kubernetes-operations

Q: How do I install kubernetes-operations?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/nodnarbnitram/claude-code-extensions --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).

by nodnarbnitramDevOps & Cloud

Assist with Kubernetes interactions including debugging (kubectl logs, describe, exec, port-forward), resource management (deployments, services, configmaps, secrets), and cluster operations (scaling, rollouts, node management). Use when working with kubectl, pods, deployments, services, or troubleshooting Kubernetes issues.

Installs: 85
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/nodnarbnitram/claude-code-extensions --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

Comprehensive kubectl assistance for debugging, resource management, and cluster operations with token-efficient scripts.

BEFORE YOU START

This skill prevents 5 common errors and saves ~70% tokens.

Metric	Without Skill	With Skill
Pod Debugging	~1200 tokens	~400 tokens
Resource Listing	~800 tokens	~200 tokens
Cluster Health	~1500 tokens	~300 tokens

Known Issues This Skill Prevents

Running kubectl commands in wrong namespace/context
Verbose output flooding context with unnecessary data
Missing critical debugging steps (events, previous logs)
Exposing secrets in plain text output
Destructive operations without dry-run verification

Quick Start

Step 1: Verify Context

kubectl config current-context
kubectl config get-contexts

Why this matters: Running commands in the wrong cluster can cause production incidents.

Step 2: Debug a Pod

uv run scripts/debug_pod.py <pod-name> [-n namespace]

Why this matters: The script combines describe, logs, and events into a condensed summary, saving ~800 tokens.

Step 3: Check Cluster Health

uv run scripts/cluster_health.py

Why this matters: Quick overview of node status and unhealthy pods without verbose output.

Critical Rules

Always Do

Always verify kubectl config current-context before operations
Always use -n namespace to be explicit about target
Always use --dry-run=client -o yaml before applying changes
Always check events when debugging: kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
Always use --previous flag when pod is in CrashLoopBackOff

Never Do

Never run kubectl delete without --dry-run first in production
Never output secrets without filtering: avoid kubectl get secret -o yaml
Never assume default namespace - always specify -n
Never ignore resource limits when debugging OOMKilled pods
Never skip describe when logs show no errors

Common Mistakes

Wrong:

kubectl logs my-pod

Correct:

kubectl logs my-pod -n my-namespace --tail=100 --timestamps

Why: Default namespace may not be correct, unlimited logs flood context, timestamps help correlate with events.

Known Issues Prevention

Issue	Root Cause	Solution
CrashLoopBackOff	App crash on startup	Check `kubectl logs --previous` and describe for exit codes
ImagePullBackOff	Registry auth or image tag	Verify image exists and check pull secrets
Pending pods	No schedulable nodes	Check node resources and pod affinity/tolerations
OOMKilled	Memory limit exceeded	Check container limits vs actual usage with `kubectl top`
Connection refused	Service selector mismatch	Verify pod labels match service selector

Debugging Workflows

Pod Not Starting

# 1. Get pod status and events
kubectl describe pod <name> -n <namespace>

# 2. Check logs (current or previous)
kubectl logs <name> -n <namespace> --tail=100
kubectl logs <name> -n <namespace> --previous  # If restarting

# 3. Check events for scheduling issues
kubectl get events -n <namespace> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp' | grep <name>

# 4. Interactive debugging
kubectl exec -it <name> -n <namespace> -- /bin/sh

Service Connectivity

# 1. Verify service exists and has endpoints
kubectl get svc <name> -n <namespace>
kubectl get endpoints <name> -n <namespace>

# 2. Check pod labels match service selector
kubectl get pods -n <namespace> --show-labels

# 3. Test from within cluster
kubectl run debug --rm -it --image=busybox -- wget -qO- http://<service>:<port>

# 4. Port-forward for local testing
kubectl port-forward svc/<name> 8080:80 -n <namespace>

Resource Management

Deployments

# List deployments
kubectl get deployments -n <namespace>

# Scale
kubectl scale deployment <name> --replicas=3 -n <namespace>

# Rollout status
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name> -n <namespace>

# Rollback
kubectl rollout undo deployment/<name> -n <namespace>

# History
kubectl rollout history deployment/<name> -n <namespace>

ConfigMaps and Secrets

# List
kubectl get configmaps -n <namespace>
kubectl get secrets -n <namespace>

# View ConfigMap data
kubectl get configmap <name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.data}'

# View Secret keys (NOT values)
kubectl get secret <name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.data}' | jq 'keys'

# Create from file
kubectl create configmap <name> --from-file=<path> -n <namespace> --dry-run=client -o yaml

Cluster Operations

Node Management

# List nodes with status
kubectl get nodes -o wide

# Node details
kubectl describe node <name>

# Cordon (prevent scheduling)
kubectl cordon <node>

# Drain (evict pods)
kubectl drain <node> --ignore-daemonsets --delete-emptydir-data

# Uncordon
kubectl uncordon <node>

Resource Usage

# Node resources
kubectl top nodes

# Pod resources
kubectl top pods -n <namespace>

# Sort by memory
kubectl top pods -n <namespace> --sort-by=memory

Bundled Resources

Scripts

Located in scripts/:

debug_pod.py - Comprehensive pod debugging with condensed output
get_resources.py - Resource summary using jsonpath for minimal tokens
cluster_health.py - Quick cluster status overview

References

Located in references/:

kubectl-cheatsheet.md - Condensed command reference
jsonpath-patterns.md - Common JSONPath expressions
debugging-flowchart.md - Decision tree for pod issues

Note: For deep dives on specific topics, see the reference files above.

Dependencies

Required

Package	Version	Purpose
kubectl	1.25+	Kubernetes CLI
jq	1.6+	JSON parsing for scripts

Optional

Package	Version	Purpose
k9s	0.27+	Terminal UI for Kubernetes
stern	1.25+	Multi-pod log tailing

Official Documentation

Troubleshooting

kubectl command not found

Symptoms: command not found: kubectl

Solution:

# macOS
brew install kubectl

# Verify
kubectl version --client

Context not set

Symptoms: error: no context is currently set

Solution:

# List available contexts
kubectl config get-contexts

# Set context
kubectl config use-context <context-name>

Permission denied

Symptoms: Error from server (Forbidden)

Solution:

# Check current user
kubectl auth whoami

# Check permissions
kubectl auth can-i get pods -n <namespace>
kubectl auth can-i --list -n <namespace>

Timeout connecting to cluster

Symptoms: Unable to connect to the server: dial tcp: i/o timeout

Solution:

# Check cluster endpoint
kubectl cluster-info

# Verify network connectivity
curl -k https://<cluster-api-endpoint>/healthz

# Check kubeconfig
cat ~/.kube/config

Setup Checklist

Before using this skill, verify:

kubectl installed (kubectl version --client)
Kubeconfig configured (~/.kube/config exists)
Context set to correct cluster (kubectl config current-context)
Permissions verified (kubectl auth can-i get pods)
jq installed for JSON parsing (jq --version)

FAQ

What does the kubernetes-operations skill do?

How do I install kubernetes-operations?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/nodnarbnitram/claude-code-extensions --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 nodnarbnitram in nodnarbnitram/claude-code-extensions. It has 85 recorded installs.