StyleSeed update

Registry-first artifact boundary

When .styleseed/project.json and .styleseed/artifacts/index.json exist, resolve the requested artifact ID first, then read only .styleseed/bundles/<artifact-id>.md and .styleseed/manifests/<artifact-id>.json. Never fall back to the global legacy bundle for a registry project. Legacy projects may use .styleseed/effective-rules.md only when no registry exists.

Update the engine payload, not the user's product UI. A release version describes a published line; engineRevision identifies the exact maintained rules, skills, entry docs, and palette engine. Two installs with the same release version are not proven equal until their revisions match.

The checker verifies the payload for the active install channel. A repository/plugin checkout uses the full core inventory; a project-local Agent Skills install uses the executable skills inventory. The published endpoint must expose both the engine revision and, for a skills-only install, skillsRevision. The project manifest continues to record the engine revision that compiled its method bundle.

When not to use

• First installation → /ss-setup or $ss-setup.
• One new screen or component → /ss-build, /ss-page, or /ss-component.
• A redesign of old UI → update first, then offer the optional retrofit step below.
• A heavily forked StyleSeed payload → stop after the dry-run report and request a manual diff.

Ownership boundary

StyleSeed owns installed ss-* skill payloads and compiled .styleseed/effective-rules.md. The project owns STYLESEED.md, application code, components, tokens, assets, and any existing AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or Cursor instructions. Never overwrite project-owned files merely to update StyleSeed.

An update may change design-method behavior, especially across major versions. It is reversible through the user's version control, but it is not correct to promise that every update is additive or non-breaking.

Step 1 — Read-only revision check

From the user's project root, run the bundled checker by its installed path:

node <installed-ss-update>/scripts/check-update.mjs --project-root . --json

Interpret the result exactly:

• current — installed and published revisions match; stop unless the user explicitly wants a reinstall.
• update-available — refresh the installed payload even when the semantic versions match.
• project-bundle-stale — skills are current; skip reinstall and re-resolve the project.
• legacy-skill-conflict — the retired standalone seven-category reviewer remains beside the canonical skills. Show its path and hash; remove it only after confirming it is not a project-modified skill.
• remote-revision-unavailable — version-only evidence cannot prove currency. Report the boundary and do not say “up to date.”

For registry projects, also read the sorted artifacts array. Its status is computed from the current artifact contract, manifest, declared output bytes, and installed catalog every time:

• current — method, validation contract, and output bytes still match;
• corrupt — a declared bundle/palette is missing or its bytes do not match;
• method-changed — recompile, then rerun every implementation/render evidence gate;
• validation-changed — recompile only when reported, and rerun the gates marked stale;
• metadata-changed — recompile for the installed engine metadata; unchanged visual evidence is not invalidated by metadata alone;
• legacy — migrate the artifact before claiming artifact-level currency.

changedInputs names project-owned inputs whose current normalized bytes differ from the manifest. When prior validation details are unavailable, the checker fails closed by marking every potentially affected gate stale; it does not invent a precise field-level history from a digest.

Also inspect git status --short. Do not modify files during this step.

Step 2 — Report the update boundary

Before changing anything, report:

StyleSeed update report
- Installed: <version> @ <revision>
- Installed payload: <core|skills> @ <distribution revision>
- Published: <version> @ <revision>
- Project bundle: <version/revision or not resolved>
- Project worktree: clean | has existing changes
- Will refresh: canonical ss-* skill payloads
- Will preserve: STYLESEED.md, app code, components, tokens, assets, project instructions
- Requires review: compiled rule-bundle diff and any copied legacy engine docs

If the worktree has unrelated changes, preserve them. Recommend a commit or backup before a method update, but do not use destructive reset/checkout commands as an update strategy.

Step 3 — Refresh through the original install channel

Use the same channel that installed StyleSeed:

• Agent Skills CLI installation: run npx skills add bitjaru/styleseed and select the same project/provider scope. The repository exposes exactly the canonical 23 ss-* skills.
• Claude/plugin or another provider marketplace: use that provider's normal update action.
• Vendored source checkout: fetch the intended tag or commit, review the diff, and update the canonical engine as a set. Do not mix files from two revisions.

Do not implement an update with a blind recursive copy into an existing skills directory. The installer must reconcile the managed payload; project-owned files stay outside that operation.

If this skill was invoked only to inspect availability, stop before the external refresh and present the report.

Step 4 — Prove the installed revision

Run the new checker's path again. Require the installed and published engineRevision values to match before describing the engine as current. A matching version string by itself is not proof.

If the installed payload still reports the old revision, stop. Do not recompile the project from a mixed or unproven installation.

Step 5 — Recompile the project context

For a registry project (.styleseed/project.json plus .styleseed/artifacts/index.json):

1. Re-resolve each artifact whose result has bundleRecompileRequired:true with resolve-context.mjs --project-root . --artifact <id> --agent <agent>.
2. Run the same command with --check and require exit status 0.
3. Preserve artifacts reported current; do not overwrite every bundle to update one artifact.

For a legacy project, when STYLESEED.md exists:

1. Run the installed ss-resolve/scripts/resolve-context.mjs with --project-root . --from-lock STYLESEED.md --agent <agent>.
2. Inspect the diff for .styleseed/effective-rules.md, .styleseed/manifest.json, and generated palette files. The manifest must record the new engineRevision.
3. Run the same command with --check; require exit status 0.
4. Report the old and new bundle hashes. Do not use llms-full.txt as the project context.

The design lock persists selections, but a new engine revision may correctly change the compiled method around those selections. Present that diff instead of hiding it.

Step 6 — Check legacy copied docs

Older projects may contain copied DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md, PRODUCT-PRINCIPLES.md, RULESETS.md, or provider entry files. Detect and report them. Do not overwrite project AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, or .cursorrules; recommend replacing only an identifiable StyleSeed-managed block or removing stale duplicate method files after review.

Optional retrofit

Updating the engine does not redesign existing screens. If the user wants a retrofit:

1. confirm or create STYLESEED.md;
2. re-score the highest-traffic screen against the new effective bundle;
3. apply approved fixes with /ss-review or $ss-review;
4. render and inspect with /ss-verify or $ss-verify;
5. report before/after evidence without claiming the old score was measured when it was not.

Completion report

Separate these states:

• installed revision: verified | not verified;
• project bundle: recompiled and hash-checked | stale | not present;
• application code: unchanged | explicitly retrofitted;
• code gate: passed | not run;
• visual gate: passed from inspected render | not run.

Never call installation, compilation, a build, or a score a visual verification.