Upgrade Anthropic SDK versions and migrate between Claude model generations. Use when working with upgrade-migration patterns. Trigger with "upgrade anthropic sdk", "migrate claude model", "anthropic breaking changes", "new claude model".
Upgrade the Anthropic SDK to new versions and migrate between Claude model generations. Covers version checking, changelog review, model ID updates across the codebase, output comparison testing, and gradual rollout via environment variables.
# Check current version
npm list @claude-ai/sdk
pip show anthropic
# Upgrade to latest
npm install @claude-ai/sdk@latest
pip install --upgrade anthropic
# Check changelog for breaking changes
# https://github.com/anthropics/claude-sdk-typescript/releases
When Anthropic releases new model versions:
# Find all model references in your codebase
grep -r "claude-" --include="*.ts" --include="*.py" --include="*.json" .
// Environment-based model selection for safe rollout
const MODEL = process.env.CLAUDE_MODEL || 'claude-sonnet-4-20250514';
const message = await client.messages.create({
model: MODEL,
max_tokens: 1024,
messages,
});
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Model ID not found (404) | Update to current model ID |
| Different output format | Adjust parsing — test with real prompts |
| Higher/lower token usage | Re-evaluate max_tokens and cost estimates |
| Deprecated SDK method | Check SDK changelog for replacement |
CLAUDE_MODEL environment variable| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| API Error | Check error type and status code | See clade-common-errors |
See SDK Upgrade commands, grep patterns for finding model references, environment-based model selection, and Common Migration Issues table above.
See clade-known-pitfalls for common mistakes to avoid.
Each section contains production-ready code examples. Copy and adapt them to your use case.
Integrate the patterns that match your requirements. Test each change individually.
Run your test suite to confirm the integration works correctly.