babel-upgrade

1.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript maintenance

A tool to automatically upgrade Babel 6 projects to Babel 7. It updates dependencies, config files (.babelrc, babel key in package.json), and JavaScript files that import Babel packages directly. Stable version is v1.0.1, though previously released as v0.x. No regular release cadence; last release was in 2019. Key differentiators: it automates the rename of packages (e.g., babel-preset-env → @babel/preset-env), adds necessary peer dependencies, and handles monorepos. It is a one-time migration tool, not a general Babel upgrade utility.

Common errors

error npx: command not found ↓

cause npx is not available with older npm versions (< 5.2.0).

fix

Upgrade npm to >= 5.2.0 or install babel-upgrade globally and run without npx.

error Error: Your Node.js version is not supported. Please upgrade to Node.js >= 8.0.0. ↓

cause Node.js version is too old.

fix

Update Node.js to version 8.0.0 or higher.

error babel-upgrade: command not found ↓

cause babel-upgrade is not installed globally and npx is not used.

fix

Run 'npx babel-upgrade' or install globally: 'npm install -g babel-upgrade'.

Warnings

breaking Node.js >= 8.0.0 required. ↓

fix Update Node.js to >= 8.0.0.

breaking Upgraded projects may need manual adjustment for edge cases like custom Babel plugins. ↓

fix Review the diff output carefully; run tests after upgrade.

gotcha Without --write, only a diff is printed; no changes are made. ↓

fix Add --write or -w flag to apply changes.

deprecated The --install flag may not work with npm versions < 5.2.0 (npx not available). ↓

fix Use npm >= 5.2.0 or manually run install after upgrade.

breaking Does not handle presets or plugins that are not in the known rename list. ↓

fix Manually rename any custom or third-party presets/plugins that were not renamed.

Install

npm install babel-upgrade

yarn add babel-upgrade

pnpm add babel-upgrade

Imports

default (run via CLI)
wrong
```
babel-upgrade (without --write will only print diff)
```
correct
```
npx babel-upgrade --write
```
Requires Node >= 8. Use npx to run without global install.

Programmatic API (if any)

wrong

import upgrade from 'babel-upgrade' (ESM not supported)

correct

const upgrade = require('babel-upgrade');

The package is CJS-only; there is no ESM export.

CLI flags

wrong

npx babel-upgrade (without flags as above)

correct

npx babel-upgrade --write --install

--write to apply changes, --install to run npm/yarn after.

Quickstart

Run babel-upgrade with --write to modify files and --install to update node_modules.

npx babel-upgrade --write --install