migrate-ai-sdk-v6-to-v7

Moves an app from version 6 of Vercel's AI SDK to version 7, renaming everything the new release renamed and replacing what it removed, until the app compiles and its tests pass again.

WHEN TO USE

SCOPE

USE FOR

Upgrade an app's AI SDK and provider packages from version 6 to version 7.
Rename v6 APIs like system prompts, lifecycle callbacks and streaming helpers to their v7 equivalents.
Decide whether a multi-step result should use the new all-steps shape or the old final-step-only shape.
Fix a type or runtime error caused by a removed or renamed v6 symbol.

This is a saved copy of the skill's SKILL.md instructions. It may differ from the upstream file or the version you install.

In this document (12)

AI SDK 6 to 7 Migration

Use content/docs/08-migration-guides/23-migration-guide-7-0.mdx from the AI SDK repo as the source of truth. This skill is the working checklist; read the guide for exact examples or when behavior is unclear.

Migration Workflow

Ensure the user has a clean backup or committed baseline before editing.
Inspect package.json and lockfiles to identify installed ai, @ai-sdk/*, provider, UI, MCP, and telemetry packages.
Upgrade AI SDK packages to latest versions, and add @ai-sdk/otel only if the project uses OpenTelemetry spans.
Update runtime and module assumptions: Node.js must be >=22, and AI SDK packages are ESM-only. Replace require() imports with ESM imports and add "type": "module" or use .mjs where needed.
Search for the v6 patterns below, migrate only the code that exists, then run typecheck and targeted tests.

Prefer behavior-preserving changes. When v7 changes semantics, decide whether the app wants the new all-steps behavior or the previous final-step-only behavior.

Core API Changes

experimental_customProvider -> customProvider.
experimental_generateImage -> generateImage; Experimental_GenerateImageResult -> GenerateImageResult.
experimental_transcribe -> transcribe; Experimental_TranscriptionResult -> TranscriptionResult.
experimental_generateSpeech -> generateSpeech; Experimental_SpeechResult -> SpeechResult.
experimental_output option/result -> output option/result.
CallSettings -> LanguageModelCallOptions & Omit<RequestOptions, 'timeout'>; prepareCallSettings -> prepareLanguageModelCallOptions.
stepCountIs -> isStepCount.

Prompts and Steps

Rename top-level system to instructions for generateText, streamText, generateObject, streamObject, and streamUI.
Move { role: 'system' } messages from prompt or messages into top-level instructions. Only use allowSystemInMessages: true for trusted persisted messages.
Rename experimental_prepareStep to prepareStep.
In prepareStep, rename returned system to instructions.
In experimental_repairToolCall, use { instructions } instead of { system }.
Audit prepareStep behavior: returned instructions and messages now carry forward into later steps. If code depended on one-step-only overrides, rebuild from initialInstructions, initialMessages, and responseMessages explicitly.

Lifecycle Callbacks

experimental_onStart -> onStart.
experimental_onStepStart -> onStepStart.
onFinish -> onEnd.
onStepFinish -> onStepEnd.
For embed, embedMany, and rerank, experimental_onFinish -> onEnd.
Callback event fields use instructions instead of system.

Usage, Telemetry, and Include Options

usage.cachedInputTokens -> usage.inputTokenDetails.cacheReadTokens.
usage.reasoningTokens -> usage.outputTokenDetails.reasoningTokens.
OpenTelemetry moved out of ai; install @ai-sdk/otel and call registerTelemetry(new OpenTelemetry(...)) at app startup.
Telemetry is enabled by default once an integration is registered. Remove redundant isEnabled: true; use isEnabled: false to opt out per call.
Move experimental_telemetry.tracer into the OpenTelemetry constructor.
experimental_telemetry -> telemetry.
Telemetry integration callbacks: onRerankFinish -> onRerankEnd, onEmbedFinish -> onEmbedEnd. Update tracing-channel subscribers for the same event type names.
experimental_include -> include.
includeRawChunks -> include.rawChunks.
Request and response bodies are excluded by default. If code reads request.body or response.body, opt in with include.requestBody and, for generateText, include.responseBody.

Streaming, Messages, and Tools

StreamTextResult.fullStream -> stream.
streamText onChunk now receives all stream parts, including lifecycle, boundary, finish, abort, and error parts. Guard by chunk.type before assuming text/tool/raw content.
step.response.messages is no longer accumulated across previous steps. Use result.responseMessages for the full response message history, or flatten result.steps.
Tool execution callbacks: experimental_onToolCallStart -> onToolExecutionStart, experimental_onToolCallFinish -> onToolExecutionEnd.
Tool callback experimental_context -> context.
Split shared runtime data from tool-specific data: use top-level runtimeContext for orchestration state, declare per-tool contextSchema, and pass per-tool values through toolsContext.
Move needsApproval from tool() / dynamicTool() into per-call or agent toolApproval.
experimental_activeTools -> activeTools.
ToolCallOptions -> ToolExecutionOptions.
isToolOrDynamicToolUIPart -> isToolUIPart.

Content Parts and Reasoning

Tool result { type: 'media' } is removed; use { type: 'file-data' }.
Migrate toModelOutput image-*, file-*, file-id, and image-file-id variants to canonical { type: 'file', mediaType, data: { type: 'data' | 'url' | 'reference', ... } }.
User message { type: 'image', image, mediaType? } is deprecated; use { type: 'file', mediaType: 'image' | 'image/*', data }.
Add support for the new reasoning-file content type in exhaustive switches, renderers, serializers, and validators.
When adopting top-level reasoning, remove overlapping provider-specific reasoning settings from providerOptions unless provider-specific settings intentionally take precedence.

Multi-Step Result Shape

result.usage now includes all steps; result.totalUsage is deprecated. Use result.finalStep.usage for final-step-only usage.
Top-level content, toolCalls, staticToolCalls, dynamicToolCalls, toolResults, staticToolResults, dynamicToolResults, files, sources, and warnings now include all steps. Use finalStep for previous final-step-only behavior.
Top-level reasoning, reasoningText, request, response, and providerMetadata are deprecated for final-step data. Use result.finalStep.*; for streamText, await result.finalStep.
Apply the same result-shape rules to onEnd events.

Stream Response Helpers

The streamText result helper methods are deprecated. Replace result methods with top-level stateless helpers:

result.toUIMessageStream(...) -> toUIMessageStream({ stream: result.stream, ... }).
result.toUIMessageStreamResponse(...) -> toUIMessageStream(...) plus createUIMessageStreamResponse({ stream }).
result.pipeUIMessageStreamToResponse(response, ...) -> toUIMessageStream(...) plus pipeUIMessageStreamToResponse({ response, stream }).
result.toTextStreamResponse() -> toTextStream({ stream: result.stream }) plus createTextStreamResponse({ stream }).
result.pipeTextStreamToResponse(response) -> toTextStream({ stream: result.stream }) plus pipeTextStreamToResponse({ response, stream }).

Package-Specific Checks

MCP: MCPTransportConfig.redirect now defaults to 'error'. Only set redirect: 'follow' for trusted MCP servers that rely on redirects.
Vue: @ai-sdk/vue Chat class is deprecated. Prefer useChat, including getter/ref init for reactive chat inputs.
Anthropic and @ai-sdk/google-vertex/anthropic: providerMetadata.anthropic.cacheCreationInputTokens was removed. Use usage.inputTokenDetails.cacheWriteTokens; raw Anthropic usage remains at finalStep.providerMetadata?.anthropic?.usage.
Google: rename GoogleGenerativeAI* types, classes, and functions to Google*, e.g. createGoogleGenerativeAI -> createGoogle. The google entry point is unchanged.

Validation

Run the project typecheck after edits, then the smallest relevant test suite. Also smoke-test streaming, chat UI, tool execution, telemetry, and multi-step flows if the migration touched them. If type errors remain, search the migration guide for the exact removed or renamed symbol before inventing a workaround.

Not standalone. This skill ships with vercel/ai and only works together with that tool — install the tool first, then add this skill.

Run this outside your AI tool, using Node.js 22.20.0 or newer. Skills CLI 1.7.2 skips skill selection; prompts cancel installation without an interactive terminal. If choosing Project when asked about installation scope, open your project's folder before running this.

Install checklist

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npx skills add vercel/ai --skill "migrate-ai-sdk-v6-to-v7" --full-depth

After installing for Claude Code, open it in the installation project if you chose Project; Global makes the skill available across projects on this computer. Once Claude Code loads the skill, its description helps Claude decide when to use it.

If installation created a top-level skills folder that did not exist when your Claude Code session started, run /reload-skills in that session. Run it again after later changes in that folder.

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