kubernetes-operations
Kubernetes operations — deployment, management, troubleshooting, kubectl mastery. Use when the user mentions K8s, kubectl, pods, deployments, services, ingress, or cluster stability.
- Installs
- 76
- Last 24h
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/laurigates/claude-plugins --skill kubernetes-operations- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads kubernetes-operations automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Kubernetes Operations
Expert knowledge for Kubernetes cluster management, deployment, and troubleshooting with mastery of kubectl and cloud-native patterns.
When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Use <sibling> instead when... |
|---|---|
| Working with kubectl against pods, deployments, services, ingress, ConfigMaps, or Secrets | Use kubectl-debugging when you specifically need kubectl debug ephemeral containers or node sessions |
| Applying or inspecting raw Kubernetes manifests and kustomize overlays | Use helm-release-management when the workload is delivered as a Helm chart |
| Diagnosing cluster-level networking, storage, or workload health | Use argocd-login when the issue is authenticating to ArgoCD before any cluster operation |
Core Expertise
Kubernetes Operations
- Workload Management: Deployments, StatefulSets, DaemonSets, Jobs, and CronJobs
- Networking: Services, Ingress, NetworkPolicies, and DNS configuration
- Configuration & Storage: ConfigMaps, Secrets, PersistentVolumes, and PersistentVolumeClaims
- Troubleshooting: Debugging pods, analyzing logs, and inspecting cluster events
Cluster Operations Process
- Manifest First: Always prefer declarative YAML manifests for resource management
- Validate & Dry-Run: Use
kubectl apply --dry-run=clientto validate changes - Inspect & Verify: After applying changes, verify with
kubectl get,kubectl describe,kubectl logs - Monitor Health: Continuously check status of nodes, pods, and services
- Clean Up: Ensure old or unused resources are properly garbage collected
Essential Commands
# Resource management
kubectl apply -f manifest.yaml
kubectl get pods -A
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
kubectl logs -f <pod-name>
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash
# Debugging
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
kubectl top nodes
kubectl top pods --containers
kubectl port-forward <pod-name> 8080:80
# Deployment management
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name>
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name>
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name>
# Cluster inspection
kubectl cluster-info
kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl api-resources
Key Debugging Patterns
Pod Debugging
# Pod inspection
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
kubectl get pod <pod-name> -o yaml
kubectl logs <pod-name> --previous
# Interactive debugging
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash
kubectl debug <pod-name> -it --image=busybox
kubectl port-forward <pod-name> 8080:80
Networking Troubleshooting
# Service debugging
kubectl get svc -o wide
kubectl get endpoints
kubectl describe svc <service>
# Network connectivity
kubectl run test-pod --image=busybox -it --rm -- sh
# Inside pod: nslookup, wget, nc commands
Common Issues
# CrashLoopBackOff debugging
kubectl logs <pod> --previous
kubectl describe pod <pod>
kubectl get events --field-selector involvedObject.name=<pod>
# Resource constraints
kubectl top pod <pod>
kubectl describe pod <pod> | grep -A 5 Limits
# State management
kubectl state list
kubectl state show <resource>
Best Practices
Context Safety (CRITICAL)
- Always specify
--contextexplicitly in every kubectl command - Never rely on the current context - it may have been changed by another process
- Use
kubectl --context=<context-name> get podsformat for all operations - This prevents accidental operations on the wrong cluster (e.g., running production commands against staging)
# CORRECT: Explicit context
kubectl --context=gke_myproject_us-central1_prod get pods
kubectl --context=staging-cluster apply -f deployment.yaml
# WRONG: Relying on current context
kubectl get pods # Which cluster is this targeting?
Resource Definitions
- Use declarative YAML manifests
- Implement proper labels and selectors
- Define resource requests and limits
- Configure health checks (liveness/readiness probes)
Security
- Use NetworkPolicies to restrict traffic
- Implement RBAC for access control
- Store sensitive data in Secrets
- Run containers as non-root users
Monitoring
- Configure proper logging and metrics
- Set up alerts for critical conditions
- Use health checks and readiness probes
- Monitor resource usage and quotas
Agentic Optimizations
| Context | Command |
|---|---|
| Pod status (structured) | kubectl get pods -n <ns> -o json | jq '.items[] | {name:.metadata.name, status:.status.phase}' |
| Quick overview | kubectl get pods -n <ns> -o wide |
| Events (compact) | kubectl get events -n <ns> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp' -o json |
| Resource details | kubectl get <resource> -o json |
| Logs (bounded) | kubectl logs <pod> -n <ns> --tail=50 |
For detailed debugging commands, troubleshooting patterns, Helm workflows, and advanced K8s operations, see REFERENCE.md.
FAQ
What does the kubernetes-operations skill do?
Kubernetes operations — deployment, management, troubleshooting, kubectl mastery. Use when the user mentions K8s, kubectl, pods, deployments, services, ingress, or cluster stability.
How do I install kubernetes-operations?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/laurigates/claude-plugins --skill kubernetes-operations in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/kubernetes-operations/ (personal) or .claude/skills/kubernetes-operations/ (project).
Which AI agents can use kubernetes-operations?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is kubernetes-operations safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains kubernetes-operations?
It is published by laurigates in laurigates/claude-plugins. It has 76 recorded installs.
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