Claude Code Updater

A command-line tool that automatically manages and updates Claude Code installations with wrapper functionality.

Overview

Claude Code Updater solves the problem of manual Claude Code updates by automatically checking for and installing updates before each execution. It provides seamless auto-update functionality with cross-platform support and shell integration.

Features

• ✅ Auto-update Claude Code on each execution
• ✅ Cross-platform support (macOS, Linux, Windows)
• ✅ Automatic shell alias configuration (bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell)
• ✅ Smart update caching to avoid delays (1-hour cooldown)
• ✅ Version tracking and rollback capabilities
• ✅ Clean installation and uninstallation
• ✅ Error handling and logging
• ✅ Zero-configuration after installation

Installation

Via npm (Recommended)

npm install -g claude-code-updater

The installation will automatically:

• Set up shell aliases for seamless integration
• Create configuration directories
• Initialize logging

Manual Installation

git clone https://github.com/0xRaghu/claude-code-updater.git
cd claude-code-updater
npm install
npm link

Usage

After installation, simply use claude as you normally would:

# Auto-updates and runs Claude Code
claude

# Pass any arguments to Claude
claude --resume
claude -p "Hello, world!"

# Skip update check for faster startup
claude --skip-update

How It Works

1. Update Check: When you run claude, it first checks for Claude Code updates
2. Smart Caching: Updates are checked at most once per hour to avoid delays
3. Auto-Update: If an update is available, it's installed automatically
4. Execution: Your original command is passed through to the actual Claude Code

Configuration

Config File Location

• macOS/Linux: ~/.claude-code-updater/config.json
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude-code-updater\config.json

Settings

{
  "settings": {
    "updateCooldown": 3600000,
    "maxVersionHistory": 10,
    "enableLogging": true,
    "autoUpdate": true
  }
}

Environment Variables

• CLAUDE_UPDATER_DEBUG=true - Enable debug logging
• CLAUDE_UPDATER_SKIP_UPDATE=true - Skip all update checks

Shell Integration

The installer automatically adds aliases to your shell configuration:

Bash/Zsh

alias claude='claude-code-updater'

Fish

alias claude 'claude-code-updater'

PowerShell

function claude { & claude-code-updater $args }

Commands

Main Command

claude [arguments]  # Auto-update and run Claude Code

Utility Commands

# Installation validation
npx claude-code-updater-install --validate

# Repair installation
npx claude-code-updater-install --repair

# Uninstall (preserve user data)
npm uninstall -g claude-code-updater

# Complete removal including user data
npx claude-code-updater-uninstall --clean

Version Management

Rollback to Previous Version

const Updater = require('claude-code-updater/lib/updater');
const updater = new Updater('@anthropic-ai/claude-code', 'claude');
await updater.rollbackToPreviousVersion();

Force Update

# Force update regardless of cooldown
CLAUDE_UPDATER_DEBUG=true claude --force-update

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Claude not found after installation

# Check if Claude Code is installed
claude --version

# Install Claude Code if missing
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Shell alias not working

# Restart terminal or reload shell config
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

3. Permission errors

# Fix npm permissions (Unix-like systems)
sudo chown -R $(whoami) $(npm config get prefix)/{lib/node_modules,bin,share}

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to troubleshoot issues:

export CLAUDE_UPDATER_DEBUG=true
claude --help

Log Files

Check log files for detailed information:

# View recent logs
tail -f ~/.claude-code-updater/updater.log

# Clear logs
rm ~/.claude-code-updater/updater.log

Manual Shell Setup

If automatic shell integration fails, add this alias manually:

# Add to ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or equivalent
alias claude='claude-code-updater'

Uninstallation

Method 1: Standard Uninstall (Recommended)

npm uninstall -g claude-code-updater

This automatically removes:

• ✅ The npm package
• ✅ Shell aliases
• ✅ Binary files
• ⚠️ Preserves user data (~/.claude-code-updater/)

Method 2: Complete Cleanup (If Standard Fails)

If the standard uninstall doesn't work completely, use our cleanup script:

# Download and run the cleanup script
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0xRaghu/claude-code-updater/main/scripts/cleanup.js -o cleanup.js
node cleanup.js --clean

# Or if you have the package locally
npx claude-code-updater --cleanup --clean

Method 3: Manual Cleanup

If both methods fail, manual cleanup:

# 1. Force remove npm package
npm uninstall -g claude-code-updater --force

# 2. Remove binary files
rm -f ~/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin/claude
rm -f ~/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin/claude-code-updater
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/claude
sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/claude-code-updater

# 3. Remove shell aliases
# Edit ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc
# Remove lines containing "claude-code-updater" or "alias claude="

# 4. Remove user data (optional)
rm -rf ~/.claude-code-updater

# 5. Restart terminal

Verification

After uninstallation, verify removal:

# Should show "command not found"
claude --version

# Should not list the package
npm list -g claude-code-updater

Development

Setup Development Environment

git clone https://github.com/0xRaghu/claude-code-updater.git
cd claude-code-updater
npm install
npm link

Run Tests

npm test

Debug Local Installation

CLAUDE_UPDATER_DEBUG=true node bin/claude-code-updater.js --help

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests
5. Submit a pull request

Requirements

• Node.js >= 14.0.0
• npm >= 6.0.0
• Internet connection for updates

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: GitHub Wiki
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

Related Projects

• Claude Code - The official Claude Code
• npm-check-updates - Update package dependencies

Note: This tool is an unofficial wrapper for the Claude Code and is not affiliated with Anthropic.