sentry-sdk-upgrade

All Skills > Workflow > SDK Upgrade

Sentry JavaScript SDK Upgrade

Upgrade the Sentry JavaScript SDK across major versions with AI-guided migration.

Invoke This Skill When

• User asks to "upgrade Sentry" or "migrate Sentry SDK"
• User mentions deprecated Sentry APIs or breaking changes after a version bump
• User wants to move from v7 to v8, v8 to v9, or any major version jump
• User encounters errors after updating @sentry/* package versions
• User asks about Sentry migration guides or changelogs

Phase 1: Detect

Identify the current Sentry SDK version, target version, and framework.

1.1 Read package.json

cat package.json | grep -E '"@sentry/' | head -20

Extract:

• All @sentry/* packages and their current versions
• The current major version (e.g., 7.x, 8.x, 9.x)

1.2 Detect Framework

Check package.json dependencies for framework indicators:

1.3 Find Sentry Config Files

grep -rn "from '@sentry/\|require('@sentry/" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.mjs" --include=

1.4 Detect Deprecated Patterns

Scan for patterns that indicate which migration steps are needed:

1.5 Determine Target Version

If the user didn't specify a target version, recommend the latest major version (v9 as of this writing). If the user has already bumped package versions but has broken code, detect the target from package.json.

Phase 2: Recommend

Present a migration summary based on detected state.

2.1 Calculate Migration Path

• Single hop: e.g., v8 to v9
• Multi-hop: e.g., v7 to v9 (apply v7→v8 changes first, then v8→v9)

For multi-hop migrations, apply code changes incrementally but update package versions once to the final target.

2.2 Present Breaking Changes Summary

Load the appropriate version-specific reference:

• v7→v8: references/v7-to-v8.md
• v8→v9: references/v8-to-v9.md
• v9→v10: references/v9-to-v10.md

Present a concrete summary of changes needed, categorized by complexity:

Auto-fixable (apply directly):

• Package import renames (e.g., @sentry/utils to @sentry/core)
• Simple method renames (e.g., @WithSentry to @SentryExceptionCaptured)
• Config option swaps (e.g., enableTracing to tracesSampleRate)

AI-assisted (explain and propose):

• Hub removal with variable storage patterns
• Performance API migration (transactions to spans)
• Complex config restructuring (Vue tracing options, Next.js config merging)
• Sampler transactionContext flattening

Manual review (flag for user):

• Removed APIs with no equivalent
• Behavioral changes (sampling, source maps defaults)
• Custom transport modifications

2.3 Confirm Scope

Ask the user:

• Confirm the migration path (e.g., "v8 to v9")
• Confirm whether to proceed with all changes or specific categories
• Note: npx @sentry/wizard -i upgrade exists as a CLI alternative for v8→v9 but may not handle all patterns

Phase 3: Guide

Step through changes file by file.

3.1 Process Each File with Sentry Imports

For each file identified in Phase 1.3:

1. Read the file to understand current Sentry usage
2. Apply auto-fixable changes directly:
   • Package import renames
   • Method/function renames
   • Simple config option swaps
3. For AI-assisted changes, explain what needs to change and why, then propose the specific edit
4. For uncertain changes, show the code and ask the user to confirm

3.2 Apply Changes by Category

Work through changes in this order:

Step 1: Package Import Updates

Replace removed/renamed package imports. Reference the version-specific migration file for the complete mapping.

Step 2: API Renames

Apply mechanical method and function renames.

Step 3: Config Changes

Update Sentry.init() options and build configuration.

Step 4: Complex Pattern Migration

Handle patterns requiring understanding of context:

• Hub usage stored in variables
• Transaction-based performance code
• Custom integration classes
• Framework-specific wrappers

Step 5: Update package.json Versions

Update all @sentry/* packages to the target version. All packages must be on the same major version.

Install updated dependencies using the detected package manager.

Step 6: Verify Build

Fix any remaining type errors or build failures.

3.3 Framework-Specific Steps

Consult references/upgrade-patterns.md for framework-specific config file locations and validation steps.

Next.js: Check instrumentation.ts, next.config.ts wrapper, both client and server configs. Nuxt: Check Nuxt module config and both plugin files. SvelteKit: Check hooks files and Vite config. Express/Node: Verify early initialization order. NestJS: Check for decorator and filter renames.

Phase 4: Cross-Link

4.1 Verify

• All @sentry/* packages on same version
• No import errors from removed packages
• TypeScript compilation passes
• Build succeeds
• Tests pass (if they exist)

Suggest adding a test error:

4.2 New Features in Target Version

Mention features available in the new version that the user might want to enable:

v8 new features: OpenTelemetry-based Node tracing, automatic database/HTTP instrumentation, functional integrations, new span APIs

v9 new features: Structured logging (Sentry.logger.*), improved source maps handling, simplified configuration

4.3 Related Resources

• Official Migration Guide (v7→v8)
• Official Migration Guide (v8→v9)
• Sentry JavaScript SDK Changelog

If the user has other Sentry SDKs (Python, Ruby, Go, etc.) that also need upgrading, note that this skill covers JavaScript SDK only.