# Managing Kuma

> Manage Kuma service mesh by discovering meshes, dataplanes, and policies via the Kuma API, then analyzing configuration and producing structured reports.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-kuma` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-kuma`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-kuma/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector CAUTION)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra, Monitoring & Observability
- Tags: Dataplanes, Kubernetes, Kuma, Multi Zone, Observability, Service Mesh, Traffic Policies, Universal Mode
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-kuma

---


# Kuma Service Mesh Skill

Manage Kuma service mesh, dataplanes, traffic policies, and multi-zone configuration.

## Core Helper Functions

```bash
#!/bin/bash

KUMA_API="${KUMA_API_URL:-http://localhost:5681}"

kuma_api() {
    local endpoint="$1"
    shift
    curl -s "$KUMA_API/$endpoint" "$@"
}

# Kubernetes mode helper
kuma_k8s() {
    local resource="$1" ns="${2:---all-namespaces}"
    if [ "$ns" = "--all-namespaces" ]; then
        kubectl get "$resource" -A -o json 2>/dev/null
    else
        kubectl get "$resource" -n "$ns" -o json 2>/dev/null
    fi
}
```

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Kuma Version & Mode ==="
kuma_api "" | jq '{version, hostname, tagline, environment}'

echo ""
echo "=== Meshes ==="
kuma_api "meshes" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.name)\tBackend: \(.mtls.backends[0].name // "none")\tmTLS: \(.mtls.enabledBackend // "disabled")"
' | column -t | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Dataplanes ==="
kuma_api "dataplanes" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.name)\t\(.mesh)\t\(.networking.address // "n/a")\t\(.networking.inbound[0].tags["kuma.io/service"] // "n/a")"
' | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Dataplane Health ==="
kuma_api "mesh-insights" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.name)\tOnline: \(.dataplanesByType.standard.online // 0)\tOffline: \(.dataplanesByType.standard.offline // 0)\tTotal: \(.dataplanesByType.standard.total // 0)"
' | column -t | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Zones (Multi-Zone) ==="
kuma_api "zones" | jq -r '
    .items[]? | "\(.name)\t\(.enabled)"
' | column -t 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Policy Summary ==="
for policy in trafficpermissions trafficlogs traffictraces trafficroutes timeouts circuitbreakers healthchecks faultinjections retries ratelimits; do
    COUNT=$(kuma_api "$policy" 2>/dev/null | jq '.total // 0')
    [ "$COUNT" -gt 0 ] && echo "$policy: $COUNT"
done
```

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
MESH="${1:-default}"

echo "=== Mesh Configuration ==="
kuma_api "meshes/$MESH" | jq '{
    name, mtls, tracing, logging, metrics, routing
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Traffic Permissions ==="
kuma_api "meshes/$MESH/trafficpermissions" | jq -r '
    .items[] | "\(.name)\tSources: \(.sources[0].match["kuma.io/service"] // "*")\tDest: \(.destinations[0].match["kuma.io/service"] // "*")"
' | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Traffic Routes ==="
kuma_api "meshes/$MESH/trafficroutes" | jq '
    .items[] | {name, sources: .sources, destinations: .destinations, conf: .conf}
' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Circuit Breakers ==="
kuma_api "meshes/$MESH/circuitbreakers" | jq '
    .items[]? | {name, sources: .sources[0].match, destinations: .destinations[0].match, conf: .conf}
' | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Health Checks ==="
kuma_api "meshes/$MESH/healthchecks" | jq -r '
    .items[]? | "\(.name)\tInterval: \(.conf.interval)\tThreshold: \(.conf.unhealthyThreshold)"
' | column -t | head -10
```

## Output Rules
- **TOKEN EFFICIENCY**: Target <=50 lines per output
- Use jq to parse Kuma HTTP API responses
- Specify mesh context for all policy queries

## Safety Rules
- **Read-only by default**: Use GET endpoints for inspection
- **Traffic permission changes** affect service communication immediately
- **mTLS mode changes** can break all mesh traffic if backends are misconfigured
- **Multi-zone policy changes** propagate to all zones

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Kuma Report
════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
```

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

## 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 |

## Common Pitfalls
- **Universal vs Kubernetes**: API and resource formats differ between modes
- **Default mesh**: Resources without explicit mesh belong to the `default` mesh
- **Traffic permission deny-by-default**: Without permissions, services cannot communicate
- **Zone sync**: Multi-zone deployments sync policies from global to zone control planes
- **Dataplane tokens**: Universal mode requires tokens for dataplane authentication