# Managing Etcd

> Monitors and analyzes etcd clusters: checks endpoint health, member status, alarms, key-space usage, leases, and Raft consensus state, then reports issues and recommendations.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-etcd` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-etcd`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-etcd/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra, Coding & Dev Tools, Monitoring & Observability
- Tags: Cluster Health, Etcd, Etcdctl, Key Value Store, Monitoring, Raft
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-etcd

---


# etcd Management Skill

Monitor, analyze, and optimize etcd clusters safely.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always check cluster health and member list before any key operations. Never assume key prefixes or cluster topology.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash

ETCD_ENDPOINTS="${ETCD_ENDPOINTS:-localhost:2379}"
ETCD_OPTS="${ETCD_CACERT:+--cacert=$ETCD_CACERT} ${ETCD_CERT:+--cert=$ETCD_CERT} ${ETCD_KEY:+--key=$ETCD_KEY}"

echo "=== Endpoint Health ==="
etcdctl endpoint health --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS 2>&1

echo ""
echo "=== Endpoint Status ==="
etcdctl endpoint status --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS -w table 2>&1

echo ""
echo "=== Member List ==="
etcdctl member list --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS -w table 2>&1

echo ""
echo "=== Alarms ==="
etcdctl alarm list --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS 2>&1

echo ""
echo "=== Version ==="
etcdctl version 2>&1
```

**Phase 1 outputs:** Endpoint health, leader ID, Raft term/index, member list, active alarms.

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash

ETCD_ENDPOINTS="${ETCD_ENDPOINTS:-localhost:2379}"
ETCD_OPTS="${ETCD_CACERT:+--cacert=$ETCD_CACERT} ${ETCD_CERT:+--cert=$ETCD_CERT} ${ETCD_KEY:+--key=$ETCD_KEY}"

echo "=== DB Size per Member ==="
etcdctl endpoint status --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS -w json 2>/dev/null | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for ep in (data if isinstance(data, list) else [data]):
    status = ep.get('Status', ep)
    print(f\"  Endpoint: {ep.get('Endpoint','?')} | DB size: {status.get('dbSize',0)//1048576}MB | Leader: {status.get('leader','?')} | RaftIndex: {status.get('raftIndex','?')}\")
" 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Key Count by Prefix (top-level) ==="
etcdctl get / --prefix --keys-only --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS 2>/dev/null | \
    awk -F'/' '{if(NF>1) print "/"$2}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Active Leases ==="
etcdctl lease list --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Auth Status ==="
etcdctl auth status --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS 2>&1

echo ""
echo "=== Compaction Info ==="
etcdctl endpoint status --endpoints="$ETCD_ENDPOINTS" $ETCD_OPTS -w json 2>/dev/null | python3 -c "
import sys, json
data = json.load(sys.stdin)
for ep in (data if isinstance(data, list) else [data]):
    status = ep.get('Status', ep)
    print(f\"  Raft term: {status.get('raftTerm','?')} | Applied: {status.get('raftApplied', status.get('raftIndex','?'))}\")
" 2>/dev/null
```

## Output Format

```
ETCD ANALYSIS
=============
Members: [count] | Leader: [member_id]
DB Size: [size] | Raft Term: [term] | Alarms: [count]

ISSUES FOUND:
- [issue with affected member/alarm]

RECOMMENDATIONS:
- [actionable recommendation]
```

## 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 |