capacitor-app-upgrades
Routes and drives a Capacitor app upgrade across one or more major versions (4 to 9), including the required 8.4 to 8.5 iOS UIScene step before Capacitor 9 and Xcode 27. Detects the current version, plans the hop order (e.g. 6 to 7 to 8 to 8.5 to 9), runs npx cap migrate per hop, delegates each hop to its version skill, and verifies native builds between hops. Use for "upgrade Capacitor", "update to the latest Capacitor", "cap migrate", multi-version jumps, or when the target version is unclear. Do not use for plugin library upgrades (use capacitor-plugin-upgrades), Cordova apps (use cordova-to-capacitor), or non-Capacitor frameworks.
- Installs
- 774
- 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-upgrades- 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-upgrades 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 (router)
Plan and run a Capacitor app upgrade one hop at a time, using the version-specific skill for each hop.
When to Use
TRIGGER when:
- User wants to upgrade a Capacitor app and the start or target version is unknown or more than one major apart
- User asks for "the latest Capacitor" (decide stable 8.5.x vs prerelease 9 with them)
- Xcode 27 builds fail on a Capacitor 8.4-or-older app (needs the 8.5 UIScene step)
npx cap migratefailed midway and the user needs to know where they are
Do not use:
- Plugin library repos ->
capacitor-plugin-upgrades - Cordova/PhoneGap apps ->
cordova-to-capacitor - CocoaPods to SPM only ->
cocoapods-to-spm
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'))"
Native and Capacitor config paths:
!find . -maxdepth 3 \( -name 'capacitor.config.json' -o -name 'capacitor.config.ts' -o -name 'capacitor.config.js' -o -path './ios' -o -path './android' \)
Version Map (October 2026)
| Hop | Skill | Key requirements after the hop |
|---|---|---|
| 4 -> 5 | capacitor-app-upgrade-v4-to-v5 | see skill |
| 5 -> 6 | capacitor-app-upgrade-v5-to-v6 | see skill |
| 6 -> 7 | capacitor-app-upgrade-v6-to-v7 | see skill |
| 7 -> 8 | capacitor-app-upgrade-v7-to-v8 | Node 22, Xcode 26, iOS 15, minSdk 24, SDK 36, AGP 8.13, Gradle 8.14.3 |
| 8.x -> 8.5 | capacitor-uiscene-migration | iOS UIScene lifecycle (SceneDelegate + scene manifest); required by Xcode 27 |
| 8.5 -> 9 | capacitor-app-upgrade-v8-to-v9 | Node 24, Xcode 27, iOS 16, minSdk 26, SDK 37, AGP 9.2.1, Gradle 9.5.1 |
Capacitor stable is 8.5.x (latest). Capacitor 9 is a prerelease on the next tag (9.0.0-alpha.x): install with @next until 9.0.0 is GA, then @latest. Ask before moving a production app to a prerelease; 8.5 is the safe stopping point and already builds with Xcode 27.
Procedure
- Detect. Read
@capacitor/corefrom the snapshot (npm ls @capacitor/coreif ranges are ambiguous). For 8.x, also check whether UIScene is adopted:grep -c UIApplicationSceneManifest ios/App/App/Info.plist. - Pick the target with the user if not stated: stable (8.5.x) or prerelease (9).
- Plan hops. One major at a time, never skip. From 8.0-8.4 to 9, insert the 8.5 UIScene hop first. Examples:
- 6 -> 9: 6->7, 7->8, 8->8.5 (UIScene), 8.5->9
- 8.2 -> 9: 8.2->8.5 (UIScene), 8.5->9
- 8.5 without scene manifest -> 9: run
capacitor-uiscene-migrationfirst For big apps, write the hops as a TODO list and confirm it with the user.
- Per hop: clean git tree, load that hop's skill, install the CLI for the target (
npm i -D @capacitor/cli@<major>or@nextfor 9), runnpx cap migrate, finish its manual checklist,npx cap sync, then build iOS and Android. Do not start the next hop until both build. Suggest a commit per hop so failures are bisectable. - Plugins. After each hop, align official
@capacitor/*plugins to the same major and check third-party/@capgo/*plugins' peer ranges (npm view <pkg> peerDependencies). - Final verification (below), then offer follow-ups:
cocoapods-to-spm(CocoaPods Trunk expected read-only December 2, 2026), Capgo live updates channel per native version.
Verification
npx cap doctor
npm run build && npx cap sync
cd android && ./gradlew assembleDebug && cd ..
xcodebuild -project ios/App/App.xcodeproj -scheme App -destination 'generic/platform=iOS Simulator' build # CocoaPods: -workspace ios/App/App.xcworkspace
npx cap run ios
npx cap run android
On device: launch, pause/resume, deep link cold + warm, push registration, one call per native plugin. If the app ships OTA updates (Capgo), a new native version needs a new native build; never send a bundle built for v9 to v8 binaries (see capgo-live-updates).
Error Handling
cap migratestops partway -> finish that hop manually from its skill; do not start the next major.Migrate can only be used on Capacitor 7-> the installed CLI is newer than the project; step down with the older CLI first.UIScene migration: project is in a partial state->capacitor-uiscene-migrationhandles it.- iOS build fails after a hop -> check deployment target and Xcode version against the Version Map.
- Android build fails -> check AGP, Gradle wrapper, JDK, and
variables.gradleagainst the hop's skill. - Third-party plugin blocks a hop -> upgrade it, replace it (check
capacitor-pluginsfor a Capgo equivalent), or pause at the current hop.
FAQ
What does the capacitor-app-upgrades skill do?
Routes and drives a Capacitor app upgrade across one or more major versions (4 to 9), including the required 8.4 to 8.5 iOS UIScene step before Capacitor 9 and Xcode 27. Detects the current version, plans the hop order (e.g. 6 to 7 to 8 to 8.5 to 9), runs npx cap migrate per hop, delegates each hop to its version skill, and verifies native builds between hops. Use for "upgrade Capacitor", "update to the latest Capacitor", "cap migrate", multi-version jumps, or when the target version is unclear. Do not use for plugin library upgrades (use capacitor-plugin-upgrades), Cordova apps (use cordova-to-capacitor), or non-Capacitor frameworks.
How do I install capacitor-app-upgrades?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/cap-go/capgo-skills --skill capacitor-app-upgrades 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-upgrades/ (personal) or .claude/skills/capacitor-app-upgrades/ (project).
Which AI agents can use capacitor-app-upgrades?
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-upgrades 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-upgrades?
It is published by cap-go in cap-go/capgo-skills. It has 774 recorded installs.
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