comet update

Relevant source files

• src/commands/update.ts
• test/ts/update.test.ts

The comet update command provides a streamlined mechanism for keeping both the Comet CLI and its deployed agent skills up to date. It automates the detection of existing installations across multiple AI platforms and scopes, performs a self-update via npm, and synchronizes the latest bundled skills while preserving the user's previously selected language (English or Chinese).

Implementation Overview

The update logic is encapsulated in src/commands/update.ts src/commands/update.ts218-320 It follows a two-stage execution flow:

1. NPM Package Update: Updates the @rpamis/comet package itself using npm install src/commands/update.ts184-216
2. Skill Synchronization: Detects where Comet skills were previously installed (e.g., .claude/skills/, .cursor/rules/) and overwrites them with the latest versions from the updated package assets src/commands/update.ts257-285

Data Flow and Update Logic

The following diagram illustrates the detection and execution flow of the updateCommand.

Update Command Execution Flow

Sources: src/commands/update.ts218-285 src/commands/update.ts80-103

Scope and Target Detection

Comet must determine both the scope of the npm installation (to run the correct npm command) and the specific AI platforms where skills are currently deployed.

NPM Package Scope Detection

The function detectCometPackageScope identifies if Comet is installed as a project dependency or a global package src/commands/update.ts134-159

• Project Scope: Detected if the current process is running from within a node_modules folder inside the project path src/commands/update.ts138-139 or if @rpamis/comet is listed in the project's package.json dependencies src/commands/update.ts149-155
• Global Scope: The default fallback if no local project installation is found src/commands/update.ts158

Installed Target Detection

The detectInstalledCometTargets function iterates through all supported PLATFORMS src/core/platforms.ts30-88 and both InstallScope types (project, global) to find active installations src/commands/update.ts105-127

• Discovery: It checks for the existence of a skills directory containing files starting with comet via hasLocalCometSkills src/commands/update.ts67-78
• Platform Mapping: Uses getPlatformSkillsDir to resolve platform-specific paths like .claude or .cursor src/commands/update.ts60

Entity Mapping: Detection Logic

Sources: src/commands/update.ts23-36 src/commands/update.ts105-127

Language Detection and Overwrite Behavior

A key feature of comet update is its ability to remember the user's language preference without storing a separate configuration file.

Language Detection

The detectInstalledCometLanguage function reads the existing SKILL.md file from the target platform's directory src/commands/update.ts85-100 It uses a Unicode regex check /[\u3400-\u9fff]/u to determine if the content contains CJK characters src/commands/update.ts95

• If Chinese characters are found, it selects the skills-zh asset directory src/commands/update.ts43-45
• Otherwise, it defaults to the English skills directory src/commands/update.ts102

Overwrite Logic

Once targets are identified, the command calls copyCometSkillsForPlatform src/core/skills.ts33-88 This process:

1. Loads the skill manifest from assets/manifest.json via getManifestSkills src/commands/update.ts265
2. Determines the source directory (assets/skills or assets/skills-zh) based on the detected language src/commands/update.ts43-45
3. Overwrites the existing skill files in the target platform directory with the latest versions from the package src/commands/update.ts271-279
4. Also triggers copyCometRulesForPlatform and installCometHooksForPlatform to ensure project-level constraints and pre-tool hooks are updated src/commands/update.ts281-282

Sources: src/commands/update.ts80-103 src/commands/update.ts257-285 test/ts/update.test.ts43-63

CLI Usage and Flags

The command supports several flags to control its behavior, particularly useful for CI/CD or specialized environments.

Flag	Description
--skip-npm	Skips the npm install step and only updates agent skills using the currently installed package assets src/commands/update.ts227
--scope <scope>	Forces the update to a specific scope (project or global), bypassing auto-detection src/commands/update.ts225
--language <lang>	Overrides language detection for the skill update src/commands/update.ts268
--json	Outputs the update results (npm status and list of updated platforms) in a structured JSON format src/commands/update.ts249-254

NPM Update Execution

The updateCometNpmPackage function spawns a child process to run npm install src/commands/update.ts184-216

• On Windows, it uses npm.cmd via getNpmExecutable() src/commands/update.ts180-182
• In standard mode, it uses stdio: 'inherit' to allow the user to see the npm progress src/commands/update.ts199 In --json mode, it uses stdio: 'ignore' to prevent npm output from corrupting the JSON document src/commands/update.ts199
• The command arguments are built by buildNpmUpdateArgs, appending @latest to the package name and forcing the official registry src/commands/update.ts161-165

Sources: src/commands/update.ts23-28 src/commands/update.ts161-165 src/commands/update.ts184-216