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sentry cli upgrade

Self-update the Sentry CLI to the latest or a specific version. After upgrading, automatically runs cli setup to update completions, agent skills, and installation metadata.

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Usage

sentry cli upgrade [version] [flags]

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Arguments

  • version (optional) - Specific version (e.g., 0.5.0), or "nightly"/"stable" to switch channel. Omit to update within current channel.

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Release Channels

Two release channels are supported:
  • stable (default) - Latest stable release from GitHub Releases
  • nightly - Built from main, updated on every commit (standalone binary only)
The channel is persisted locally so that subsequent bare sentry cli upgrade calls use the same channel.

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Switching Channels

sentry cli upgrade nightly  # Switch to nightly and update
sentry cli upgrade stable   # Switch back to stable and update

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Flags

  • --check - Check for updates without installing
  • --force - Force upgrade even if already on the latest version
  • --method <method> - Override installation method (curl, brew, npm, pnpm, bun, yarn)

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Installation Methods

The upgrade command automatically detects how the CLI was installed and uses the same method:
MethodDescription
curlStandalone binary (downloaded directly)
brewHomebrew package
npmnpm global package
pnpmpnpm global package
bunBun global package
yarnYarn global package
Note: The --method flag is recorded by sentry cli setup during installation.

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Examples

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Update to Latest (Current Channel)

sentry cli upgrade
Uses the persisted channel (stable by default, or nightly if you switched).

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Switch to Nightly Channel

sentry cli upgrade nightly
Switches to the nightly channel and installs the latest nightly build. The channel preference is persisted.

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Switch Back to Stable

sentry cli upgrade stable
Switches back to the stable channel and installs the latest stable release.

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Install Specific Stable Version

sentry cli upgrade 0.5.0
Installs version 0.5.0 from the stable channel.

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Install Specific Nightly Version

sentry cli upgrade nightly
sentry cli upgrade 0.5.0-nightly.20260305
First switches to nightly channel, then installs a specific nightly build.

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Check for Updates

sentry cli upgrade --check
Checks for updates without installing. Shows current and latest versions.

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Force Reinstall

sentry cli upgrade --force
Force re-download even if already on the latest version (useful for repairing corrupted installations).

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Override Installation Method

sentry cli upgrade --method npm
Forces using npm to upgrade, regardless of detected installation method.

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Nightly Channel Notes

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Standalone Binary Only

Nightly builds are distributed as standalone binaries only (GitHub release assets). When a user on brew/npm/pnpm/bun/yarn switches to nightly:
  1. The nightly binary is downloaded to a temp path
  2. Installed to ~/.local/bin (or $SENTRY_INSTALL_DIR)
  3. Setup runs to update completions, PATH, and metadata
  4. A warning is displayed about the old package-manager installation that may still be in PATH

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Migration Example

$ sentry cli upgrade nightly

Installation method: npm
Current version: 0.5.0
Channel: nightly
Latest version: 0.5.0-nightly.20260305

Upgrading to 0.5.0-nightly.20260305...

Nightly builds are only available as standalone binaries.
Migrating to standalone installation...

Binary: Installed to /Users/you/.local/bin/sentry
PATH: /Users/you/.local/bin is already in PATH
Completions: Installed to /Users/you/.zsh/completions/_sentry

Successfully installed nightly 0.5.0-nightly.20260305.

Note: your npm-installed sentry may still appear earlier in PATH.
      Consider removing it: npm uninstall -g sentry

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Homebrew Limitations

Homebrew manages versioning through the formula. Pinning a specific stable version is not supported: 
$ sentry cli upgrade 0.4.0
Error: Homebrew does not support installing a specific version. 
Run 'brew upgrade getsentry/tools/sentry' to upgrade to the latest formula version.
To upgrade with Homebrew: 
brew upgrade getsentry/tools/sentry
Note: Homebrew’s post-install hook automatically runs sentry cli setup, so completions and metadata are updated automatically.

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Version Resolution

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Channel Selection Priority

  1. Positional argument (nightly or stable) overrides persisted channel
  2. Persisted channel (set by previous sentry cli upgrade nightly/stable)
  3. Default: stable

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Version Selection

  • No version argument - Latest in current channel
  • nightly or stable - Latest in that channel (switches channel)
  • Specific version (e.g., 0.5.0) - That exact version in current channel

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Post-Upgrade Setup

After upgrading, the command automatically spawns the new binary with cli setup to:
  1. Update shell completions with new commands/flags
  2. Update agent skills with new version reference
  3. Record installation metadata (version, method, channel)
Note: PATH modification is skipped during upgrade (only needed on fresh install).

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Downgrading

To downgrade to an older version: 
sentry cli upgrade 0.4.0
The command detects downgrades and adjusts messaging accordingly: 
Downgrading to 0.4.0...

Successfully downgraded to 0.4.0.

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - Success
  • 1 - Upgrade failed (network error, invalid version, etc.)

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Environment Variables

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Read by Upgrade

  • HOME - User home directory (determines install location)
  • SENTRY_INSTALL_DIR - Override install directory for standalone binaries

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Set During Upgrade (Internal)

  • SENTRY_INSTALL_DIR - Pinned install directory passed to child setup process

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Error Messages

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Unknown Installation Method

Error: Cannot detect installation method. Use --method to specify.
Solution: Run sentry cli setup --method <method> to record how you installed the CLI.

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Version Not Found

Error: Version 0.99.0 not found
Solution: Check available versions at https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-cli/releases

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Network Error

Error: Failed to fetch version info (network error)
Solution: Check your internet connection and try again.