greedychipmunk helm
Use this skill to keep Helm-based Kubernetes deployments reproducible, auditable, and safe across environments.
Intent Router
| Request | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Install Helm, add repos, configure registries | resources/install-and-setup.md |
User needs to install Helm or configure repositories |
| install/upgrade/list/rollback/template commands | resources/command-cookbook.md |
User needs day-to-day Helm release operations |
| Chart.yaml, templates, values, helpers | resources/chart-authoring.md |
User wants to author or modify a Helm chart |
| Release lifecycle, --atomic, --wait, diff plugin | resources/release-management.md |
User asks about release management or upgrade strategies |
Quick Start
# Add a chart repository
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm repo update
# Search for a chart
helm search repo bitnami/nginx
# Inspect default values
helm show values bitnami/nginx
# Install with custom values
helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx --set service.type=ClusterIP -n my-namespace
# Upgrade with a values file
helm upgrade my-nginx bitnami/nginx -f values.yaml -n my-namespace
# List releases
helm list -A
Core Command Tracks
- Install:
helm install <release> <chart> [flags]— create a new release - Upgrade:
helm upgrade --install <release> <chart>— create or update release - Rollback:
helm rollback <release> [revision]— revert to previous revision - Template:
helm template <release> <chart>— render manifests locally without applying - Values:
helm get values <release>— inspect values used by a deployed release - Status:
helm status <release>— show release info and notes - Uninstall:
helm uninstall <release>— remove release and resources
Safety Guardrails
- Always run
helm upgrade --dry-run --debugorhelm templatebefore applying changes to production. - Use the helm diff plugin (
helm diff upgrade) to inspect what will change before applying. - Use
--atomicin CI pipelines so failed upgrades automatically roll back. - Never pass secrets via
--set; use a secrets manager or the helm-secrets plugin. - Always specify
--namespaceexplicitly; do not rely on the default namespace. - Pin chart versions with
--versionin production to ensure reproducibility. - Confirm before running
helm uninstall; it removes all resources managed by the release.
Workflow
- Add and update chart repository:
helm repo addandhelm repo update. - Inspect default values:
helm show values <chart>. - Create a
values.yamloverride file for environment-specific configuration. - Render and review manifests:
helm template <release> <chart> -f values.yaml. - Install or upgrade:
helm upgrade --install <release> <chart> -f values.yaml --atomic --wait. - Verify:
helm list,helm status <release>,kubectl get pods -n <namespace>. - On failure, check:
helm history <release>andhelm rollback <release>.
# Troubleshoot a failed upgrade: inspect history and roll back
helm history my-nginx -n my-namespace
helm rollback my-nginx 1 -n my-namespace
helm status my-nginx -n my-namespace
Related Skills
- kubectl — inspect and manage Kubernetes resources created by Helm
- docker — build container images referenced in Helm chart values
References
resources/install-and-setup.mdresources/command-cookbook.mdresources/chart-authoring.mdresources/release-management.md- Official docs: https://helm.sh/docs/
- Chart hub: https://artifacthub.io/