Upgrade
Bossanova checks for new releases automatically and shows an in-app prompt when one is available. You can also upgrade at any time from the command line.
Via Homebrew (recommended)
If you installed with Homebrew, upgrade with the fully qualified tap formula:
brew upgrade bossanova-dev/tap/bossanova
No separate brew tap step is required. Restart the daemon so it picks up the
new bossd binary:
boss daemon restart
Then quit and relaunch boss so the TUI uses the new binary. If you use the
standalone HTTP MCP server, refresh its service to use the new boss-mcp
binary:
boss mcp install --force
From the TUI (in-app upgrade)
When you open boss, it checks for a newer release in the background (results
are cached for 24 hours). If an upgrade is available, the home screen shows:
Upgrade available: boss v1.2.3 -> v1.3.0. [u]pgrade [d]ismiss
- Press
uto download and install the new version. - Press
dto dismiss the prompt for this release.
After the upgrade installs, the banner changes to:
Upgrade installed. Quit boss after restart to use the new binary. [r]estart [esc] later
Press r to restart the daemon, then quit boss (q) and relaunch it to
run the new binary.
The in-app upgrade fetches public GitHub release assets and does not require
a GitHub login. (A gh auth login is still required for the PR and CI features
Bossanova uses day to day — see Installation.)
Via the boss upgrade CLI
# Check whether a newer release is available without installing
boss upgrade --check
# Install the latest release (skips the interactive confirmation)
boss upgrade --yes
Running boss upgrade without --yes refuses to install non-interactively.
Useful flags:
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
--check | Check for an upgrade without installing. |
--yes | Install without the interactive confirmation prompt. |
--version <tag> | Install a specific stable release tag (no prereleases). |
--no-restart | Do not restart the daemon after upgrading. |
Upgrade checks require a stable release build; development builds report that a
stable version is required. Homebrew installs upgrade through the tap, so exact
--version installs are not supported there — run
brew upgrade bossanova-dev/tap/bossanova instead.
Manual re-install via curl
Re-running the install script pulls the latest release binaries:
curl -fsSL https://bossanova.dev/install.sh | sh
Verify the upgrade
boss version
boss repair doctor
boss version prints the running version; boss repair doctor confirms the
daemon and agent plugins are healthy after the upgrade.