cartog-install

/cartog-install — Install or upgrade the cartog binary

The plugin pins a specific cartog binary version. This skill installs that version, or upgrades an existing install to match.

PLUGIN_VERSION=0.26.0

scripts/release.sh bumps the PLUGIN_VERSION= line above at release time; the rest of this file references that value as $PLUGIN_VERSION and the agent must substitute it from the line above before running any command. The literal string $PLUGIN_VERSION is NOT a shell variable in your Bash environment — it is a token you replace.

What to do

Probe the current state, then run the matching path. Surface every step's output to the user — they typed this verb because they want to see what happens.

1. Probe cartog --version

Run cartog --version via Bash. Capture exit code and version string.

2. If the binary is missing or returns a non-zero exit

Run the bundled installer, substituting $PLUGIN_VERSION with the version from the PLUGIN_VERSION= line at the top of this file:

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/cartog/scripts/install.sh" $PLUGIN_VERSION

After install:

1. Run hash -r so the shell forgets cached lookups.
2. Run cartog --version to confirm the install matches $PLUGIN_VERSION.
3. If cartog --version still fails, check whether the install directory (printed by install.sh) is on the user's PATH. If not, tell the user the exact export PATH="<dir>:$PATH" line to add to their shell rc.

Tell the user to restart Claude Code so the MCP server picks up the new binary. The cartog MCP server can't reconnect mid-session.

3. If the binary is present and < 0.14.0

Pre-0.14.0 binaries don't have cartog self update. Use the same bundled installer with the pinned version (substitute $PLUGIN_VERSION from the top):

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/cartog/scripts/install.sh" $PLUGIN_VERSION

Then verify and tell the user to restart Claude Code (same as step 2).

4. If the binary is present, >= 0.14.0, and lacks --apply-pending

The deferred flags (--defer/--apply-pending) landed in 0.20.0. Binaries in 0.14.0–0.20.0 have cartog self update but reject those flags with a clap "unexpected argument" (exit 2), so the deferred path below does not apply to them. Detect this band by probing the help text:

cartog self update --help 2>&1 | grep -q -- '--apply-pending' || echo "PRE_DEFERRED"

When it prints PRE_DEFERRED, do not run --defer. Recover by reinstalling the pinned version with the bundled installer (it overwrites the on-disk binary; the running MCP server keeps its old inode until the user restarts):

bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/cartog/scripts/install.sh" $PLUGIN_VERSION

Then verify and tell the user to restart Claude Code (same as step 2).

5. If the binary is present and supports --apply-pending (>= 0.20.0)

Run cartog self update via Bash. Relay its output to the user verbatim.

Handle the documented exit codes:

Exit	Meaning	What to tell the user
0	Updated	"cartog upgraded. Restart Claude Code to pick up the new binary."
3	Installed via cargo	"cartog was installed via cargo. Run cargo install cartog --force to upgrade."
6	Another cartog process is running	Inside a Claude Code session this is the normal case — the cartog MCP server (cartog serve) is the running peer. Arm a deferred update to the pinned version instead, substituting $PLUGIN_VERSION from the top of this file: cartog self update --defer --to $PLUGIN_VERSION. Tell the user "cartog will update to $PLUGIN_VERSION when this session ends." (Manual alternative: close other Claude Code sessions, stop any background cartog watch, then run /cartog-install again.)
other	Unexpected	Surface the exit code + stderr to the user. Then run the bundled installer pinned to $PLUGIN_VERSION as a recovery: bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/cartog/scripts/install.sh" $PLUGIN_VERSION. Never invoke install.sh without the pinned version — that would install the latest GitHub release, drifting off the plugin's pin.

cartog self update --defer --to $PLUGIN_VERSION is the right call from inside a Claude Code session: the MCP server is the peer that blocks an in-place swap, and --to arms the pinned version (not the latest GitHub release) so the deferred update lands exactly on the plugin's pin. Plain cartog self update is for a terminal with no cartog serve/watch running.

6. If already up to date

Compare cartog --version against the PLUGIN_VERSION= line at the top of this file. If they match, print "cartog is already at the pinned version — nothing to do." and stop.

Notes

• This skill only writes to the cartog binary's install directory. It does not touch the project's .cartog.toml, the index database, or any user files.
• ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} resolves to the directory Claude Code expanded the plugin into. Use it literally — do not substitute a guessed path.
• For a totally offline / vetted install path, point the user at https://jrollin.github.io/cartog/install.sh which they can download and inspect before running.