claude-update

Run claude update and read what actually changed, in one shot. 中文 README · npm · Discussions · Issues

claude-update runs claude update, then pulls the official CHANGELOG.md and prints the entries covering exactly the (old_version, new_version] range — each version on its own scrollable page so you can step through them with :n / :p.

The CHANGELOG is fetched in parallel with the upgrade, so the only thing on the critical path is the upgrade itself.

Install

Run once from the npm registry:

npx claude-update

Install globally from the npm registry:

npm install -g claude-update
claude-update

Install from a local checkout:

./install.sh                       # symlink into ~/.local/bin (default)
PREFIX=/usr/local ./install.sh     # or pick another prefix

Usage

claude-update              # default: per-version browsing (one page per version)
claude-update --combined   # merge all versions into a single scrollable buffer
claude-update --no-pager   # plain print, no interactive pager
claude-update -h           # help

Per-version browsing (default)

Each version in (old_version, new_version] is written to its own page and handed to less in multi-file mode. The status bar shows the current version and progress (e.g. (2/5)).

Key	Action
:n or Space	next version
:p	previous version
↑ ↓ PgUp PgDn	scroll within the current version
g / G	jump to first / last line
/pattern	search
q	quit

Non-TTY contexts (pipes, CI) automatically fall back to plain print.

Output example

current version: 2.1.126
▶ running claude update ...
▶ fetching CHANGELOG ...

Claude Code 2.1.129   (1/3)   :n next  :p prev  q quit

If you are already on the latest version, the CHANGELOG section for that version is still shown.

Edge cases handled

• Skipped releases — if your old version isn't listed in the CHANGELOG (Anthropic doesn't publish every patch), the slicer still terminates correctly using semver numeric comparison.
• First install — when no previous version is detected, only the newest version's section is shown instead of dumping the entire history.
• Prereleases — entries like 2.1.130-beta1 are sorted by their release version and a one-line note is printed to stderr so you know they exist.
• Update succeeds, CHANGELOG fails — the upgrade still completes; only the CHANGELOG display step errors out.

Environment variables

• CLAUDE_UPDATE_CHANGELOG_URL — override the CHANGELOG source (mirrors, testing).
• CLAUDE_UPDATE_PAGER / PAGER — pager command for --combined mode (default less -RFX).

Testing

./test/test.sh
npm pack --dry-run

Pure bash, no external test framework. Stubs the claude CLI and serves a local fixture CHANGELOG via file:// so the suite runs offline. CI runs it on both Ubuntu (bash 5) and macOS (system bash 3.2) on every push.

Dependencies

• claude CLI (Claude Code)
• curl
• awk, bash 3.2+ (macOS system bash works)
• less (only needed for per-version browsing; absent → falls back to combined mode)

License

MIT