update-nvm

You may run pacman -Syu every day, but when did you last refresh every Node major you keep in nvm?

update-nvm walks the majors you already have installed (or ones you pass explicitly), installs the latest patch for each, refreshes global npm packages, upgrades npm with --latest-npm (default on), and runs corepack enable. If a major is already on the latest patch, Node is left alone but globals are still refreshed unless you pass --skip-npm.

Install

1
2
3
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
curl -fsSL https://omid.dev/scripts/update-nvm.sh -o ~/.local/bin/update-nvm
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/update-nvm

Requires nvm and curl. Put ~/.local/bin on your PATH if it is not already.

Inspect the source first if you prefer: static/scripts/update-nvm.sh.

Quick start

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
update-nvm              # every major already installed via nvm
update-nvm --lts        # only lts/*
update-nvm 24           # one major
update-nvm 28           # install a new major (prompts to copy globals from another)
update-nvm --npm-only   # refresh npm and global packages without touching Node
update-nvm --prune      # drop older patch releases within each major
update-nvm --self-update  # replace the script only; does not touch Node
update-nvm --version    # print the script version
update-nvm -q --lts     # quiet one-liner for cron
update-nvm --dry-run    # preview commands

What it does

Resolves which Node majors to update (installed majors, --lts, or explicit versions).
For each major, installs the latest matching release via nvm unless it is already current (or --force / --npm-only).
Unless --skip-npm, refreshes global npm packages for that version.
Unless --no-latest-npm, upgrades npm to the newest version that Node supports.
Unless --no-corepack, runs corepack enable for that version.
With --prune, removes older patch releases left in the same major line.

When a major is not installed yet, the script asks whether to copy global packages from another installed major. Press Enter for a fresh install, or pick a source major. For non-interactive installs, set NVM_REINSTALL_FROM (see Environment).

Commands and options

Option	Description
(no args)	Update every major already installed via nvm
`VERSION …`	Update or install the given majors (e.g. `24`, `28`)
`--lts`	Update `lts/*` only (overrides auto-detected majors)
`--force`, `-f`	Reinstall even when the latest patch is already installed
`--prune`	Remove older patch releases within each updated major
`--latest-npm`	Upgrade npm to the latest supported by each Node (default: on)
`--no-latest-npm`	Keep the npm version bundled with Node
`--no-corepack`	Skip `corepack enable`
`--skip-npm`	Reinstall Node only; skip global package updates
`--npm-only`	Skip Node installs; only refresh npm and globals
`--quiet`, `-q`	Minimal output; skips install prompts
`--dry-run`, `-n`	Print what would run without changing anything
`--self-update`	Download and install the latest script from omid.dev (Node untouched)
`--version`	Print script version and exit
`-h`, `--help`	Show help

Environment

Variable	Description
`NVM_DIR`	nvm install directory (default: `~/.nvm`)
`NVM_UPDATE_VERSIONS`	Space-separated versions (explicit list; ignored with `--lts`)
`NVM_REINSTALL_FROM`	When installing a missing major non-interactively, copy globals from this major (e.g. `24`)
`UPDATE_NVM_SCRIPT_URL`	Override script URL for `--self-update` (default: omid.dev)
`UPDATE_NVM_SKIP_SELF_CHECK`	Set to `1` to skip the newer-script availability check

Cron example

Weekly LTS refresh, quiet, prune old patches:

0 3 * * 0 ~/.local/bin/update-nvm -q --lts --prune

Self-update

The script can refresh itself without touching Node:

1
update-nvm --self-update

On normal runs it may warn when a newer script version is available on omid.dev. Set UPDATE_NVM_SKIP_SELF_CHECK=1 to silence that check.

Short announcement note: /notes/178818221780902383/
Source: static/scripts/update-nvm.sh

Install#

Quick start#

What it does#

Commands and options#

Environment#

Cron example#

Self-update#

Related#