helm-update-check

HELM Update Check

HELM ships as markdown, so there is no background updater. Instead, the entry-point skills run this check once at the start of a session: compare the installed version to the latest published version and, if you're behind, hand the MD the exact one-liner to update. It checks and recommends automatically; it never changes the install (that is the MD's /plugin command to run).

When to run

• Once per session, as Step 0 of helm-orchestrator, helm-onboarding, or helm-portfolio — whichever the MD enters through. If the check already ran this session, skip it.
• It must never block work. Run it, surface a single line if an update exists, and continue. If anything fails (offline, no gh, rate-limited), skip silently — no error to the MD.

The check (mechanical)

1. Read the installed version. Read the version field from this pack's own .claude-plugin/plugin.json (it ships next to the skills/ directory). Call it INSTALLED.

2. Fetch the latest version. Read the same field from the repo's main, using whatever the host has:

   • gh api repos/sykoramade/helm-skill/contents/.claude-plugin/plugin.json --jq '.content' | base64 -d (then parse version), or
   • WebFetch / curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sykoramade/helm-skill/main/.claude-plugin/plugin.json and parse version.

   Call it LATEST. If neither path is available or the fetch fails, stop here silently — no network, no nag. (On a host without gh, WebFetch, or curl — e.g. a plain system prompt — the check is simply a no-op; it never errors and never blocks, consistent with HELM's local-first, no-dependency promise.)

3. Compare as semver (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, numeric component by component).

   • LATEST == INSTALLED → up to date. Say nothing (or, only if the MD asked "am I current?", confirm in one line).
   • LATEST > INSTALLED → an update is available. Surface the recommendation (below).
   • LATEST < INSTALLED → you're ahead of main (a dev build); say nothing.