starter-kit-upgrade — Claude Code skill: setup and features
Selectively pulls upstream features and fixes from Laravel starter kits into customized projects. Keeps local changes intact by avoiding automatic merges.
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a claude-codeWhat starter-kit-upgrade does
The skill targets projects created from laravel/vue-starter-kit, react-starter-kit, svelte-starter-kit, or livewire-starter-kit. Instead of attempting a blind full-repo upgrade, it identifies individual upstream features and ports them one at a time. A common git ancestry is not needed because the agent compares current project bytes directly against upstream.
Safety controls are strict. Every feature lands in its own commit on an isolated starter-kit-upgrade/<short-id> branch, leaving your working branch untouched. When upstream edits touch modified project code, the skill skips the file and surfaces the diff rather than resolving conflicts automatically. Existing tests and build commands run right after each step to catch regressions immediately.
Required tools include git, bash, jq, and an authenticated gh CLI. Major framework jumps, like moving across major Laravel versions, break this workflow and must be handled via Laravel Boost commands instead. If upstream diffs exceed fifty modified files, the skill safely halts.
What it helps with
- pull specific fixes from an upstream Laravel starter kit
- protect custom project code from destructive auto-merges
- isolate starter kit improvements into individual git commits
- run project tests automatically after applying upstream changes
Example prompts for the agent
- Pull recent upstream updates from laravel/react-starter-kit into my app
- Check laravel/vue-starter-kit for new UI fixes and apply them safely
- Sync authentication fixes from my starter kit onto a dedicated branch
How to install starter-kit-upgrade
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install laravel/agent-skills starter-kit-upgrade2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/laravel/agent-skills --path laravel/skills/starter-kit-upgradeManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/starter-kit-upgrade/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about starter-kit-upgrade
How do I install starter-kit-upgrade in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add laravel/agent-skills --skill starter-kit-upgrade -a claude-code in your terminal.
What does starter-kit-upgrade do?
It ports specific improvements from Laravel starter kits into an existing codebase one feature at a time. It keeps local edits intact and commits each update to a separate branch.
Can this skill upgrade major Laravel versions?
No. Major framework version upgrades must be handled through Laravel Boost slash commands, as this skill halts if diffs exceed roughly fifty files.
