capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5
Upgrades a Capacitor app from v4 to v5 using npx cap migrate from @capacitor/cli@latest-5, then the manual checklist - Node 16+, Xcode 14.1+, Android Studio Flamingo with JDK 17, AGP 8.0.0, Gradle 8.0.2, compile/target SDK 33, package moved from AndroidManifest.xml to namespace in build.gradle, Jetifier removal, pinning androidScheme to http, and official plugin breaking changes (Device uuid to identifier, Android 13 notification permissions, READMEDIAIMAGES). Use when @capacitor/core is 4.x and the target is 5.x, or on errors like "Namespace not specified" or "Android Gradle plugin requires Java 17". Do not use for other major versions, plugin library upgrades, or non-Capacitor apps.
- Installs
- 640
- Last 24h
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- Trending rank
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- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/cap-go/capgo-skills --skill capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5 automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Capacitor App Upgrade v4 to v5
Move a Capacitor 4 app to Capacitor 5. Source of truth: https://capacitorjs.com/docs/updating/5-0
When to Use
@capacitor/corein the snapshot below is4.xand the user wants5.x.- Android build fails after bumping to Capacitor 5 with
Namespace not specified, a Java 11 vs 17 mismatch, or AGP 8 errors. - The user asks for the exact 4 -> 5 checklist for iOS, Android, or official plugins.
Do not use:
- App on 5.x or later ->
capacitor-app-upgrade-v5-to-v6(then v6-to-v7, v7-to-v8). Multi-hop planning ->capacitor-app-upgrades. - Upgrading a plugin library ->
capacitor-plugin-upgrade-v4-to-v5. - App on 3.x -> upgrade to 4 first (
npx cap migratein 5.x refuses projects below 4).
Live Project Snapshot
Current Capacitor packages from package.json:
!node -e "const fs=require('fs');if(!fs.existsSync('package.json'))process.exit(0);const pkg=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('package.json','utf8'));const out=[];for(const section of ['dependencies','devDependencies']){for(const [name,version] of Object.entries(pkg[section]||{})){if(name.startsWith('@capacitor/'))out.push(section+'.'+name+'='+version)}}console.log(out.sort().join('\n'))"
References
Only load a reference when its topic is in play.
| File | Load when |
|---|---|
references/android.md | Editing variables.gradle, build.gradle, wrapper, manifest, or Kotlin by hand |
references/plugins.md | The app uses official @capacitor/* plugins (Camera, Device, Push, Local Notifications, Google Maps, ...) |
Preflight
Check and report before touching files. Ask the user to upgrade tooling if any minimum is missing.
| Tool | Minimum for Capacitor 5 |
|---|---|
| Node.js | 16+ (latest LTS recommended) |
| Xcode | 14.1+ |
| Android Studio | Flamingo 2022.2.1+ (bundles JDK 17) |
| Java (Gradle JDK) | 17 |
| AGP / Gradle | 8.0.0 / 8.0.2 |
| Android SDK | minSdk 22, compileSdk 33, targetSdk 33 |
| iOS deployment target | 13.0 (unchanged from v4) |
node -v
xcodebuild -version
java -version
git status --short # start from a clean tree so the migration diff is reviewable
Procedure
-
Confirm
@capacitor/coreis 4.x from the snapshot. If below 4, stop and route to a 3 -> 4 upgrade first. -
Run the automated migration:
npm i -D @capacitor/cli@latest-5 npx cap migrateIt bumps
@capacitor/*packages, updatesvariables.gradle, AGP, the Gradle wrapper, movespackagetonamespace, trims the iOS app icon set, and runscap sync. Read the output: every step it could not complete is printed and must be done by hand. -
Review
git diff. Then finish anything the CLI skipped:- iOS: in
ios/.gitignorereplaceApp/Podfile.lockwithApp/output(commitPodfile.lockfrom now on). Optionally reduceAppIcon.appiconsetto a single 1024x1024 icon. - Android: apply the variable table and diffs in
references/android.md(AGP 8.0.0, Gradle 8.0.2, google-services 4.3.15,namespace, Jetifier, Kotlin 1.8.20). - Config: if
server.androidSchemeis not set, addandroidScheme: "http"tocapacitor.config.*. Capacitor 6 flips the default tohttps, which changes the WebView origin and wipes localStorage, IndexedDB and cookies. Pinning now prevents data loss later. Ask the user before choosinghttpsinstead.
- iOS: in
-
Update every official plugin to
^5.0.0and community plugins to their Capacitor 5 release. Apply code changes fromreferences/plugins.md. -
In Android Studio, run
Tools -> AGP Upgrade Assistantif the Gradle files still show AGP 7 leftovers. -
Run verification below.
Traps
- Removing
android.enableJetifier=truebreaks builds if any dependency still uses the oldandroid.support.*libraries. Grepnode_modulesand native deps first; keep Jetifier if unsure. namespacemust equal the old manifestpackagevalue, not theapplicationIdif they differ.- Device plugin:
getId()now returns{ identifier };uuidis gone. On iOS 16+,DeviceInfo.namereturns a generic name without the user-assigned-device-name entitlement. - Android 13 (targetSdk 33): Push and Local Notifications need
checkPermissions()/requestPermissions()at runtime or nothing is shown.
Verification
grep -rn "package=" android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml # expect no package attribute
grep -n "namespace" android/app/build.gradle # expect namespace "<id>"
grep -n "gradle:8.0.0\|google-services" android/build.gradle
grep -n "distributionUrl" android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties # gradle-8.0.2
grep -n "SdkVersion" android/variables.gradle # 22 / 33 / 33
grep -rn "androidScheme" capacitor.config.* # explicit value present
grep -rn "\.uuid\b" src/ # no Device uuid leftovers
npx cap sync
cd android && ./gradlew assembleDebug
Then build iOS in Xcode 14.1+ (or npx cap run ios) and launch both platforms. Confirm stored data (login, localStorage) survived the upgrade.
Error Handling
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
Migrate can only be used on capacitor 4 and above, please use the CLI in Capacitor 4 to upgrade to 4 first | Project is on 3.x. Upgrade to 4 first. |
Capacitor 5 requires JDK 17 or higher. Some steps may fail. | Set Gradle JDK to 17 (Android Studio Settings -> Build Tools -> Gradle) and rerun. |
Unable to find <file>. Try updating it manually | Apply the matching diff from references/android.md. |
Found namespace in build.gradle already, skipping migration | Informational. Just confirm the manifest no longer has package=. |
Namespace not specified (Gradle) | Add namespace "<package id>" to the android {} block of the failing module. For a third-party plugin, update it to its Capacitor 5 release. |
Android Gradle plugin requires Java 17 to run. You are currently using Java 11. | Switch Gradle JDK to 17. |
| Data loss / logged out after upgrade on Android | androidScheme changed. Set it back to the scheme the installed app used (http for v4 defaults). |
FAQ
What does the capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5 skill do?
Upgrades a Capacitor app from v4 to v5 using npx cap migrate from @capacitor/cli@latest-5, then the manual checklist - Node 16+, Xcode 14.1+, Android Studio Flamingo with JDK 17, AGP 8.0.0, Gradle 8.0.2, compile/target SDK 33, package moved from AndroidManifest.xml to namespace in build.gradle, Jetifier removal, pinning androidScheme to http, and official plugin breaking changes (Device uuid to identifier, Android 13 notification permissions, READMEDIAIMAGES). Use when @capacitor/core is 4.x and the target is 5.x, or on errors like "Namespace not specified" or "Android Gradle plugin requires Java 17". Do not use for other major versions, plugin library upgrades, or non-Capacitor apps.
How do I install capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/cap-go/capgo-skills --skill capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5 in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5/ (personal) or .claude/skills/capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5/ (project).
Which AI agents can use capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5 safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5?
It is published by cap-go in cap-go/capgo-skills. It has 640 recorded installs.
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