feat: add --dev flag to extension update command by Testimonial · Pull Request #2006 · github/spec-kit

Testimonial · 2026-03-28T06:23:08Z

Summary

Adds --dev flag to specify extension update for local directory updates
Eliminates the common dev workflow pain: rm -rf && git clone && remove && add --dev
Now just: git pull && specify extension update --dev /path

Problem

Dev-installed extensions (specify extension add --dev /path) cannot be updated without a full remove + add cycle. The update command only checks the catalog, so locally-installed extensions get "Not found in catalog (skipping)".

Common workaround:

rm -rf /tmp/cognitive-squad
git clone https://github.com/org/cognitive-squad.git /tmp/cognitive-squad
specify extension remove cognitive-squad
specify extension add --dev /tmp/cognitive-squad

This destroys any local config files and resets registry metadata (installed_at, priority).

Solution

# Pull latest changes in local repo
cd /tmp/cognitive-squad && git pull

# Update the installed extension from local directory
specify extension update --dev /tmp/cognitive-squad

When --dev is specified:

Reads extension.yml from source directory to identify the extension
If not installed: installs fresh (same as add --dev)
If installed: backs up config files, removes old, installs from source, restores config + registry metadata
Preserves: installed_at, priority, enabled state, *-config.yml, *-config.local.yml, local-config.yml
Sets source: "local" in registry

No changes to the catalog update code path when --dev is not used.

Test plan

specify extension update --dev /path/to/ext updates an installed dev extension
specify extension update --dev /path/to/new-ext installs if not yet installed
specify extension update --dev (no path) prints usage error
specify extension update --dev /nonexistent prints directory not found error
Config files preserved across dev update
Registry metadata (installed_at, priority) preserved
specify extension update ext-name (no --dev) still uses catalog (unchanged)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Adds `--dev` support to the update command, enabling local directory updates without remove + add cycle: specify extension update --dev /tmp/cognitive-squad Behavior: - Reads extension.yml from the source directory to get the extension ID - If extension is not installed: installs fresh (same as add --dev) - If extension is installed: backs up config files, removes old version, installs from local directory, restores config files and registry metadata (installed_at, priority, enabled state) - Sets source to "local" in registry This eliminates the common dev workflow pain point: rm -rf /tmp/ext && git clone ... && specify extension remove ext && specify extension add --dev /tmp/ext Now just: cd /tmp/ext && git pull && specify extension update --dev /tmp/ext Config files (*-config.yml, *-config.local.yml, local-config.yml) are preserved across updates. The catalog code path is unchanged when --dev is not specified. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds a --dev mode to specify extension update to support updating dev-installed extensions directly from a local source directory, aiming to preserve config and key registry metadata during the update workflow.

Changes:

Introduces --dev flag to specify extension update.
Implements a dev update code path that reads extension.yml from a provided directory, removes the installed extension, reinstalls from the directory, and restores config/registry metadata.
Keeps existing catalog-based update behavior when --dev is not used.

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Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:37Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+        # Check if installed
+        installed = manager.list_installed()
+        installed_ids = {ext["id"] for ext in installed}
+
+        if extension_id not in installed_ids:


Installed detection uses manager.list_installed() to build installed_ids. list_installed() is based on registry.list() which filters out corrupted/non-dict entries, so an extension can still be “installed” per registry.is_installed() yet be missing from installed_ids—leading --dev to attempt a fresh install and fail with “already installed”. Consider checking installation via manager.registry.is_installed(extension_id) (or manager.registry.keys()) instead of relying on list_installed().

Suggested change

# Check if installed

installed = manager.list_installed()

installed_ids = {ext["id"] for ext in installed}

if extension_id not in installed_ids:

# Check if installed using registry to handle corrupted entries gracefully

try:

is_installed = manager.registry.is_installed(extension_id)

except AttributeError:

# Fallback for environments without registry.is_installed

installed = manager.list_installed()

installed_ids = {ext["id"] for ext in installed}

is_installed = extension_id in installed_ids

if not is_installed:

Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:37Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+            # Restore preserved metadata (installed_at, priority, enabled state)
+            if backup_registry_entry and isinstance(backup_registry_entry, dict):
+                current_metadata = manager.registry.get(extension_id)
+                if current_metadata and isinstance(current_metadata, dict):
+                    new_metadata = dict(current_metadata)
+                    if "installed_at" in backup_registry_entry:
+                        new_metadata["installed_at"] = backup_registry_entry["installed_at"]
+                    if "priority" in backup_registry_entry:
+                        new_metadata["priority"] = normalize_priority(backup_registry_entry["priority"])
+                    if not backup_registry_entry.get("enabled", True):
+                        new_metadata["enabled"] = False
+                    new_metadata["source"] = "local"
+                    manager.registry.restore(extension_id, new_metadata)


If the extension was disabled before the update, this code restores enabled=False in the registry, but it doesn’t re-disable hooks in .specify/extensions.yml. The catalog update path explicitly disables those hooks to keep behavior consistent. Consider mirroring that logic here so disabled extensions don’t end up executing hooks after a dev update.

Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:38Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+            console.print(f"\n[green]✓[/green] Updated {extension_id} to v{new_version} from {source_path}")
+        except Exception as e:
+            console.print(f"\n[red]✗[/red] Update failed: {e}")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)
+        finally:
+            # Clean up backup
+            backup_base = manager.extensions_dir / ".backup" / f"{extension_id}-dev-update"
+            if backup_base.exists():
+                shutil.rmtree(backup_base)
+


Failure handling here can cause irreversible loss: after remove() succeeds, if install_from_directory() or config restore fails, the old extension is gone and the config backup is deleted in finally. Consider implementing rollback (similar to the existing catalog update path) or, at minimum, only deleting the backup directory after a successful update and leaving it in place on failure. Also consider guarding shutil.rmtree in the cleanup path so a cleanup error doesn’t mask the original update failure.

Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:38Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+    # ── Dev mode: update from local directory ──────────────────────────
+    if dev:
+        if not extension:
+            console.print("[red]Error:[/red] --dev requires extension path argument")
+            console.print("Usage: specify extension update --dev /path/to/extension")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)


There are CLI integration tests for specify extension update already (see TestExtensionUpdateCLI), but this new --dev code path is untested. Adding tests for --dev update (installed and not-installed cases, config preservation, and disabled extension hook behavior) would help prevent regressions.

Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:38Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+        source_path = Path(extension).expanduser().resolve()
+        if not source_path.exists():
+            console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] Directory not found: {source_path}")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)


--dev accepts a local directory, but the code only checks exists(). If a user passes a file path, the error message becomes “No extension.yml found” rather than a clear “must be a directory”. Consider validating source_path.is_dir() and exiting with an explicit message when it isn’t a directory.

Suggested change

raise typer.Exit(1)

raise typer.Exit(1)

elif not source_path.is_dir():

console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] --dev path must be a directory: {source_path}")

raise typer.Exit(1)

Copilot · 2026-03-30T16:03:38Z

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

+        import yaml
+        with open(manifest_path) as f:
+            manifest_data = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}


Reading/parsing extension.yml here is outside the surrounding try/except and can raise (YAML syntax error, permission error, etc.), resulting in an uncaught exception/traceback. Consider using the existing ExtensionManifest loader/validator (from specify_cli.extensions) or wrapping the file read + yaml.safe_load in error handling and returning a clean Typer error message.

Suggested change

import yaml

with open(manifest_path) as f:

manifest_data = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}

try:

with open(manifest_path) as f:

manifest_data = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}

except (OSError, yaml.YAMLError) as e:

console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] Failed to read or parse {manifest_path}: {e}")

raise typer.Exit(1)

mnriem

Please address Copilot feedback. If not applicable, please explain why

Testimonial requested a review from mnriem as a code owner March 28, 2026 06:23

mnriem requested a review from Copilot March 30, 2026 15:59

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of mnriem March 30, 2026 15:59 View session

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feat: add --dev flag to extension update command#2006

feat: add --dev flag to extension update command#2006
Testimonial wants to merge 1 commit intogithub:mainfrom
Testimonial:feat/extension-update-dev

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Testimonial commented Mar 28, 2026

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