Next.js 16 has been out for a bit, and after upgrading several of my own projects, I haven’t run into any breaking issues. At this point, I’m confident recommending the upgrade.
The biggest win is performance: faster builds and dramatically improved local development speed. According to the Next.js team, the new default bundler delivers 5–10x faster Fast Refresh and 2–5x faster builds.
Upgrade Steps
With the release of next-devtools-mcp, most of the upgrade workflow can be handled by an AI agent. Here’s the complete guide.
Step 1: Configure the MCP Client
Set up MCP according to the tooling you use:
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Cursor: Go to Cursor Settings → MCP → New MCP Server, Add the following config:
{ "mcpServers": { "next-devtools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "next-devtools-mcp@latest"] } } } -
Claude Code: claude mcp add next-devtools npx next-devtools-mcp@latest
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Codex: codex mcp add next-devtools -- npx next-devtools-mcp@latest
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Gemini CLI: gemini mcp add -s user next-devtools npx next-devtools-mcp@latest
For other tools, check the configuration guide on next-devtools-mcp.
Step 2: Let the Agent Handle the Upgrade
Open your editor’s Agent mode and simply run:
Next Devtools, help me upgrade my Next.js app to version 16
The agent will handle most of the work automatically.
Step 3: Verify Next.js & React Versions
The agent typically updates Next.js and ESLint versions, but it won’t automatically bump React. Make sure to upgrade React manually:
pnpm i react@latest react-dom@latest @types/react@latest @types/react-dom@latest
Step 4: Additional Adjustments
- Update Next-intl: pnpm i next-intl@latest
- Add .pnpm-store to your .gitignore:
.pnpm-store
After that, delete the .next directory, restart your dev server:
npm run dev
You should now be running on Next.js 16.
Summary
After over a month of running my personal projects on Next.js 16, everything has been stable — the only noticeable change is that development feels faster and smoother. That’s why I’ve also upgraded NEXTY.DEV to Next.js 16.