harness Template Usage Skill
Track template dependencies and usage across Harness via MCP v2 tools.
MCP v2 Tools Used
| Tool | Resource Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
harness_search |
template |
Find templates by keyword across orgs/projects |
harness_list |
template |
List templates, filter by scope |
harness_get |
template |
Get template details, versions, and usage references |
harness_describe |
template |
Discover template resource schema and fields |
Templates are managed via harness_list and harness_get only. For creating or updating templates, use the /create-template skill.
Template Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
Step |
Single step definition (build, test, deploy actions) |
Stage |
Complete stage with steps (CI stage, CD stage, approval) |
Pipeline |
Full pipeline definition |
StepGroup |
Group of related steps bundled together |
Template Scopes
| Scope | Visibility | Query Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| Account | All orgs and projects | No org_id, no project_id |
| Organization | All projects in the org | org_id only |
| Project | Only within the project | org_id + project_id |
Instructions
Step 1: Find the Template
Search by name or keyword:
harness_search(
query="docker-build-push",
resource_types=["template"],
max_per_type=10,
compact=true
)
Or list templates in a specific scope:
harness_list(
resource_type="template",
org_id="<org>",
project_id="<project>",
search_term="docker"
)
Step 2: Get Template Details
harness_get(
resource_type="template",
resource_id="<template_identifier>",
org_id="<org>",
project_id="<project>"
)
This returns the template definition, version history, and metadata.
Step 3: Check Usage References
harness_get(
resource_type="template",
resource_id="<template_identifier>",
org_id="<org>",
project_id="<project>"
)
Parse the response for referredEntities or usage data. The response includes which pipelines and other templates reference this template.
Step 4: Analyze and Present
Organize findings into a report.
For report templates (Usage Report, Impact Analysis, Unused Templates), consult references/report-templates.md.
Examples
Check who uses a template
/template-usage
Which pipelines are using the docker-build-push template?
Impact analysis before update
/template-usage
I want to make a breaking change to the k8s-deploy template. Show me what will be affected.
Find unused templates
/template-usage
Which templates in our account have no references? I want to clean up.
Track version adoption
/template-usage
Which version of the ci-stage template are different projects using?
Cross-project usage
/template-usage
Show me all usages of account-level templates across all projects
Dependency chain
/template-usage
Show me the full dependency chain for the release-pipeline template --
what does it reference and what references it?
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Template not found | Wrong identifier or scope | Verify identifier and use correct org_id/project_id for the template's scope |
| No usage data | Template genuinely unused or scope mismatch | Search at broader scope; account templates may be used in any project |
| Empty search results | No templates match query | Try broader search terms or list all templates |
Performance Notes
- Paginate through all usage results before generating the impact report. Large templates may have many references.
- Check usage across all scopes (account, org, project) for complete impact analysis.
- Verify version information to distinguish between teams using current vs. outdated template versions.
Troubleshooting
No Usage Data Returned
- Template may genuinely have no references
- Query scope must match template scope -- an account-level template needs no org_id/project_id
- Use
harness_searchwith broader terms to find the template first
Incomplete Usage List
- Paginate through results -- increment
pageuntil all results are retrieved - Account-level templates can be referenced from any org/project -- check all scopes
- Check for both pipeline and template references (templates can nest)
Template Not Found
- Verify the exact identifier (case-sensitive, underscores not hyphens)
- Identifiers must match pattern:
^[a-zA-Z_][0-9a-zA-Z_]{0,127}$ - Check the correct scope -- project templates require org_id + project_id