assemblyai-upgrade-migration

What this skill does

# AssemblyAI Upgrade & Migration

## Overview

Guide for upgrading the `assemblyai` npm package and migrating between SDK versions, including the major v3 to v4 migration and speech model transitions.

## Prerequisites

- Current `assemblyai` package installed
- Git for version control
- Test suite available

## Instructions

### Step 1: Check Current Version

```bash
# Check installed version
npm list assemblyai

# Check latest available version
npm view assemblyai version

# See what changed
npm view assemblyai --json | jq '.versions[-5:]'
```

### Step 2: Review Changelog

```bash
# View release notes
open https://github.com/AssemblyAI/assemblyai-node-sdk/releases

# Or check from CLI
gh release list --repo AssemblyAI/assemblyai-node-sdk --limit 10
```

### Step 3: Create Upgrade Branch

```bash
git checkout -b upgrade/assemblyai-sdk-v$(npm view assemblyai version)
npm install assemblyai@latest
npm test
```

### Step 4: Major Migration — Old SDK to Current (v4.x)

If migrating from `@assemblyai/sdk` (old package) to `assemblyai` (current):

```typescript
// BEFORE (old package — @assemblyai/sdk)
import { AssemblyAI as OldClient } from '@assemblyai/sdk';
const client = new OldClient({ apiKey: '...' });

// AFTER (current package — assemblyai)
import { AssemblyAI } from 'assemblyai';
const client = new AssemblyAI({ apiKey: '...' });
```

```bash
# Remove old package, install new
npm uninstall @assemblyai/sdk
npm install assemblyai
```

**Key changes in the migration:**

| Old (`@assemblyai/sdk`) | New (`assemblyai`) |
|--------------------------|---------------------|
| `import { AssemblyAI } from '@assemblyai/sdk'` | `import { AssemblyAI } from 'assemblyai'` |
| `client.transcripts.create()` | `client.transcripts.transcribe()` (blocks until done) |
| Manual polling with `client.transcripts.get()` | `transcribe()` auto-polls, `submit()` for manual control |
| `RealtimeTranscriber` class | `client.streaming.createService()` |
| `client.realtime.createTemporaryToken()` | `client.streaming.createTemporaryToken()` |

### Step 5: Transcription Method Changes

```typescript
// v3 pattern: create + poll loop
const job = await client.transcripts.create({ audio_url: url });
let transcript;
while (true) {
  transcript = await client.transcripts.get(job.id);
  if (transcript.status === 'completed' || transcript.status === 'error') break;
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 3000));
}

// v4 pattern: transcribe() handles everything
const transcript = await client.transcripts.transcribe({
  audio: url,  // Note: 'audio' not 'audio_url'
});

// v4 pattern: submit() for webhook-based (no polling)
const submitted = await client.transcripts.submit({
  audio: url,
  webhook_url: 'https://your-app.com/webhook',
});
```

### Step 6: Streaming Migration

```typescript
// v3 pattern: RealtimeTranscriber class
import { RealtimeTranscriber } from 'assemblyai';
const rt = new RealtimeTranscriber({ apiKey: '...' });
rt.on('transcript', (msg) => { /* ... */ });
await rt.connect();

// v4 pattern: client.streaming.createService()
const transcriber = client.streaming.createService({
  speech_model: 'nova-3',
  sample_rate: 16000,
});
transcriber.on('transcript', (msg) => { /* ... */ });
await transcriber.connect();
```

### Step 7: Speech Model Migration

```typescript
// Switch from legacy models to Universal-3
const transcript = await client.transcripts.transcribe({
  audio: audioUrl,
  speech_model: 'best',    // Uses Universal-3 (highest accuracy)
  // Other options: 'nano' (fastest, lowest cost)
  // Note: 'best' supports word_boost (up to 1000 terms)
});

// For streaming: nova-3 or nova-3-pro
const transcriber = client.streaming.createService({
  speech_model: 'nova-3-pro',  // Most accurate streaming model
  sample_rate: 16000,
});
```

### Step 8: Verify After Upgrade

```typescript
import { AssemblyAI } from 'assemblyai';

async function verifyUpgrade() {
  const client = new AssemblyAI({ apiKey: process.env.ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY! });

  // Test async transcription
  const transcript = await client.transcripts.transcribe({
    audio: 'https://storage.googleapis.com/aai-web-samples/5_common_sports_702.wav',
  });
  console.assert(transcript.status === 'completed', 'Transcription should complete');
  console.assert(transcript.text && transcript.text.length > 0, 'Should have text');

  // Test LeMUR
  const { response } = await client.lemur.task({
    transcript_ids: [transcript.id],
    prompt: 'What is this about? Reply in one sentence.',
  });
  console.assert(response.length > 0, 'LeMUR should respond');

  // Test transcript listing
  const page = await client.transcripts.list({ limit: 1 });
  console.assert(page.transcripts.length > 0, 'Should list transcripts');

  console.log('All checks passed.');
}

verifyUpgrade().catch(console.error);
```

## Output

- Updated `assemblyai` package to latest version
- Migrated import paths and method calls
- Updated streaming setup to current patterns
- Verified all API endpoints work post-upgrade

## Error Handling

| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| `Cannot find module 'assemblyai'` | Old package name | `npm uninstall @assemblyai/sdk && npm install assemblyai` |
| `transcripts.create is not a function` | API changed in v4 | Use `transcripts.transcribe()` or `transcripts.submit()` |
| `audio_url` not recognized | Parameter renamed | Use `audio` instead of `audio_url` |
| Streaming not connecting | API changed | Use `client.streaming.createService()` |
| TypeScript errors | Type definitions changed | Update imports to match new types |

## Resources

- [AssemblyAI Node SDK Releases](https://github.com/AssemblyAI/assemblyai-node-sdk/releases)
- AssemblyAI SDK Migration Guide
- [AssemblyAI npm Package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/assemblyai)

## Next Steps

For CI integration during upgrades, see `assemblyai-ci-integration`.