| name | gsd-reapply-patches |
| description | Reapply local modifications after a GSD update |
After a GSD update wipes and reinstalls files, this command merges user's previously saved local modifications back into the new version. Uses three-way comparison (pristine baseline, user-modified backup, newly installed version) to reliably distinguish user customizations from version drift.
Critical invariant: Every file in gsd-local-patches/ was backed up because the installer's hash comparison detected it was modified. The workflow must NEVER conclude "no custom content" for any backed-up file — that is a logical contradiction. When in doubt, classify as CONFLICT requiring user review, not SKIP.
Step 1: Detect backed-up patches
Check for local patches directory:
expand_home() {
case "$1" in
"~/"*) printf '%s/%s\n' "$HOME" "${1#~/}" ;;
*) printf '%s\n' "$1" ;;
esac
}
PATCHES_DIR=""
if [ -n "$KILO_CONFIG_DIR" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$KILO_CONFIG_DIR")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
elif [ -n "$KILO_CONFIG" ]; then
candidate="$(dirname "$(expand_home "$KILO_CONFIG")")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
elif [ -n "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME")/kilo/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
fi
if [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
elif [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$OPENCODE_CONFIG" ]; then
candidate="$(dirname "$(expand_home "$OPENCODE_CONFIG")")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
elif [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$XDG_CONFIG_HOME")/opencode/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
fi
if [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$GEMINI_CONFIG_DIR" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$GEMINI_CONFIG_DIR")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
fi
if [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$CODEX_HOME" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$CODEX_HOME")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
fi
if [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ] && [ -n "$CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR" ]; then
candidate="$(expand_home "$CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR")/gsd-local-patches"
if [ -d "$candidate" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$candidate"
fi
fi
if [ -z "$PATCHES_DIR" ]; then
if [ -d "$HOME/.config/kilo/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$HOME/.config/kilo/gsd-local-patches"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.config/opencode/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$HOME/.config/opencode/gsd-local-patches"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.opencode/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$HOME/.opencode/gsd-local-patches"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.gemini/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$HOME/.gemini/gsd-local-patches"
elif [ -d "$HOME/.codex/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="$HOME/.codex/gsd-local-patches"
else
PATCHES_DIR=".agent/gsd-local-patches"
fi
fi
if [ ! -d "$PATCHES_DIR" ]; then
for dir in .config/kilo .kilo .config/opencode .opencode .gemini .codex .claude; do
if [ -d "./$dir/gsd-local-patches" ]; then
PATCHES_DIR="./$dir/gsd-local-patches"
break
fi
done
fi
Read backup-meta.json from the patches directory.
If no patches found:
No local patches found. Nothing to reapply.
Local patches are automatically saved when you run /gsd-update
after modifying any GSD workflow, command, or agent files.
Exit.
Step 2: Determine baseline for three-way comparison
The quality of the merge depends on having a pristine baseline — the original unmodified version of each file from the pre-update GSD release. This enables three-way comparison:
- Pristine baseline (original GSD file before any user edits)
- User's version (backed up in
gsd-local-patches/)
- New version (freshly installed after update)
Check for baseline sources in priority order:
Option A: Git history (most reliable)
If the config directory is a git repository:
CONFIG_DIR=$(dirname "$PATCHES_DIR")
if git -C "$CONFIG_DIR" rev-parse --git-dir >/dev/null 2>&1; then
HAS_GIT=true
fi
When HAS_GIT=true, use git log to find the commit where GSD was originally installed (before user edits). For each file, the pristine baseline can be extracted with:
git -C "$CONFIG_DIR" log --diff-filter=A --format="%H" -- "{file_path}"
This gives the commit that first added the file (the install commit). Extract the pristine version:
git -C "$CONFIG_DIR" show {install_commit}:{file_path}
Option B: Pristine snapshot directory
Check if a gsd-pristine/ directory exists alongside gsd-local-patches/:
PRISTINE_DIR="$CONFIG_DIR/gsd-pristine"
If it exists, the installer saved pristine copies at install time. Use these as the baseline.
Option C: No baseline available (two-way fallback)
If neither git history nor pristine snapshots are available, fall back to two-way comparison — but with strengthened heuristics (see Step 3).
Step 3: Show patch summary
## Local Patches to Reapply
**Backed up from:** v{from_version}
**Current version:** {read VERSION file}
**Files modified:** {count}
**Merge strategy:** {three-way (git) | three-way (pristine) | two-way (enhanced)}
| # | File | Status |
|---|------|--------|
| 1 | {file_path} | Pending |
| 2 | {file_path} | Pending |
Step 4: Merge each file
For each file in backup-meta.json:
- Read the backed-up version (user's modified copy from
gsd-local-patches/)
- Read the newly installed version (current file after update)
- If available, read the pristine baseline (from git history or
gsd-pristine/)
Three-way merge (when baseline is available)
Compare the three versions to isolate changes:
- User changes = diff(pristine → user's version) — these are the customizations to preserve
- Upstream changes = diff(pristine → new version) — these are version updates to accept
Merge rules:
- Sections changed only by user → apply user's version
- Sections changed only by upstream → accept upstream version
- Sections changed by both → flag as CONFLICT, show both, ask user
- Sections unchanged by either → use new version (identical to all three)
Two-way merge (fallback when no baseline)
When no pristine baseline is available, use these strengthened heuristics:
CRITICAL RULE: Every file in this backup directory was explicitly detected as modified by the installer's SHA-256 hash comparison. "No custom content" is never a valid conclusion.
For each file:
a. Read both versions completely
b. Identify ALL differences, then classify each as:
- Mechanical drift — path substitutions (e.g.
/Users/xxx/.agent/ → .agent/), variable additions (${GSD_WS}, ${AGENT_SKILLS_*}), error handling additions (|| true)
- User customization — added steps/sections, removed sections, reordered content, changed behavior, added frontmatter fields, modified instructions
c. If ANY differences remain after filtering out mechanical drift → those are user customizations. Merge them.
d. If ALL differences appear to be mechanical drift → still flag as CONFLICT. The installer's hash check already proved this file was modified. Ask the user: "This file appears to only have path/variable differences. Were there intentional customizations?" Do NOT silently skip.
Git-enhanced two-way merge
When the config directory is a git repo but the pristine install commit can't be found, use commit history to identify user changes:
git -C "$CONFIG_DIR" log --oneline --no-merges -- "{file_path}" | grep -v "gsd-update\|GSD update\|gsd-install"
Each matching commit represents an intentional user modification. Use the commit messages and diffs to understand what was changed and why.
- Write merged result to the installed location
Post-merge verification
After writing each merged file, verify that user modifications survived the merge:
-
Line-count check: Count lines in the backup and the merged result. If the merged result has fewer lines than the backup minus the expected upstream removals, flag for review.
-
Hunk presence check: For each user-added section identified during diff analysis, search the merged output for at least the first significant line (non-blank, non-comment) of each addition. Missing signature lines indicate a dropped hunk.
-
Report warnings inline (do not block):
⚠ Potential dropped content in {file_path}:
- Missing hunk near line {N}: "{first_line_preview}..." ({line_count} lines)
- Backup available: {patches_dir}/{file_path}
-
Track verification status — add to per-file report: Merged (verified) vs Merged (⚠ {N} hunks may be missing)
-
Report status per file:
Merged — user modifications applied cleanly (show summary of what was preserved)
Conflict — user reviewed and chose resolution
Incorporated — user's modification was already adopted upstream (only valid when pristine baseline confirms this)
Never report Skipped — no custom content. If a file is in the backup, it has custom content.
Step 5: Cleanup option
Ask user:
- "Keep patch backups for reference?" → preserve
gsd-local-patches/
- "Clean up patch backups?" → remove
gsd-local-patches/ directory
Step 6: Report
## Patches Reapplied
| # | File | Result | User Changes Preserved |
|---|------|--------|----------------------|
| 1 | {file_path} | Merged | Added step X, modified section Y |
| 2 | {file_path} | Incorporated | Already in upstream v{version} |
| 3 | {file_path} | Conflict resolved | User chose: keep custom section |
{count} file(s) updated. Your local modifications are active again.
<success_criteria>