greedychipmunk kubectl
Use this skill to keep Kubernetes resource management deterministic and safe across clusters and namespaces.
Intent Router
| Request | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Install, kubeconfig setup, contexts, env vars | resources/install-and-setup.md |
User needs to install kubectl or configure KUBECONFIG/contexts |
| Core commands: get/describe/apply/delete/logs/exec | resources/command-cookbook.md |
User needs daily kubectl operations |
| Resources, labels, namespaces, explain | resources/resource-management.md |
User asks about resource types, labels, selectors, or declarative workflows |
| Pod crashes, ImagePull errors, events, debug | resources/troubleshooting.md |
User encounters CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled, or needs cluster diagnostics |
Quick Start
# Verify connectivity
kubectl cluster-info
kubectl get nodes
# Confirm active context and namespace
kubectl config current-context
kubectl config view --minify
# List pods in all namespaces
kubectl get pods -A
# Apply a manifest
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml --dry-run=client
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
Core Command Tracks
- Read state:
kubectl get/describe <resource>— inspect current cluster state - Apply changes:
kubectl apply -f— declarative reconciliation - Logs:
kubectl logs <pod> [-c <container>] [-f] [--previous] - Shell:
kubectl exec -it <pod> -- bash - Port forward:
kubectl port-forward <pod> 8080:80 - Rollout:
kubectl rollout status/history/undo deployment/<name> - Scale:
kubectl scale deployment/<name> --replicas=3 - Output formats:
-o wide,-o json,-o yaml,-o jsonpath
Safety Guardrails
- Always confirm active context (
kubectl config current-context) before applying changes to prevent applying to the wrong cluster. - Always specify namespace explicitly with
-n <namespace>for production operations; never rely on default namespace alone. - Use
--dry-run=client -o yamlto preview resources before applying. - Use
kubectl diff -f <file>to see what will change before applying. - Confirm before running
kubectl delete— especially with label selectors (-l) which can match many resources. - Never run
kubectl delete namespace <name>without explicit user confirmation; it deletes all resources in the namespace. - Prefer
kubectl rollout undoover direct manifest rewrites for reverting deployments.
# Troubleshoot a crashing pod: check recent events then inspect previous container logs
kubectl get events --sort-by=.lastTimestamp -n my-namespace
kubectl logs my-pod --previous -n my-namespace
Workflow
- Confirm context:
kubectl config current-contextandkubectl config get-contexts. - Inspect current state with
kubectl getandkubectl describebefore making changes. - Preview changes with
kubectl diff -f <file>or--dry-run=client. - Apply changes with
kubectl apply -f <file>. - Monitor rollout with
kubectl rollout status deployment/<name>. - On failure, check events with
kubectl get events --sort-by=.lastTimestamp.
Related Skills
- helm — package manager for Kubernetes applications
- docker — container image building for Kubernetes workloads
References
resources/install-and-setup.mdresources/command-cookbook.mdresources/resource-management.mdresources/troubleshooting.md- Official docs: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/
- Command reference: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubectl/kubectl-commands