Handle ImagePullBackOff
Preconditions
Before applying this skill, verify:
- Pod status is ImagePullBackOff or ErrImagePull
- Pod has been in this state for more than 2 minutes
Actions
1. Get Pod Events
First, get pod events to understand the image pull failure.
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/events_list
params:
namespace: $namespace
timeout: 30s
2. Delete Pod to Trigger Recreation
Delete the pod to trigger recreation and retry the image pull.
mcp_tool: kubernetes-mcp-server/pods_delete
params:
name: $pod_name
namespace: $namespace
timeout: 30s
Success Criteria
The skill succeeds when:
- New pod created and image pull succeeds
- Pod reaches Running state within 5 minutes
Failure Handling
If image pull continues to fail:
- Verify image name and tag are correct
- Check image registry connectivity
- Verify image pull secrets are configured
- Escalate to human with registry details
Examples
Input Context:
{
"pod_name": "myapp-deployment-xyz789",
"namespace": "production",
"status": "ImagePullBackOff",
"image": "registry.example.com/myapp:v1.2.3"
}
Expected Outcome: Pod deleted, new pod successfully pulls image and reaches Running state.