# Managing Pulumi Cloud

> Use when working with Pulumi Cloud — pulumi Cloud stack and deployment management. Covers stack operations, resource inspection, configuration and secrets, deployment history, policy packs (CrossGuard), and team access controls. Use when managing Pulumi stacks, reviewing deployment history, inspecting resource state, or auditing organization policies.

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

---


# Pulumi Cloud Management Skill

Manage Pulumi Cloud stacks, deployments, policies, and organization settings.

## MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

**Always inspect organization and stack state before taking action.**

### Phase 1: Discovery

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Pulumi Version ==="
pulumi version 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Current User ==="
pulumi whoami -v 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Organization Stacks ==="
pulumi stack ls --all 2>/dev/null | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Current Stack ==="
pulumi stack 2>/dev/null
```

### Phase 2: Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
STACK="${1:?Stack name required}"

echo "=== Stack Details ==="
pulumi stack -s "$STACK" 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Stack Outputs ==="
pulumi stack output -s "$STACK" --json 2>/dev/null | jq '.' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Resource Count ==="
pulumi stack -s "$STACK" 2>/dev/null | grep -c "Type\|pulumi:" || echo "0"

echo ""
echo "=== Stack Config ==="
pulumi config -s "$STACK" 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Recent History ==="
pulumi stack history -s "$STACK" --show-secrets=false 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Policy Packs ==="
pulumi policy ls 2>/dev/null | head -10
```

## Output Rules
- **TOKEN EFFICIENCY**: Target <=50 lines per output
- Never expose secret config values -- use `--show-secrets=false`
- Summarize resource counts rather than listing all resources
- Use `--json` output for structured data when filtering

## Safety Rules
- **NEVER run `pulumi up` without `--preview-only` first**
- **NEVER run `pulumi destroy`** without explicit confirmation
- **Protect production stacks** with stack policies
- **Check policy pack results** before recommending deployment
- **Review diff carefully** before confirming updates

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Pulumi Cloud 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 |