ComeOnOliver Cilium & Hubble Network Observability
Manage eBPF-based networking using kubectl-mcp-server's Cilium tools (8 tools).
When to Apply
Use this skill when:
- User mentions: "Cilium", "Hubble", "eBPF", "network policy", "flow"
- Operations: network policy management, traffic observation, L7 filtering
- Keywords: "network security", "traffic flow", "dropped packets", "connectivity"
Priority Rules
| Priority | Rule | Impact | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detect Cilium installation first | CRITICAL | cilium_detect_tool |
| 2 | Check agent status for health | HIGH | cilium_status_tool |
| 3 | Use Hubble for flow debugging | HIGH | hubble_flows_query_tool |
| 4 | Start with default deny | MEDIUM | CiliumNetworkPolicy |
Quick Reference
| Task | Tool | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Detect Cilium | cilium_detect_tool |
cilium_detect_tool() |
| Agent status | cilium_status_tool |
cilium_status_tool() |
| List policies | cilium_policies_list_tool |
cilium_policies_list_tool(namespace) |
| Query flows | hubble_flows_query_tool |
hubble_flows_query_tool(namespace) |
Check Installation
cilium_detect_tool()
Cilium Status
cilium_status_tool()
Network Policies
List Policies
cilium_policies_list_tool(namespace="default")
Get Policy Details
cilium_policy_get_tool(name="allow-web", namespace="default")
Create Cilium Network Policy
kubectl_apply(manifest="""
apiVersion: cilium.io/v2
kind: CiliumNetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: allow-web
namespace: default
spec:
endpointSelector:
matchLabels:
app: web
ingress:
- fromEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
app: frontend
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "80"
protocol: TCP
egress:
- toEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
app: database
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "5432"
protocol: TCP
""")
Endpoints
cilium_endpoints_list_tool(namespace="default")
Identities
cilium_identities_list_tool()
Nodes
cilium_nodes_list_tool()
Hubble Flow Observability
hubble_flows_query_tool(
namespace="default",
pod="my-pod",
last="5m"
)
hubble_flows_query_tool(
namespace="default",
verdict="DROPPED"
)
hubble_flows_query_tool(
namespace="default",
type="l7"
)
Create L7 Policy
kubectl_apply(manifest="""
apiVersion: cilium.io/v2
kind: CiliumNetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: api-policy
namespace: default
spec:
endpointSelector:
matchLabels:
app: api
ingress:
- fromEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
app: frontend
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "8080"
protocol: TCP
rules:
http:
- method: GET
path: "/api/v1/.*"
- method: POST
path: "/api/v1/users"
""")
Cluster Mesh
kubectl_apply(manifest="""
apiVersion: cilium.io/v2
kind: CiliumClusterwideNetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: allow-cross-cluster
spec:
endpointSelector:
matchLabels:
app: shared-service
ingress:
- fromEntities:
- cluster
- remote-node
""")
Troubleshooting Workflows
Pod Can't Reach Service
cilium_status_tool()
cilium_endpoints_list_tool(namespace)
cilium_policies_list_tool(namespace)
hubble_flows_query_tool(namespace, pod, verdict="DROPPED")
Policy Not Working
cilium_policy_get_tool(name, namespace)
cilium_endpoints_list_tool(namespace)
hubble_flows_query_tool(namespace)
Network Performance Issues
cilium_status_tool()
cilium_nodes_list_tool()
hubble_flows_query_tool(namespace, type="l7")
Best Practices
- Start with default deny: Create baseline deny-all policy
- Use labels consistently: Policies rely on label selectors
- Monitor with Hubble: Observe flows before/after policy changes
- Test in staging: Verify policies don't break connectivity
Prerequisites
- Cilium: Required for all Cilium tools
cilium install
Related Skills
- k8s-networking - Standard K8s networking
- k8s-security - Security policies
- k8s-service-mesh - Istio service mesh