Synopsis

homeboy upgrade [OPTIONS]
homeboy update [OPTIONS]  # alias

Description

Upgrades Homeboy to the latest version. The command auto-detects the installation method (Homebrew, Cargo, source build, or downloaded release binary) and runs the appropriate upgrade process.

By default, after a successful upgrade, Homeboy restarts itself to use the new version.

Options

• --check: Check for updates without installing. Returns version information without making changes.
• --force: Force upgrade even if already at the latest version.
• --no-restart: Skip automatic restart after upgrade. Useful for scripted environments.
• --method: Override install method detection (homebrew|cargo|source|binary).

Installation Method Detection

Homeboy detects how it was installed and uses the appropriate upgrade method:

If the installation method cannot be detected, an error is returned with manual upgrade instructions. You can also override detection:

homeboy upgrade --method binary

Examples

Check for updates:

homeboy upgrade --check

Upgrade to the latest version:

homeboy upgrade

Upgrade without auto-restart:

homeboy upgrade --no-restart

Force reinstall:

homeboy upgrade --force

JSON output

Note: all command output is wrapped in the global JSON envelope described in the JSON output contract.

Note: all command output is wrapped in the global JSON envelope described in the JSON output contract.

• command: upgrade.check
• current_version: Current installed version
• latest_version: Latest available version from crates.io (may be null if network fails)
• update_available: Boolean indicating if an update is available
• install_method: Detected installation method (homebrew, cargo, source, or unknown)

Note: all command output is wrapped in the global JSON envelope described in the JSON output contract.

• command: upgrade
• install_method: Installation method used for upgrade
• previous_version: Version before upgrade
• new_version: Version after upgrade (may be null)
• upgraded: Boolean indicating if upgrade was performed
• message: Human-readable status message
• restart_required: Boolean indicating if a restart is needed

Exit code

• 0: Success (upgrade completed or already at latest)
• Non-zero: Error during upgrade process

Notes

• The update command is an alias for upgrade with identical behavior.
• Version checking queries the crates.io API. Network failures are handled gracefully.
• On Unix platforms, successful upgrades automatically restart into the new binary.
• On non-Unix platforms, Homeboy prints a message to restart manually.

Related

• version
• extension