpoints that could be affected by the fix.

Do not report migration complete until every applicable checkpoint passes. If a checkpoint cannot pass without user input or an external change, report the blocker with the exact failing command and output.

For older migration docs without ## Migration QA, fall back to:

• all Manual steps;
• checks implied by Runtime / API changes;
• default build verification:

npm run build

Run npm run openpress:pdf only when PDF output is part of the user's delivery path or a migration doc explicitly requires it.

Migration Doc Policy

Create docs/migrations/<version>.md only when a release affects existing workspaces. A migration doc is required for:

• press/ source layout changes;
• package.json or openpress/settings.json config changes;
• public @open-press/core API changes;
• CLI command, flag, or behavior changes;
• bundled skill catalog or routing changes;
• generated workspace/document schema changes;
• deploy, PDF, render, pagination, or page-contract behavior that may require

source edits or output verification.

A migration doc is not required for:

• internal system bug fixes with no workspace action;
• workbench-only UI polish;
• docs-only changes;
• tests or package metadata;
• new-template-only design updates that do not change existing workspaces.

If a release can visually shift existing output without requiring a source rewrite, write a verify-only migration doc with QA checkpoints.

Do Not

• Do not use npm create @open-press or a fresh template diff as the source of

migration truth.

• Do not auto-deploy after upgrade.
• Do not use force overwrites on workspace files.
• Do not edit generated output.
• Do not claim upgrade or migration readiness without fresh command output.