Guide · Agent skill
How to use the auto-updater skill: check and review skill updates
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The auto-updater skill is an agent skill from the claude-for-legal repository that checks the community skills you have already installed against their source repositories. When it finds a newer commit, it shows you the changes and waits for your explicit approval before anything is replaced. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and what it needs and where its risks lie, so you can decide whether it fits your setup.
Community Skill Auto-Updateranthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the auto-updater skill ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip the skill. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP if you use the Claude apps.
- 4Check your config. Make sure ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md and your install log are present.
- 5Ask for an update check. Say "check for updates" or "anything new for my installed skills?".
- 6Review each diff. Read the diff and trust-check flags for each skill with a new commit.
- 7Approve or decline. Answer the approval prompt. Nothing is applied without your explicit yes.
What the auto-updater skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that gives the agent extra instructions for a specific task. This one checks each installed skill for a newer version. It compares the commit SHA pinned at install time with the current commit SHA in the source registry, and it treats a difference as an available update.
Before any update is applied, the skill shows a diff of the changes. It highlights changes to hooks, MCP server configuration, tool permissions, network access, and the skill's stated purpose. It also re-runs the skills-qa security scan against the new version and can flag skills whose reference material has passed a freshness window without re-verification.
- Compares installed commit SHAs with the latest commit in each source registry
- Shows a full diff, with hooks/hooks.json and .mcp.json changes marked for attention
- Runs a skills-qa re-scan and refuses updates whose scan now fails
- Flags skills whose reference material is past its freshness window
Install the auto-updater skill
Download the skill's ZIP file from this page. Then choose one of two install locations. For a personal install, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead of files on disk, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project only: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command to start a check. The skill's description tells the agent to use it when you ask things like checking for updates, updating your skills, or asking whether anything new exists for your installed skills. It can also be invoked from the registry-sync agent.
The skill's argument hint describes the mode: by default it only notifies you, and an --apply option is available to update all skills. The source also describes running a single skill with /legal-builder-hub:auto-updater --apply [skill].
- "check for updates"
- "update my skills"
- "anything new for my installed skills?"
- Notify-only is the default; --apply is the argument for updating all
/legal-builder-hub:auto-updater --apply [skill]Example workflows
A typical check starts with the agent reading your config file and listing the installed skills that have newer commits. For each one you see the diff, the trust-check flags, and the scan result. Nothing changes until you answer the approval prompt.
If a skill's new version triggers a scan regression, the skill stops and reports the refusal. The source states there is no override flag for a refused update; you can roll back or uninstall instead.
- Ask "check for updates" and read the list of skills with new commits
- Review a flagged diff for a hooks or MCP change before answering the prompt
- Check a skill whose freshness window has passed and choose: verify references yourself, flag to the maintainer, or disable it
What the skill needs and safety notes
The skill requires an agent with access to ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/legal-builder-hub/CLAUDE.md, network access to fetch commit SHAs and diffs, the skills-qa scanning skill for the re-scan step, and an install log that records pinned commit SHAs and freshness metadata. The source says it does not run scripts and does use the network.
The source describes installed skills as code running inside a privileged legal environment. Hooks can run shell commands and MCP servers can use your credentials, so the skill is designed to block any update without human review. Treat the scan as a signal, not a guarantee: the skill checks commits, diffs and freshness dates, not legal accuracy.
- Requires the CLAUDE.md config file, network access, skills-qa, and an install log
- Runs no scripts; uses the network
- Hooks, MCP and tool-permission changes always need your approval
- Does not verify the legal correctness of any skill's content
Tips for getting reliable results
Keep the install log and config file intact, because much of the workflow reads pinned SHAs and freshness tokens from them. If the update changed the SHA but not the last_verified date, the source says the update does not refresh the bundled references, so check the listed verified_against sources yourself before relying on them.
Use notify mode when you want to read everything first. Use manual mode if you prefer to list updates and apply them later yourself.
- Keep the install log and CLAUDE.md file in place
- Notice when last_verified does not move after an update
- Prefer commit SHAs over tags, which the source says can be rewritten
What people use it for
- A legal team checking whether a community NDA-review skill has changed before its next use
- A developer reviewing a hooks.json change in a skill before accepting it
- A registry maintainer documenting a review step for skill updates
- Flagging installed skills whose reference material has passed its freshness window
Frequently asked questions
Is the auto-updater skill free?
The source does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the Apache-2.0 licence listed for this item. Check the repository's licence file for the terms that apply to you.
Does the auto-updater skill install updates automatically?
No. The skill is designed so that no update is applied without you reading the diff and approving it. The source says there is no auto mode and no override for refused updates.
What do I need to run the auto-updater skill?
You need an agent with access to the CLAUDE.md config file, network access to fetch commit SHAs and diffs, the skills-qa scanning skill, and an install log that records pinned commit SHAs and freshness metadata.
Where do I put the auto-updater skill?
Unzip the ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does the auto-updater check whether a skill's legal content is accurate?
No. The source says it checks commits, diffs and freshness dates rather than legal correctness. You still need to verify bundled reference material against the listed sources yourself.
What if the auto-updater says an update is refused?
The skill stops and emits the refusal. The source says you can use --rollback or uninstall the skill, and there is no override flag for a refused update.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
Use this skill if you rely on several community skills from the claude-for-legal repository and want a documented, human-gated review before any change is applied. Pick something else if you want updates applied automatically, or if you cannot provide the skills-qa scanner and the install log, since much of the workflow depends on them.
Download the skill