🔄 Auto-Update Plugin for Claude Code

Never manually update Claude Code again! This plugin automatically checks for and installs updates whenever you start a new session.

Features

• Automatic updates - Updates install silently on session start
• Cross-platform - Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux
• Smart detection - Auto-detects your package manager (brew, winget, apk, or npm)
• Non-blocking - Updates run in the background, just restart to apply

Supported Package Managers

Platform	Package Manager	Install Command
macOS	Homebrew	brew install claude-code
Windows	winget	winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode
Linux	apk (Alpine)	apk add claude-code
All	npm	npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Installation

Step 1: Clone this repo

git clone https://github.com/yusufsaber/claude-code-auto-update.git

Step 2: Add the hook to your Claude Code settings

Edit your settings file:

• macOS/Linux: ~/.claude/settings.json
• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.claude\settings.json

Add the SessionStart hook (merge with existing hooks if you have any):

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionStart": [
      {
        "matcher": ".*",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "node /path/to/claude-code-auto-update/hooks/auto-update.js"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Note: Replace /path/to/claude-code-auto-update with the actual path where you cloned this repo.

Step 3 (Optional): Hide the built-in update notification

Since this plugin handles updates automatically, you can hide Claude's "Update available!" message.

macOS/Linux - Add to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

export DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1

Windows - Add to your PowerShell profile:

$env:DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER = "1"

Then restart your terminal.

How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Claude Code Starts                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│          SessionStart hook triggers plugin               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│     Detect package manager (brew/winget/apk/npm)         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Check if update is available                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                ┌───────────┴───────────┐
                │                       │
                ▼                       ▼
        ┌───────────┐           ┌───────────────┐
        │ No update │           │ Update found! │
        │  Continue │           │ Run upgrade   │
        └───────────┘           └───────────────┘
                                        │
                                        ▼
                                ┌───────────────┐
                                │ Restart Claude│
                                │ to apply      │
                                └───────────────┘

FAQ

How often does it check for updates?

Every time you start a new Claude Code session.

Will this slow down Claude Code startup?

The check is fast (< 1 second). Updates only download when available.

What if the update fails?

The plugin fails silently and lets Claude Code continue normally. You can always update manually.

Why am I still one version behind?

Package managers (brew, winget) may take up to 24 hours to publish new releases after they're available on npm. This is normal.

License

MIT © Yusuf Saber