Brewtools:Plugin Update

Brewcode Plugin Update

Check, install, and update the brewcode plugin suite (brewcode, brewdoc, brewtools, brewui). Execute all commands in the current session — never give "you should run" instructions.

Argument Handling

Skill arguments received: $ARGUMENTS

Parse first token of $ARGUMENTS. Unknown or empty → interactive.

Critical Rules

• EXECUTE every claude plugin ... command via Bash tool. Show full output.
• NEVER suggest --plugin-dir for end users (dev-only).
• ALWAYS print the reload notice at the end, even on no-op runs.
• AskUserQuestion: options lists only, no free-text fields.

---

Phase 0 — Discover Installed Plugins

PRIMARY (CC 2.1.163+) — EXECUTE using Bash tool:

unset CLAUDECODE && claude plugin list --json && echo "✅ list OK" || echo "❌ list FAILED"

If the command succeeds and returns a non-empty JSON array, parse it directly. Each object has fields: id (<plugin>@<marketplace>), version (string, may be "unknown"), scope, enabled (boolean), installPath, installedAt, lastUpdated, optional mcpServers.

FALLBACK (CC < 2.1.163 or empty/error output from above) — EXECUTE using Bash tool:

bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/discover-plugins.sh" && echo "✅ discover OK" || echo "❌ discover FAILED"

STOP if both fail — report to user and continue without installed data (treat everything as missing).

Partition results into: suite = {brewcode, brewdoc, brewtools, brewui}, other = everything else.

Read references/discovery.md for details on both discovery paths.

Phase 1 — Fetch Latest Versions

EXECUTE using Bash tool:

bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/fetch-latest-versions.sh" && echo "✅ fetch OK" || echo "❌ fetch FAILED"

STOP if ❌ — report network issue, mark latest versions as "unknown", continue.

Merge with Phase 0 data.

Phase 2 — Status Table

Render markdown table to the user:

Status legend: ✅ current, ⬇️ update available, ❌ missing, ❓ unknown.

Also list other plugins below with their versions (informational).

If arg = `check` → STOP here. Skip to Phase 6.

Phase 2b — Token-Cost Table (Optional)

Precheck:

claude plugin details --help >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "available" || echo "skip"

If unavailable → SKIP (proceed to Phase 3).

If available, for each installed suite plugin run claude plugin details <plugin>@claude-brewcode and render:

Adapt column names to actual output fields. Missing field → —. Command failure for a plugin → ❓ for that row, continue.

Phase is informational only; do not block on errors.

Phase 3 — Install Missing

For each missing suite plugin, ask via AskUserQuestion (unless arg ∈ {update, all} — all auto-installs, update skips install).

AskUserQuestion (interactive only, if missing plugins exist):

Question: "Install missing brewcode plugins?" Options: "Install all missing" / "Install selected" / "Skip install"

If "Install selected" — ask per plugin with options ["Install", "Skip"].

EXECUTE (idempotent):

claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/kochetkov-ma/claude-brewcode && echo "✅ marketplace add OK" || echo "⚠️ marketplace add warning (may already exist)"

Then per plugin:

claude plugin install <plugin>@claude-brewcode && echo "✅ install <plugin> OK" || echo "❌ install <plugin> FAILED"

Show full output of each command.

Reference: references/install-prompt.md.

Phase 4 — Update Outdated

AskUserQuestion (interactive only; update and all auto-pick "Update all"):

Question: "Update brewcode plugin suite?" Options: "Update all" / "Update suite only" / "Update selected" / "Skip updates"

EXECUTE full chain in order:

claude plugin marketplace update claude-brewcode && echo "✅ marketplace update OK" || echo "❌ marketplace update FAILED"

claude plugin update brewcode@claude-brewcode && echo "✅ brewcode update OK" || echo "❌ brewcode update FAILED"

claude plugin update brewdoc@claude-brewcode && echo "✅ brewdoc update OK" || echo "❌ brewdoc update FAILED"

claude plugin update brewtools@claude-brewcode && echo "✅ brewtools update OK" || echo "❌ brewtools update FAILED"

claude plugin update brewui@claude-brewcode && echo "✅ brewui update OK" || echo "❌ brewui update FAILED"

On failure: report exact error and continue. Reference: references/update-commands.md, references/update-prompt.md.

Phase 5 — Auto-Update Toggle (Optional)

Skip for arg ∈ {`check`, `update`}. Interactive or all only.

Auto-update for third-party marketplaces is OFF by default. Toggle per-marketplace via /plugin UI → Marketplaces → claude-brewcode. Exact settings.json key unverified — see references/autoupdate-research.md.

AskUserQuestion (interactive only):

Question: "Enable auto-update for claude-brewcode marketplace?" Options: "Enable via /plugin UI" / "Skip"

Do NOT patch settings.json blindly. Instruct user to toggle via /plugin UI.

Phase 5b — Prune Stale Plugin Caches

EXECUTE using Bash tool:

claude plugin prune --help >/dev/null 2>&1 && claude plugin prune || echo "skipped: claude plugin prune unavailable"

Non-fatal: if CLI lacks prune, prints skip notice and continues.

Phase 6 — Reload Notice & Final Report

ALWAYS print the contents of references/reload-notice.md:

⚠️ Reload plugins to activate updates.

Preferred: run /reload-plugins in this session.

Fallback: type exit, then run claude again.

Final summary:

• Plugins installed this run: [...]
• Plugins updated this run: [...]
• Plugins skipped: [...]
• Errors encountered: [...]

<!-- W3-T8 research note: Marketplace auto-update settings.json key not confirmed in CC docs as of 2026-05-12. Continue using UI guidance. Re-investigate when CC adds documented marketplace.autoUpdate setting. -->

Plugin Update

Checks installed brewcode plugins (brewcode, brewdoc, brewtools, brewui) by reading the filesystem and settings.json, fetches the latest versions from the marketplace, installs any missing plugins, updates outdated ones, and always prints a reload notice at the end. All commands execute directly in the current Claude Code session — no "run this yourself" instructions.

Quick Start

/brewtools:plugin-update

Modes

Examples

Good Usage

# Check which plugins are current vs outdated vs missing
/brewtools:plugin-update check

# Install missing plugins and update outdated ones interactively
/brewtools:plugin-update

# Update the full brewcode suite without prompts (CI or scripted sessions)
/brewtools:plugin-update all

# Non-interactive update of outdated plugins, skip installs
/brewtools:plugin-update update

Common Mistakes

# Forgetting the unset prefix when running claude plugin list inside a session
unset CLAUDECODE && claude plugin list --json   # correct
claude plugin list --json                        # may fail inside a session

# Using --plugin-dir for end users -- this is a dev-only flag
claude --plugin-dir ./brewtools
# End users should install via the marketplace, not --plugin-dir

# Forgetting to reload after updates -- plugins are NOT active until reloaded
/brewtools:plugin-update
# -> plugins updated, but skills still show old behavior until /reload-plugins

What It Does

Discovery Method

Phase 0 uses two paths:

Primary (CC 2.1.163+): unset CLAUDECODE && claude plugin list --json returns a JSON array. Each entry has id, version (may be "unknown"), scope, enabled (boolean), installPath, installedAt, lastUpdated, and optional mcpServers.

Fallback (CC < 2.1.163 or command fails): scripts/discover-plugins.sh reads two sources: 1. ~/.claude/settings.json (and ./.claude/settings.json if present) — the enabledPlugins map where keys are <plugin>@<marketplace>. 2. Plugin cache walk — ~/.claude/plugins/cache/<marketplace>/<plugin>/<version>/ — the highest version directory per plugin is the installed version.

The script outputs a JSON object with marketplaces, installed versions, and the cache_dir path.

Output

The status table rendered in Phase 2 looks like this:

Non-suite plugins found in the cache are listed below the main table as informational entries. The final report lists everything installed or updated during the run plus any errors encountered.

Tips

• Run this skill after major Claude Code version updates — plugins sometimes need a fresh install after core upgrades.
• Pair with /reload-plugins immediately after updates; skills do not activate until the session reloads plugin state.
• Do NOT use --plugin-dir for end-user installations — that flag is for local plugin development only.
• The check mode is safe to run at any time with no side effects; use it to audit the current state before a project session.
• If discover-plugins.sh fails, the skill treats all suite plugins as missing and continues — it will not silently skip the install phase.

Documentation

Full docs: plugin-update

Plugin Auto-Update Research

Current State (verified 2026-04-10)

Per Claude Code plugin docs:

• Default: Third-party marketplace auto-update is OFF.
• Toggle UI: /plugin → Marketplaces → select marketplace → toggle auto-update.
• Scope: Auto-update is per-marketplace, not per-plugin.
• Env vars:
• DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1 — disables Claude Code self-updater
• FORCE_AUTOUPDATE_PLUGINS=1 — force plugin update on next start

Unknown

The exact settings.json key that stores the per-marketplace auto-update flag is NOT verified. Candidates observed in the wild (all unconfirmed):

• marketplaces.<name>.autoUpdate
• pluginMarketplaces.<name>.autoUpdate
• enabledMarketplaces.<name>.autoUpdate

Recommended Discovery Procedure

To discover the real key:

1. Snapshot ~/.claude/settings.json before toggling. 2. Open /plugin → Marketplaces → claude-brewcode → enable auto-update. 3. Diff ~/.claude/settings.json — the new/changed key is the answer. 4. Document the key here and update the skill to patch settings.json directly.

Rule for This Skill

Do NOT patch settings.json blindly. The skill instructs the user to use /plugin UI until the key is confirmed.

Links

• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/discover-plugins
• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugin-marketplaces
• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/plugins-reference

Plugin Discovery

Primary path: claude plugin list --json (CC 2.1.163+). Fallback: scripts/discover-plugins.sh filesystem scan.

Primary — claude plugin list (CC 2.1.163+)

EXECUTE (prefix with unset CLAUDECODE && when running inside a Claude session):

unset CLAUDECODE && claude plugin list --json

Plain-text format (no --json):

Installed plugins:

  > brewcode@claude-brewcode
    Version: 3.9.2
    Scope: user
    Status: enabled

JSON format — array of objects:

[
  {
    "id": "brewcode@claude-brewcode",
    "version": "3.9.2",
    "scope": "user",
    "enabled": true,
    "installPath": "/Users/x/.claude/plugins/cache/claude-brewcode/brewcode/3.9.2",
    "installedAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
  }
]

JSON Schema

"unknown" version means installed but version undetectable — fall back to cache walk for the version.

Fall back to scripts/discover-plugins.sh when:

• claude plugin list not recognized (CC < 2.1.163)
• Command exits non-zero
• Output is empty or not valid JSON

Fallback — scripts/discover-plugins.sh (filesystem scan)

enabledPlugins Format

{
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "brewcode@claude-brewcode": true,
    "brewdoc@claude-brewcode": true
  }
}

Keys are <plugin>@<marketplace>. Truthy value means enabled.

Cache Walk

Plugin binaries live in ~/.claude/plugins/cache/<marketplace>/<plugin>/<version>/. Pick the highest <version> directory per plugin — that is the installed version.

Output JSON

{
  "marketplaces": ["claude-brewcode"],
  "installed": {
    "brewcode": {"version": "3.4.51", "marketplace": "claude-brewcode"},
    "brewdoc":  {"version": "3.4.51", "marketplace": "claude-brewcode"}
  },
  "cache_dir": "/Users/x/.claude/plugins/cache"
}

Execute these commands in this Claude Code session, one by one, show full output for each, do not skip any, do not summarize:

1. claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/kochetkov-ma/claude-brewcode
2. claude plugin install brewcode@claude-brewcode
3. claude plugin install brewdoc@claude-brewcode
4. claude plugin install brewtools@claude-brewcode
5. claude plugin install brewui@claude-brewcode

After all commands succeed, run `/reload-plugins`. If `/reload-plugins` is unavailable, tell me to type `exit` and run `claude` again. Run the commands now.

⚠️ Reload plugins to activate updates.

>

Preferred: run /reload-plugins in this session.

>

Fallback: type exit, then run claude again.

Canonical Update Command Chain

Run in this exact order. Show full output for each step.

Full Chain

claude plugin marketplace update claude-brewcode
claude plugin update brewcode@claude-brewcode
claude plugin update brewdoc@claude-brewcode
claude plugin update brewtools@claude-brewcode
claude plugin update brewui@claude-brewcode

Reload (MANDATORY after updates)

Preferred: /reload-plugins (in-session slash command) Fallback: type exit, then run claude again

Valid CLI Subcommands

When running inside a Claude session, prefix claude plugin list with unset CLAUDECODE &&.

Verification After Update

unset CLAUDECODE && claude plugin list --json

Confirm expected versions appear. If CC < 2.1.163, inspect cache directly or run scripts/discover-plugins.sh.

Environment Variables

Notes

• ❌ --plugin-dir for end users — dev-only flag

Execute these commands in this Claude Code session, one by one, show full output for each, do not skip any, do not summarize:

1. claude plugin marketplace update claude-brewcode
2. claude plugin update brewcode@claude-brewcode
3. claude plugin update brewdoc@claude-brewcode
4. claude plugin update brewtools@claude-brewcode
5. claude plugin update brewui@claude-brewcode

After all commands succeed, run `/reload-plugins`. If `/reload-plugins` is unavailable, tell me to type `exit` and run `claude` again. Run the commands now.