# Managing Cloudflare R2

> Use when working with Cloudflare R2 — cloudflare R2 object storage management via the wrangler CLI and Cloudflare API. Covers buckets, objects, usage metrics, CORS policies, and lifecycle rules. Use when managing R2 storage or reviewing bucket configurations.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-cloudflare-r2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-cloudflare-r2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-cloudflare-r2/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Integrations & APIs
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-cloudflare-r2

---


# Managing Cloudflare R2

Manage Cloudflare R2 object storage using `wrangler` CLI or Cloudflare API.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always discover available resources before performing analysis.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash

echo "=== R2 Buckets ==="
wrangler r2 bucket list 2>/dev/null || \
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.result.buckets[] | "\(.name)\t\(.location)\t\(.creation_date)"' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Account R2 Usage ==="
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/usage" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '{
    storage_bytes: .result.end.payload_size,
    metadata_bytes: .result.end.metadata_size,
    object_count: .result.end.object_count,
    upload_count: .result.end.upload_count
}' 2>/dev/null
```

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash

BUCKET_NAME="${1:?Bucket name required}"

echo "=== Bucket Objects (Top Level) ==="
wrangler r2 object list "$BUCKET_NAME" --prefix "" --delimiter "/" 2>/dev/null | head -30 || \
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets/$BUCKET_NAME/objects" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.result.objects[] | "\(.key)\t\(.size)\t\(.last_modified)"' | head -30

echo ""
echo "=== Bucket CORS Policy ==="
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets/$BUCKET_NAME/cors" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result' 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Bucket Lifecycle Rules ==="
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets/$BUCKET_NAME/lifecycle" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result' 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Custom Domains ==="
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets/$BUCKET_NAME/custom_domains" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.result[] | "\(.domain)\t\(.status)\t\(.enabled)"' 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Sippy (Migration) Status ==="
curl -s "https://api.cloudflare.com/client/v4/accounts/$CF_ACCOUNT_ID/r2/buckets/$BUCKET_NAME/sippy" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $CF_API_TOKEN" | jq '.result' 2>/dev/null | head -10
```

## Output Format

```
BUCKET         LOCATION   CREATED              OBJECTS    SIZE
assets         APAC       2024-01-15T10:00:00  12450      45GB
backups        WNAM       2024-02-01T08:00:00  890        120GB
```

## Safety Rules
- Use read-only commands: `list`, GET API calls
- Never run `delete`, `put`, DELETE/PUT calls without explicit user confirmation
- Use jq for structured output parsing
- Limit output with `| head -N` to stay under 50 lines

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |