Migrations Garage with AI

Our migrations garage is a structured way to run migrations (e.g. framework upgrades, dependency bumps, security fixes) with AI assistance.

Migrations Garage with AI

We use AI to support migrations and modernisation: automation, safety checks, and repeatable patterns so migrations are predictable and auditable.

MigrationsPlanned, versioned moves

AutomationScripts and tooling

SafetyValidation and rollback

Scoped batches

Migrations are broken into small, reviewable batches. AI can suggest changes; humans review and approve. We avoid massive PRs that are hard to reason about.

Example: instead of “upgrade React 17 → 18 in one PR,” we split into:

Batch	Scope	AI role
1	Update `package.json` and fix type errors in 3 files	Suggest version and import changes
2	Replace deprecated `ReactDOM.render` in 5 components	Suggest `createRoot` usage
3	Update tests and fix act() warnings	Suggest test updates

Each batch is reviewable in under an hour; we can roll back or pause between batches.

Automation

We use scripts and tools for repetitive migration steps (e.g. codemods, test updates). AI helps generate or refine scripts; we version and document them.

Example: a simple codemod script that renames a prop. We keep it in the repo so everyone runs the same transformation.

// scripts/codemods/rename-prop.ts (conceptual)
// Usage: npx jscodeshift -t scripts/codemods/rename-prop.ts src/

// Replaces oldProp with newProp in our component API
export const transformer = (file, api) => {
  const j = api.jscodeshift;
  return j(file.source)
    .find(j.JSXAttribute, { name: { name: 'oldProp' } })
    .renameTo('newProp')
    .toSource();
};

We run the codemod, then commit the result in a dedicated PR and review the diff. AI can help write the codemod; humans review and run it.

Tracking

Progress, rollback plans, and lessons learned are documented so future migrations are easier. We run retros after large migrations.

Checklist we use for each migration:

Scope and batches defined
Scripts/codemods in repo and runnable
Rollback plan (e.g. revert PR, feature flag off)
Retro notes added to our migration runbook

Risk control

Migrations can break production. We use feature flags, canaries, and rollback plans. AI assists with speed and consistency; humans own the decision to ship and the response to incidents.

Migrations Garage with AI