# upgrade
URL: /reference/cli/commands/upgrade

`npx tambo upgrade`

Upgrades your entire tambo project including npm packages, components, and AI coding assistant guidance to the latest versions.

**What it upgrades:**

1. **NPM Packages**: Updates known safe packages (UI components, utilities, and tambo dependencies)
2. **Components**: Updates all installed tambo components to latest versions
3. **Agent Docs**: Updates `AGENTS.md` and `CLAUDE.md` for AI coding assistants and removes legacy cursor rules
4. **Configuration**: Updates CSS variables and Tailwind configuration as needed

**Examples:**

```bash
# Interactive upgrade - select components to upgrade
npx tambo upgrade

# Auto-accept all changes and skip prompts (required for CI/CD)
npx tambo upgrade --yes

# Upgrade with custom component directory
npx tambo upgrade --yes --prefix=src/components/ui

# Use legacy peer deps
npx tambo upgrade --yes --legacy-peer-deps

# Skip agent docs updates
npx tambo upgrade --yes --skip-agent-docs
```

## Safe Package Updates

The upgrade command only updates packages that are known to be safe for automatic updates:

<Callout type="info" title="Smart Package Filtering">
  The CLI automatically filters to only show updates for UI components,
  utilities, and tambo-specific packages. Core framework packages (like React,
  Next.js, TypeScript) are excluded to prevent breaking changes.
</Callout>

**Safe packages include:**

* tambo packages (`@tambo-ai/react`, `@tambo-ai/typescript-sdk`)
* UI components (`@radix-ui/*`, `framer-motion`, `lucide-react`)
* Styling utilities (`tailwindcss`, `clsx`, `tailwind-merge`)
* Development tools (`eslint-config-next`, selected @types packages such as `@types/dompurify`)

## Configuration Updates

The upgrade command performs comprehensive updates to your project configuration:

### CSS & Tailwind Updates

The CLI will update your `globals.css` and `tailwind.config.ts` files to ensure they're compatible with the latest tambo components and your current Tailwind CSS version.

<Callout type="info" title="Safe Configuration Updates">
  The upgrade process preserves your existing styles and configuration while
  adding any new CSS variables required by updated components.
</Callout>

### What Gets Updated

* **CSS Variables**: New variables required by component updates
* **Tailwind Configuration**: Basic configuration for v3 projects
* **Component Dependencies**: Latest versions of all component dependencies
* **Package Versions**: Updates to known safe packages only

<Callout type="warn" title="Backup Recommendation">
  While the CLI creates automatic backups, consider committing your changes to
  version control before running `upgrade` to ensure you can easily revert if
  needed.
</Callout>

For detailed information about configuration changes, see:

import { Card, Cards } from "fumadocs-ui/components/card";

<Card href="/reference/cli/configuration" title="CSS & Tailwind Configuration">
  Complete guide to CSS variables and Tailwind configuration changes
</Card>

## Interactive Component Selection

By default, the upgrade command shows an interactive checkbox list of all components that can be upgraded:

```bash
npx tambo upgrade

# Output:
? Select components to upgrade: (Press <space> to select, <a> to toggle all)
❯ ◯ message-thread-full (v2.3.0 → v2.4.1)
  ◯ message-thread-panel (v1.5.2 → v1.6.0)
  ◯ control-bar (v1.2.0 → v1.3.0)
  ◯ form (v2.1.0 → v2.2.0)
```

**Selection options:**

* Press `<space>` to select/deselect individual components
* Press `<a>` to toggle all components at once
* Press `<enter>` to confirm your selection

To skip the selection and upgrade all components automatically, use the `--yes` flag:

```bash
# Upgrade all components without prompting
npx tambo upgrade --yes
```

<Callout type="info" title="Non-Interactive Environments">
  The `--yes` flag is **required** in CI/CD pipelines and other non-interactive
  environments. The upgrade command will fail without it if no terminal is
  available.
</Callout>

## Automatic Dependency Resolution

When you select components to upgrade, the CLI automatically resolves and includes all their dependencies:

```bash
npx tambo upgrade

# After selecting components:
✓ Selected 2 components
ℹ Including dependencies:
  • button (required by form)
  • card (required by message-thread-panel)

✓ Will upgrade 4 components total
```

This ensures that your components have all the dependencies they need to work correctly. You don't need to manually track which components depend on others.

**What happens:**

1. You select the components you want to upgrade
2. CLI analyzes component dependencies
3. All required dependencies are automatically included
4. CLI shows you the complete list before proceeding

## Cross-Location Migration Detection

If the upgrade command detects that your components are split across different locations (some in `components/tambo/`, others in `components/ui/`), it will offer to migrate them:

```bash
⚠ Warning: Found components in both locations:
  • components/tambo/: message-thread-full, control-bar
  • components/ui/: form, button

? Components should be in the same location. Would you like to:
  ❯ Migrate to components/tambo/ (recommended)
    Continue without migrating
    Cancel upgrade
```

**Why this matters:**

* Tambo components should live in `components/tambo/` (current standard)
* Legacy projects may have components in `components/ui/`
* Having components in both locations can cause import confusion

**Recommended action:**
Run the migration before upgrading:

```bash
npx tambo migrate
npx tambo upgrade
```

See the [migrate command documentation](/reference/cli/commands/migrate) for details.

## Agent Docs and Legacy Cursor Rules

Recent versions of the CLI use `AGENTS.md` and `CLAUDE.md` files for AI coding assistant guidance instead of cursor-specific rule files. These work across multiple AI tools (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.).

During upgrade, the CLI will prompt:

```bash
? Found legacy tambo-ai.mdc cursor rules. Replace with AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md? (Y/n)
# or if no legacy rules exist:
? Add/update AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md guidance for LLMs? (Y/n)
```

**What happens:**

* Removes the legacy `.cursor/rules/tambo-ai.mdc` file if it was created by older Tambo templates
* Cleans up an empty `.cursor/rules/` directory (but keeps `.cursor/` itself)
* Leaves any other cursor rule files (including `.cursorrules` and custom `.cursor/rules/*.md`) untouched
* Creates or updates `AGENTS.md` and `CLAUDE.md` with current Tambo guidance

**Skip this step:**

```bash
# Skip agent docs update entirely
npx tambo upgrade --yes --skip-agent-docs
```

<Callout type="info" title="Cross-Tool Compatibility">
  The `AGENTS.md` and `CLAUDE.md` files provide guidance that works with Claude
  Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI coding assistants, replacing the
  cursor-specific rule files from older versions.
</Callout>