# Drain Node

> Safely evict all pods from a node for maintenance. Cordons the node first, then evicts pods respecting PodDisruptionBudgets. Use before node maintenance or decommissioning. Keywords: drain, evict, node maintenance, pod migration.

- Skill: `majiayu000/drain-node` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/drain-node`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/drain-node/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/drain-node

---


# Drain Node

## Preconditions

Before applying this skill, verify:

- Node name is known
- Other nodes have capacity for evicted pods
- PodDisruptionBudgets won't block critical evictions
- DaemonSet pods are acceptable to ignore

## Actions

### 1. Cordon the Node First

Prevent new pods from scheduling.

```yaml
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/resources_create_or_update
params:
  resource: |
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Node
    metadata:
      name: $node_name
    spec:
      unschedulable: true
timeout: 30s
```

### 2. Get Pods on Node

List all pods running on the node.

```yaml
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/pods_list
params:
  labelSelector: ""
timeout: 30s
```

### 3. Evict Each Pod

Delete pods to trigger rescheduling (skip DaemonSets).

```yaml
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/pods_delete
params:
  name: $pod_name
  namespace: $pod_namespace
timeout: 30s
```

### 4. Verify Node is Drained

Confirm only DaemonSet pods remain.

```yaml
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/pods_list
params:
  labelSelector: ""
timeout: 30s
```

## Success Criteria

The skill succeeds when:

- [ ] Node is cordoned
- [ ] All non-DaemonSet pods evicted
- [ ] Evicted pods rescheduled elsewhere
- [ ] No unexpected errors during eviction

## Failure Handling

If draining fails:

1. Check PodDisruptionBudget constraints
2. Identify stuck pods (finalizers, etc.)
3. May need to force delete specific pods
4. Uncordon if drain aborted

## Examples

**Input Context:**
```json
{
  "node_name": "worker-node-3",
  "ignore_daemonsets": true,
  "force": false
}
```

**Output:**
```json
{
  "node": "worker-node-3",
  "pods_evicted": 12,
  "daemonset_pods_skipped": 3,
  "pods_rescheduled": 12,
  "success": true
}
```