Meticulous CLI Update skill: keep the Meticulous CLI and skills current

Makes Claude check that the Meticulous CLI is installed, up to date and signed in, and update the Meticulous skills.

Installs: 8.7K; on skills.sh
Stars: 10; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

meticulous-cli-update is the setup step for Meticulous, a visual regression testing service. It makes Claude run meticulous --version, compare it with the latest npm version, install or update the CLI, check meticulous auth whoami, and update the installed skills. Its frontmatter marks it as not user-invocable: the other Meticulous skills run it once at the start of a workflow.

The install and update commands are global npm and skill installs. SKILL.md says to treat them as best-effort: if a command needs permission you lack, Claude recommends it and carries on, except that the CLI itself must exist.

Good for

Anyone using the Meticulous skills who wants the CLI and skills kept current
Developers setting up Meticulous visual regression testing with a coding agent

Install meticulous-cli-update

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the meticulous-cli-update skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin marketplace add alwaysmeticulous/skills
/plugin install meticulous@meticulous

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

The skills call the meticulous command (CLI) or the matching tools on the hosted MCP server at app.meticulous.ai. Each skill starts by running meticulous-cli-update, so install the whole set. You need a Meticulous project. The Claude directory lists Meticulous as a connector for the Claude app, but that adds the MCP tools only and not these skills, so we store no Claude app upload tab.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Check whether the Meticulous CLI (@alwaysmeticulous/cli) and skills are installed and up to date, and install/update them if not. Invoked at the start of every other Meticulous skill, since the CLI and skills are under active development with frequent changes and improvements.

Sections in SKILL.md

How to handle the install/update commands
Step 1 — Check the installed version
Step 2 — Check the latest published version
Step 3 — Update the CLI if outdated
Step 4 — Check authentication and project selection
(a) Signed in via OAuth, with a project selected
(b) Authenticated by an API token or injected credentials
(c) "Not logged in"
(d) Signed in via OAuth, but no default project
Step 5 — Update the installed Meticulous skills

Key facts

Author: Meticulous, in the vendor's own repo (plugin manifest author: Meticulous)
License: ISC (LICENSE file, plugin.json, package.json and README all say ISC)
Installs on skills.sh: 8,739 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 10 for the whole alwaysmeticulous/skills repo, 2026-11-02
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket warn, Snyk pass
What is inside: 1 file: SKILL.md (no scripts in the folder)
Needs: npm and Node.js; a Meticulous account and project for sign-in
Part of: The meticulous plugin: 11 skills in the repo (counted from the file tree) plus a hosted MCP server entry
Last repo commit: 2026-10-29

What it includes

meticulous --version
If the command is missing, Claude installs the CLI globally with npm, or recommends the command if you decline.
Runs code · Step 1: check the CLI version
npm view @alwaysmeticulous/cli version
Reads the latest published version from npm.
Runs code · Step 2: check the latest version
npm install --global, or --save-dev in a project
Global installs use npm. A project install uses npm, pnpm or yarn to update the dev dependency.
Runs code · Step 3: update the CLI
meticulous auth whoami, login, list-projects, set-project
Four outcomes are handled. Login is browser sign-in or a device code, and a person completes it. It never runs auth set-project for API-token or injected credentials.
Runs code · Step 4: check sign-in and project
npx skills add, claude plugin update or codex plugin marketplace upgrade
Which command runs depends on how the skills were installed. For the Cursor marketplace plugin it only recommends updating from Customize, Plugins.
Runs code · Step 5: update the skills
Skips Steps 1-4 when using the hosted MCP server
The MCP server is already current and uses its own sign-in. SKILL.md also covers an "Issuer mismatch" sign-in error in Claude Code and says to choose Clear authentication in /mcp.
Read · MCP shortcut

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

Claude can run global npm installs and skill updates on your machine. Approve each install command yourself and keep the sign-in step in your own hands.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It installs and updates packages globally
SKILL.md runs npm install --global @alwaysmeticulous/cli@latest and, for skills, npx skills add with -y. Approve those commands yourself and check what changes in your project. github.com
It can change project dependencies
For a project-local CLI, SKILL.md updates the dev dependency with npm, pnpm or yarn, which edits package.json and the lockfile. github.com
Sign-in saves a token and a project choice
SKILL.md says the login token is stored on disk and the project selection is saved to your account. A person completes the browser sign-in. github.com
The plugin route also connects a hosted MCP server
The repo's .mcp.json adds the Meticulous server at app.meticulous.ai/api/mcp. The README says the plugin connects it automatically and you authenticate in your browser. github.com
The plugin route installs all 11 skills
Counted from the repo's file tree. The plugin manifest lists no hooks, and the repo has no agent definition files. Use the skills CLI route if you want to pick skills. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	SKILL.md says only the checks (meticulous --version, npm view, meticulous auth whoami) are safe to run directly; the install and update steps are not read-only.
Talks to	npm registry. app.meticulous.ai (sign-in and project APIs)
Sign-in and keys	The CLI stores an OAuth login token on disk, per the meticulous-cli skill. An API token via METICULOUS_API_TOKEN is also supported.
Scopes	Claude runs npm, npx, claude and codex plugin commands and the meticulous CLI Global package installs and skill file updates

Questions

What does the meticulous-cli-update skill do?

It makes Claude confirm the Meticulous CLI is installed, current and signed in, then update the Meticulous skills. The other Meticulous skills run it at the start of a workflow.

How do I install it?

Use the install box at the top of the page. Install the whole Meticulous set, since each skill starts by running this one. We store no Claude app upload because the skills drive a local CLI.

Is this the official Meticulous skill?

It is in Meticulous's own repo, and the plugin manifest names Meticulous as the author.

Does it run npm install for me?

It can. SKILL.md says the install and update commands are security-sensitive and best-effort. If a command needs permission you have not given, Claude recommends it and continues, unless the CLI is not installed at all.

Do I still need it if I use the MCP server?

Steps 1 to 4 do not apply to the hosted MCP server. SKILL.md says the installed skills still need Step 5 to stay current either way.

Is it safe?

It bundles no scripts, but Claude runs global npm installs and skill updates on your machine, and the sign-in opens a Meticulous page in your browser. Approve each install command yourself.

Does it need an account?

Yes, a Meticulous account with a project. SKILL.md also supports a project API token in METICULOUS_API_TOKEN for CI.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: alwaysmeticulous/skills
Folder: skills/meticulous-cli-update

alwaysmeticulous/skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 6

README · github.com
Meticulous docs: setting up for agents · app.meticulous.ai
Cursor docs: Plugins · cursor.com
meticulous-cli-update SKILL.md · github.com
.mcp.json · github.com
marketplace.json · github.com