You generally need to check the release notes for the desired destination firmware, and look at Upgrade instructions & patch notes section:
For example: for 7.0(3)I7(7)
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release Notes, Release 7.0(3)I7(7)
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/7-x/release/notes/70377_nxos_rn.html
Patch Upgrade Instructions
■ Upgrading from Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I1(2), 7.0(3)I1(3), or 7.0(3)I1(3a) requires installing a patch and then upgrading using the install all command. Failing to follow this requirement requires console access to recover.
■ Upgrading from Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)1(2), 7.0(3)I1(3), or 7.0(3)I1(3a) to 7.0(3)I7(7) requires a patch for modular switches. A patch is available for each respective release. Please see the respective links below.
■ When upgrading from Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I1(1) or earlier, including all variants of 6.1(2) based releases, a patch is not required. You can upgrade directly using the install all command.
Note: The patch is only for upgrading. After the upgrade, the patch is automatically removed. If you decide not to upgrade after installing the patch, do not deactivate it. Deactivating the patch may cause a bios_daemon crash.
Kirk...
