Case studies / Update Now · 2023 – 2026

Dependency updates, right where the dependencies are.

Update Now is a free VS Code extension I designed and built. It marks every dependency in your manifest with the kind of update available, patch, minor or major, and applies it with one click, without a trip to the terminal.

Install from the Marketplace Get it on Open VSXSource on GitHub
Role
Solo: product, design, engineering
Timeline
May 2023 – now · 150+ commits
Installs
5,700+: 3,900+ on the VS Code Marketplace, 1,800+ on Open VSX
Rating
5.0 from 8 reviews
A package.json open in Windsurf with Update Now: a summary line reads '15 updates available: 9 patch, 4 minor, 2 major', and each dependency has a colored label above it, such as 'adm-zip → 0.5.16 (patch)' and 'cookie-parser → 1.4.7 (minor update)'.

Checking for outdated packages usually means leaving the editor: run a command, read a table, then edit version numbers by hand. Update Now puts that information in the manifest itself. A label above each dependency shows whether the update is a patch, minor or major change, so the risk is visible before you click. Clicking applies the update and keeps your ^ or ~ prefix.

It’s published on the VS Code Marketplace and on Open VSX, the registry used by Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium.

The first version of Update Now in VS Code, May 2023: plain grey hints above each dependency, such as 'Minor update to 1.20.2 (within range)' and 'Major update to 8.0.1 (out of specified range)'.
May 2023The first version: plain text hints for npm only.
The Update Now Insights panel in the sidebar: tabs for To update (15), Latest (5) and History, and a Patch updates group listing packages like adm-zip → 0.5.16 and express → 4.21.2 with their descriptions.
NowThe Insights panel lists every outdated package, grouped by update type.
  • Inline labelsPatch, minor, major or up to date, above every dependency
  • Update allOne command updates the whole manifest, with progress and cancel
  • Insights panelOutdated, up-to-date and ignored packages in one view
  • Ignore rulesSkip a package, one version, major updates only, or for 30 or 90 days
  • AutomationOptional auto-update for patch and minor versions, then runs the right install command
  • Ecosystemsnpm in the published version. Go, PHP, Python and Ruby are in the next release
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