---
title: Upgrade
description: System workflow that gathers Smithers update context, runs the deterministic upgrade path, and escalates only when needed.
---

`upgrade` is a hidden system workflow used by `bunx smithers-orchestrator
upgrade`. It checks the installed Smithers version, fetches relevant changelog
entries, computes the package-manager-specific upgrade command, and asks a cheap
agent to perform the upgrade. If the cheap attempt cannot proceed safely, the
workflow escalates to the smart agent pool.

Run it explicitly when you want the durable workflow form:

```bash
bunx smithers-orchestrator workflow run upgrade --input '{"dryRun":true}'
```

The final output includes whether an update was available, the current/latest
versions, the command used or recommended, fetched changelog versions, and any
remaining `needsHelp` reason.

Like other system workflows, `upgrade` is hidden from default workflow listings
but remains available with `workflow list --system` and explicit
`workflow run upgrade`.
