| name | atlas-update |
| description | Use when the user wants to update atlas, an atlas update is available, doctor or status reports a version nudge / pending migrations, or they ask to bring the vault to latest. Deterministic migrate first; this skill handles AI-merge of locally edited vendored files.
|
Atlas update — bring an adopting repo to the installed toolkit version
The toolkit owns deterministic transforms (atlas migrate). You own the
judgment layer: merging locally edited on-ramp blocks and vendored skills
without destroying user customizations.
Procedure
-
Ground truth first. Run both dry commands and act only on their output
— never on memory of what atlas does:
npx --no-install atlas doctor
npx --no-install atlas migrate (dry-run; no --write)
-
Apply deterministic migrations. Echo the migrate plan to the user,
then run:
npx --no-install atlas migrate --write
-
Reconcile every ⚠ locally edited vendored item. For each one doctor
lists:
- Read the local file on disk.
- Read the upstream version from the installed package
(
node_modules/memory-atlas/skills/… for skills, or the block text
atlas wire would render for on-ramp markers).
- Merge by judgment: preserve every local customization; adopt upstream
structure and additions. When local and upstream conflict on the same
line, keep local and note it in the summary. Never resolve by
deleting user content.
-
Re-wire. npx --no-install atlas wire all — pristine blocks/hooks
re-render; your merged files keep their new hashes recorded in
.atlas-state.json.
-
Verify.
npx --no-install atlas check
npx --no-install atlas doctor
- Doctor must end all-✓ except deliberate
locally edited items you just
reconciled (and any pre-existing intentional local edits you left).
-
Report. One diff summary: files touched, migrations applied, conflicts
kept-local.
HARD RULES
- Never modify zone cards, decisions, specs, plans, reports, or
atlas.config.json values the user set.
- Migrations and wire may only touch machine-owned artifacts (state file,
content inside atlas markers, vendored skill copies, hook wiring).
- Stop and ask on any ambiguity.
- Dry-run before every write path (
atlas migrate without --write first;
never invent filesystem writes the CLI does not perform).