Brief a coding agent to update dependencies safely

About this exercise

You want a coding agent to handle this week's dependency updates. Write its brief: bump only patch and minor versions, keep express below 4.20 (bump it to 4.19.2, a known bug breaks your sessions), send any major version to you with ASK_HUMAN, run tests once after all bumps, open one PR and never merge. Output a plain-text numbered action log of at most 10 lines, ending with a DONE line listing the bumped packages.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Not showing the log format. Left alone, the AI writes a friendly report with headings instead of a checkable action log. Try: Show it literally: "Format every line like 1. ACTION: tool(args), then ASK_HUMAN: and DONE: lines. Plain text."
• Not pinning the known problem. The AI takes the latest version of everything, including the express release that breaks your sessions. Try: Add: "Bump express to 4.19.2 only, nothing 4.20 or newer."
• No order or stop rule. The AI may open the PR before testing, take the major React jump, or merge when CI passes. Try: Add: "Majors go to ASK_HUMAN. Run tests after all bumps, then open one PR. Never merge."
• No finish line. Without a done rule the summary is vague. Try: Say: "End with DONE listing each bumped package."

What a strong prompt includes

• Limits to patch and minor
• Pins express
• Sets the order
• Forbids merging
• Shows the action-log format

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