Advanced jobs / Codebase migration agent
Codebase migration agent
Upgrades a framework, language version or API across a large repo without breaking production.
- Difficulty
- Very hard (5/5)
- Human checkpoints
- 3 to plan for
- Matching bots
- 9 on BotPickr
The job
An agent (or a team of agents) that moves a codebase from one framework, language version or library to another: planning the order, editing many files, running the tests and opening reviewable pull requests.
Why it is hard
- Changes touch hundreds of files, so one wrong assumption repeats everywhere.
- The agent must understand how the code is used, not just edit syntax.
- Tests are often too thin to prove the migration is safe.
- Long runs drift: the agent forgets earlier decisions unless they are written down.
What a good setup needs
Tools
- A coding agent that runs in a sandbox (OpenHands, Devin, Claude Code, Aider or Cursor)
- A strong test suite and CI that must pass before merge
- A written migration plan and rules file the agent reads each session
- Small, stacked pull requests instead of one giant change
Guardrails
- Run the agent on a branch in an isolated environment, never on production credentials
- Require green tests and a type check on every pull request
- Limit each session to one module or one pattern
- Keep a rollback plan and migrate behind feature flags where possible
Human-in-the-loop points
- A human approves the migration plan and the first sample pull request
- Reviewers read every pull request; the agent never merges its own work
- A human decides when each batch ships
How to start small
Start here: Migrate one small, well-tested module end to end, review it closely, and write down every rule you had to teach the agent before repeating it.
How to know it works: Share of migrated pull requests merged without rework, and no new production incidents.
Bots that fit this job
Pick from the listings below. Open one for setup steps; those marked Paid have plan prices as shown by the vendor.
OpenHands
Autonomous software agent that writes code, runs commands and browses docs inside a sandbox.
Devin
Cognition's autonomous software engineer: give it a ticket and it writes, runs and tests code in the cloud, then opens a pull request for you to review.
Claude Code
Terminal coding agent that reads your repo, makes changes and runs tests from a chat prompt.
Aider
Pair-programming in the terminal that edits your git repo and commits each change with a message.
Cursor
AI code editor with an agent that plans, edits many files and runs commands in your project.
Cline
VS Code agent that plans, edits files and uses the terminal, with approval on every step.
OpenAI Codex CLI
Open-source terminal coding agent from OpenAI that reads, edits and runs code locally. You sign in with a ChatGPT plan or use an OpenAI API key.
Kiro
AWS's agentic IDE and CLI that turns prompts into specs, then builds across large codebases with parallel agents.
Factory
Factory's "Droids" are coding agents that run from a desktop app, CLI or SDK, locally or as cloud background agents.
Deep dives for these bots
OpenHands deep diveDevin deep diveClaude Code deep diveCursor deep dive
Official docs and guides
Quick answers
Can an AI agent migrate a whole codebase on its own?
It can do a lot of the editing, but it should work in small reviewed steps with strong tests. Treat it like a fast junior engineer whose pull requests all need review.
What makes a migration task suitable for an agent?
Clear success criteria (tests pass, a pattern is replaced) and repeated, similar changes. Vague or design-heavy changes need a person.
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