One habit that quietly saves me hours every month: regularly updating global developer tools. Here’s my simple routine.
Go: Update Installed Binaries
go install github.com/Gelio/go-global-update@latest
go-global-update
This re-installs Go tools at their latest versions in one go.
Perfect for CLIs you installed months ago and never revisited.
Rust: Update Cargo-installed Tools
cargo install cargo-update
cargo install-update -a
Rust tooling evolves fast. cargo-update makes sure your global Cargo tools keep up, safely and predictably.
Node.js: Check & Upgrade Global Packages
npm install -g npm-check-updates
ncu -g -u
Global npm packages tend to rot silently. This keeps them current without manually tracking versions.
Bonus: Keep the Toolchain Manager Updated
mise self-update
mise up
uv tool update --all
rustup update
If you’re using mise to manage runtimes and tools, don’t forget to update mise itself.
Why This Matters
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Fewer weird bugs
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Better performance
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New features for free
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Less “it works on my machine” energy
I usually run all of this once every 1–2 weeks, or when something feels… off.
Small habit. Big payoff.