check_updates_dry_run

Instructions

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "check_updates_dry_run"
  }
}

Implementation Reference

• src/arch_ops_server/pacman.py:219-290 (handler)

  Core handler function for check_updates_dry_run. Checks for Arch Linux, validates checkupdates command exists, runs 'checkupdates', parses output, and returns list of available updates or error responses.

  async def check_updates_dry_run() -> Dict[str, Any]:
      """
      Check for available system updates without applying them.
      
      Only works on Arch Linux systems with checkupdates command.
      Requires pacman-contrib package.
      
      Returns:
          Dict with list of available updates or error response
      """
      logger.info("Checking for system updates (dry run)")
      
      # Only supported on Arch Linux
      if not IS_ARCH:
          return create_error_response(
              "NotSupported",
              "Update checking is only supported on Arch Linux systems",
              "This server is not running on Arch Linux"
          )
      
      # Check if checkupdates command exists
      if not check_command_exists("checkupdates"):
          return create_error_response(
              "CommandNotFound",
              "checkupdates command not found",
              "Install pacman-contrib package: pacman -S pacman-contrib"
          )
      
      try:
          exit_code, stdout, stderr = await run_command(
              ["checkupdates"],
              timeout=30,  # Can take longer for sync
              check=False
          )
          
          # Exit code 0: updates available
          # Exit code 2: no updates available
          # Other: error
          
          if exit_code == 2 or not stdout.strip():
              logger.info("No updates available")
              return {
                  "updates_available": False,
                  "count": 0,
                  "packages": []
              }
          
          if exit_code != 0:
              logger.error(f"checkupdates failed with code {exit_code}: {stderr}")
              return create_error_response(
                  "CommandError",
                  f"checkupdates command failed: {stderr}",
                  f"Exit code: {exit_code}"
              )
          
          # Parse checkupdates output
          updates = _parse_checkupdates_output(stdout)
          
          logger.info(f"Found {len(updates)} available updates")
          
          return {
              "updates_available": True,
              "count": len(updates),
              "packages": updates
          }
          
      except Exception as e:
          logger.error(f"Update check failed: {e}")
          return create_error_response(
              "UpdateCheckError",
              f"Failed to check for updates: {str(e)}"
          )

• src/arch_ops_server/pacman.py:293-320 (helper)

  Helper function that parses the raw output from the checkupdates command, extracting package name, current version, and new version using regex.

  def _parse_checkupdates_output(output: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
      """
      Parse checkupdates command output.
      
      Format: "package current_version -> new_version"
      
      Args:
          output: Raw checkupdates output
      
      Returns:
          List of update dicts
      """
      updates = []
      
      for line in output.strip().split('\n'):
          if not line.strip():
              continue
          
          # Match pattern: "package old_ver -> new_ver"
          match = re.match(r'^(\S+)\s+(\S+)\s+->\s+(\S+)$', line)
          if match:
              updates.append({
                  "package": match.group(1),
                  "current_version": match.group(2),
                  "new_version": match.group(3)
              })
      
      return updates

• src/arch_ops_server/server.py:688-696 (registration)

  Tool registration in list_tools() - defines the tool name, description, empty input schema, and read-only annotation for the MCP server.

  Tool(
      name="check_updates_dry_run",
      description="[LIFECYCLE] Check for available system updates without applying them. Only works on Arch Linux systems. Requires pacman-contrib package. Safe read-only operation that shows pending updates. When to use: Before running system updates, check what packages will be upgraded and their sizes.",
      inputSchema={
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {}
      },
      annotations=ToolAnnotations(readOnlyHint=True)
  ),

• src/arch_ops_server/server.py:1120-1125 (registration)

  Tool dispatch in call_tool() - routes the 'check_updates_dry_run' tool name to the actual handler, with platform check.

  elif name == "check_updates_dry_run":
      if not IS_ARCH:
          return [TextContent(type="text", text=create_platform_error_message("check_updates_dry_run"))]
      
      result = await check_updates_dry_run()
      return [TextContent(type="text", text=json.dumps(result, indent=2))]

• src/arch_ops_server/tool_metadata.py:90-98 (schema)

  Tool metadata definition: marks the tool as category='lifecycle', platform='arch', permission='read', workflow='update' with related tools.

  "check_updates_dry_run": ToolMetadata(
      name="check_updates_dry_run",
      category="lifecycle",
      platform="arch",
      permission="read",
      workflow="update",
      related_tools=["check_critical_news", "check_disk_space"],
      prerequisite_tools=[]
  ),