Updating atlcli

Updating atlcli

atlcli includes a built-in update mechanism that checks for new versions and can self-update.

Quick Update

# Check for and install updates
atlcli update

# Check only (don't install)
atlcli update --check

# Install specific version
atlcli update v0.5.0

Automatic Update Checks

By default, atlcli checks for updates once per day when running commands in an interactive terminal. If an update is available, you’ll see a notification:

Update available: 0.5.1 → 0.6.0. Run: atlcli update

When Auto-Check is Disabled

Auto-check is automatically disabled in these environments:

Environment	Reason
CI/CD pipelines	Avoid unnecessary API calls, keep logs clean
Non-interactive shells	Piped output, cron jobs, scripts
JSON output mode	Scripting mode (--json flag)
Explicit opt-out	ATLCLI_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK=1

The atlcli update command itself always works regardless of environment.

Disable Auto-Check

Set the environment variable:

export ATLCLI_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK=1

Installation Method Detection

atlcli automatically detects how it was installed and provides appropriate update instructions:

Install Script (curl)

Self-update is fully supported:

atlcli update  # Downloads and installs new version

Homebrew

Shows Homebrew update instructions:

$ atlcli update
Update available: 0.5.1 → 0.6.0

Installed via Homebrew. To update, run:
  brew update && brew upgrade atlcli

From Source

Shows source update instructions:

$ atlcli update
atlcli 0.5.1 is up to date.

Running from source. To update, run:
  git pull && bun run build

Version Pinning

Install a specific version (useful for testing or rollback):

# Install specific version
atlcli update v0.5.0

# Or reinstall via install script
curl -fsSL https://atlcli.sh/install.sh | bash -s v0.5.0

JSON Output

For scripting, use --json:

atlcli update --check --json

Output:

{
  "schemaVersion": "1",
  "currentVersion": "0.5.1",
  "latestVersion": "0.6.0",
  "updateAvailable": true,
  "installMethod": "script"
}

Security

Updates are downloaded from GitHub Releases and verified:

1. HTTPS only - All downloads use HTTPS
2. Checksum verification - SHA256 checksums verified before installation
3. Backup - Previous version backed up to ~/.atlcli/bin/atlcli.bak
4. Atomic replacement - New binary verified before replacing old

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
ATLCLI_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK	Set to 1 to disable automatic update checks

Troubleshooting

Update check fails

If update checks fail silently, verify network connectivity:

curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/BjoernSchotte/atlcli/releases/latest

Cannot self-update

If you see “Cannot determine installation method”, reinstall using the install script:

curl -fsSL https://atlcli.sh/install.sh | bash

Rollback after failed update

The previous version is saved at ~/.atlcli/bin/atlcli.bak:

mv ~/.atlcli/bin/atlcli.bak ~/.atlcli/bin/atlcli

Related Topics

• Getting Started - Installation
• Doctor - Health checks after update