renovate-check

name	renovate-check
description	Run Renovate locally in dry-run mode to get a list of available dependency updates for the current working directory, then offer to apply them
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Glob, Grep, Edit, Write, AskUserQuestion, WebSearch, WebFetch

Renovate Dependency Update Checker

Run Renovate in --platform=local mode to discover available dependency updates by analyzing the local files in the current working directory. No PRs or branches are created. The --platform=local mode automatically implies dryRun=lookup.

Execution Steps

1. Detect existing Renovate configuration

Before running Renovate, check if the project has a Renovate config file. Search these standard locations (in order):

• renovate.json
• renovate.json5
• .renovaterc
• .renovaterc.json
• .github/renovate.json
• .github/renovate.json5

Also check if package.json exists and contains a "renovate" key.

If a config file is found:

• Use --require-config=optional so Renovate reads it but does not fail if it's missing
• Do NOT pass --require-config=ignored — this would skip the config entirely

If NO config file is found:

• Use --require-config=ignored as fallback

2. Run Renovate against local files

Use npx to run Renovate in local platform mode. This analyzes the current directory without cloning anything from GitHub.

A GITHUB_COM_TOKEN is still needed for changelog lookups and to avoid rate limiting against package registries.

When config exists:

GITHUB_COM_TOKEN="$(gh auth token)" \
RENOVATE_LOG_FILE=/tmp/renovate-output.ndjson \
RENOVATE_LOG_FILE_LEVEL=debug \
LOG_LEVEL=info \
npx --yes --package renovate -- renovate \
  --platform=local \
  --onboarding=false \
  --require-config=optional

When no config exists:

GITHUB_COM_TOKEN="$(gh auth token)" \
RENOVATE_LOG_FILE=/tmp/renovate-output.ndjson \
RENOVATE_LOG_FILE_LEVEL=debug \
LOG_LEVEL=info \
npx --yes --package renovate -- renovate \
  --platform=local \
  --onboarding=false \
  --require-config=ignored

Run this command from the project's working directory (use cd if needed).

IMPORTANT: Always use full flag names (e.g. --yes, --package). Never use short flags.

3. Extract updates from the log

After Renovate finishes, parse the NDJSON log file with jq to extract a clean list of available updates:

jq --raw-output '
  select(.msg == "packageFiles with updates") |
  .config | to_entries[] |
  .key as $manager |
  .value[] |
  .packageFile as $file |
  .deps[]? |
  select(.updates | length > 0) |
  "\($manager) | \($file) | \(.depName) | \(.currentValue // .currentDigest // "n/a") -> \(.updates[0].newVersion // .updates[0].newValue // .updates[0].newDigest // "n/a") (\(.updates[0].updateType))"
' /tmp/renovate-output.ndjson

4. Present results

Format the extracted updates as a clear, readable markdown table for the user:

Manager	File	Dependency	Current	Available	Type

Group by manager for readability. If no updates are found, report that all dependencies are up to date and skip to clean up (step 8).

5. Research migration guides for major updates

If ANY of the found updates have updateType equal to major, research migration guides for each one before asking the user what to apply.

For each major update:

1. Use WebSearch to search for a migration guide. Use queries like:

   • "<depName>" migrate v<currentMajor> to v<newMajor>
   • "<depName>" upgrade guide v<newMajor>
   • "<depName>" breaking changes v<newMajor>
   • For GitHub Actions: "<depName>" v<newMajor> changelog
   • For Helm charts: "<chartName>" changelog v<newVersion>

2. If a migration guide / changelog / upgrade guide is found, use WebFetch to read it and extract a concise summary of breaking changes.

3. Present the migration summary to the user alongside the updates table. Format:

### Major update: <depName> <currentVersion> -> <newVersion>

**Breaking changes:**
- <bullet point summary of key breaking changes>
- ...

**Migration guide:** <URL>

If no migration guide is found, note that explicitly: "No migration guide found for v -> v. Review the release notes manually before upgrading."

This step is critical — major version bumps can break builds and deployments. The user needs this information to make an informed decision.

6. Ask user which updates to apply

If major updates were found, present the migration summaries first, then ask.

Use AskUserQuestion to ask the user which updates they want to apply. Offer these options:

• "All updates" — apply everything found
• "Only patch/minor" — skip major version bumps (potentially breaking)
• "Pick specific" — let the user specify which ones
• (The user can also decline via "Other")

7. Apply selected updates

For each update the user approved, apply changes using the appropriate method for the manager type:

gomod (Go modules)

go get dependency@vX.Y.Z

After all go get commands, run:

go mod tidy

github-actions (GitHub Actions)

Edit the workflow YAML files directly — replace the old version tag with the new one in uses: lines. Use the Edit tool for this.

dockerfile / containerfile

Edit the Containerfile/Dockerfile directly — replace the old image tag with the new one. Use the Edit tool.

helm-values (Helm)

Edit the values.yaml file directly — replace the old image tag/version with the new one. Use the Edit tool.

argocd (ArgoCD Application manifests)

Edit the ArgoCD Application YAML files directly — replace the old targetRevision value with the new version. Use the Edit tool.

npm / pip / cargo / other managers

Use the native package manager CLI to update (e.g. npm install package@version, pip install package==version, cargo update --package name).

After applying updates:

• Run project linters if available (e.g. golangci-lint run for Go projects)
• Run tests if available (e.g. go test ./... for Go projects)
• Report results to the user

Do NOT commit changes automatically — leave that to the user.

8. Clean up

Remove the temporary log file after parsing:

rm -f /tmp/renovate-output.ndjson

Notes

• --platform=local analyzes the LOCAL files in the current directory, not the remote repository
• --platform=local automatically sets dryRun=lookup — do NOT pass --dry-run separately
• --onboarding=false is REQUIRED — without it Renovate crashes trying to create an onboarding branch in local mode
• Renovate config detection is critical: the argocd manager has NO default fileMatch pattern and requires explicit configuration in the project's renovate.json (e.g. "argocd": {"fileMatch": ["argocd/.+\\.yaml$"]})
• GITHUB_COM_TOKEN is needed even locally for changelog lookups and registry rate limits
• gh auth token provides the token from GitHub CLI
• macOS rm does not support --force, use -f instead