NW-UPDATE: Queue Deferred nWave Self-Update

Wave: CROSS_WAVE | Agent: Main Instance (self) | Command: /nw-update

Overview

/nw-update records a PendingUpdateFlag on disk. The actual upgrade is performed by the SessionStart hook on the next Claude Code launch, so the user can keep working in the current session and apply the new version whenever they restart.

You (the main Claude instance) run this command directly — no subagent delegation. Do NOT attempt to upgrade nwave-ai in the current session.

Behavior Flow

Step 1: Resolve target version

1. If the user passed an argument ($ARGUMENTS), treat it as the target version after stripping a leading v.
2. Otherwise read update_check.latest_available from DESConfig (.nwave/des-state.json).
3. If no argument AND no discovered version: ask the user for the target version explicitly. Do not guess.

Step 2: Detect the package manager and its binary

Invoke the detector and resolve the PM binary absolute path in a single Bash call:

PYTHONPATH=$HOME/.claude/lib/python python3 -c "
import shutil, sys
from pathlib import Path
from des.adapters.driven.package_managers.package_manager_detector import detect_pm
pm = detect_pm(Path(sys.executable))
binary = shutil.which(pm) if pm in ('pipx', 'uv') else ''
print(f'{pm}|{binary or \"\"}')"

Parse the output as pm|binary_abspath.

Step 3: Handle unknown PM

If pm == "unknown" OR binary_abspath is empty:

1. Do NOT call PendingUpdateService.request_update.
2. Print the manual fallback and stop:

nwave-ai was not installed via a supported package manager (pipx or uv).
Please upgrade manually:

  pipx upgrade nwave-ai && nwave-ai install
    — or —
  uv tool install nwave-ai@latest && nwave-ai install

Then restart Claude Code.

Step 4: Queue the pending update

Call the driving port PendingUpdateService.request_update:

PYTHONPATH=$HOME/.claude/lib/python python3 -c "
from des.application.pending_update_service import PendingUpdateService
from des.adapters.driven.config.des_config import DESConfig
from des.adapters.driven.package_managers.package_manager_detector import detect_pm
from des.ports.driven_ports.package_manager_port import PackageManagerPort
from pathlib import Path
import shutil, sys

pm = detect_pm(Path(sys.executable))
binary = shutil.which(pm)
target = '${TARGET_VERSION}'

config = DESConfig.load()
# PM adapter is only used by apply(), request_update() does not invoke it.
svc = PendingUpdateService(config=config, pm=None)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
svc.request_update(pm=pm, pm_binary_abspath=binary, target_version=target)
print(f'queued:{pm}:{target}')"

Substitute ${TARGET_VERSION} with the value resolved in Step 1 (no leading v).

Step 5: Confirm to the user

On success, print:

Update to vX.Y.Z queued. It will be applied the next time you restart Claude Code.
Package manager: <pipx|uv>  (<binary_abspath>)

Error Handling

Progress Tracking

This command is synchronous and fast (< 1s). Do not create a task list; print progress inline.

Success Criteria

• Target version resolved (explicit arg, discovered, or asked)
• PM detected and PM binary absolute path obtained
• Either pending-update flag written OR manual fallback printed
• User sees confirmation of the queued version and PM used

Examples

Example 1: Discovered version, pipx install

/nw-update

Reads update_check.latest_available = "1.4.2", detects pipx at /home/alex/.local/bin/pipx, queues flag, prints: Update to v1.4.2 queued. It will be applied the next time you restart Claude Code.

Example 2: Explicit version, uv install

/nw-update 1.5.0

Detects uv at /home/alex/.cargo/bin/uv, queues flag for 1.5.0.

Example 3: Unknown PM

/nw-update 1.4.2

Detector returns unknown (e.g. pip venv install). Prints manual fallback instructions and exits without writing the flag.