Keeping Current
How to pull the latest code without touching your data.
CareerRat is published to npm as careerrat@latest. This page covers the npm
CLI's update command. If you're on the Mac app instead, see
Mac app updates below; the two paths work differently.
Update command
careerrat updateThe update does a privacy-guarded tarball extract: it downloads the latest
published package, unpacks only the code files, and replaces them in your
checkout. It never touches your .careerrat/candidate/ directory or
.careerrat/workspace/ data.
What gets updated
bin/— the CLIsrc/— scripts and core logic.agents/skills/*/SKILL.md— all 28 skill definitionsconfig/*.schema.json— schemas (your data files are validated against these)templates/— scaffolding templates (your existing files are not overwritten)
What is never touched
.careerrat/candidate/- your profile, targeting config, evidence bank, honesty boundaries, form defaults, modes, automation consent.careerrat/workspace/- tracker data, tailored artifacts, comms, research, activity log- Any file that is gitignored in the repo
Checking your version
careerrat --version
# or
careerrat doctordoctor reports your current version alongside environment and scaffold state.
After an update
If the update added schema changes, run careerrat tracker --verify to confirm your
tracker data is still valid:
careerrat tracker --verifySkill definitions are picked up automatically the next time you open your agent — no reinstall needed. If your agent does not see new skills after an update, run:
careerrat install-skillsThat re-shims .claude/skills → .agents/skills for Claude Code (or creates a
copied tree where symlinks are not available).
Mac app updates
The signed Mac app does not run careerrat update. It checks GitHub once a day
for a newer signed release and downloads it inside CareerRat. When the download
has been verified, choose Restart and install. CareerRat closes its local
services, installs the update, and reopens. You can turn automatic checks off
in Settings and still use Check for Updates… whenever you want.
The DMG and brew upgrade --cask codeswhat/tap/careerrat remain available for
manual installation. Windows self-update is not enabled until the installed
app and installer share a complete signing chain.