tomevault-io Using Ring Operations Specialists
The ring-ops-team plugin provides 5 specialized operations agents. Use them via Task tool with subagent_type:.
See CLAUDE.md and ring:using-ring for canonical workflow requirements and ORCHESTRATOR principle. This skill introduces ops-team-specific agents.
Remember: Follow the ORCHESTRATOR principle from ring:using-ring. Dispatch agents to handle complexity; don't operate tools directly.
Domain Distinction: ops-team vs dev-team
CRITICAL: Understand when to use each plugin:
| Domain | Plugin | Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Development Infrastructure | ring-dev-team | ring:devops-engineer (Docker, IaC, CI/CD) |
| Production Operations | ring-ops-team | platform-engineer, incident-responder, etc. |
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| "Set up Dockerfile and docker-compose" | ring:devops-engineer |
| "Configure service mesh for production" | platform-engineer |
| "Create Terraform modules" | ring:devops-engineer |
| "Design multi-region architecture" | infrastructure-architect |
| "Handle production outage" | incident-responder |
| "Optimize cloud costs" | cloud-cost-optimizer |
Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report
ALWAYS pause and report blocker for:
| Decision Type | Examples | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Production Changes | Infrastructure modifications | STOP. Change management required. Ask user. |
| Security Incidents | Potential breach | STOP. Security team lead + legal. |
| Cost Commitments | Reserved instance purchases | STOP. Finance approval required. |
| Architecture Decisions | Region selection, DR strategy | STOP. Strategic decision. Ask user. |
You CANNOT make production-impacting decisions autonomously. STOP and ask.
Common Misconceptions - REJECTED
| Misconception | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I can handle this myself" | ORCHESTRATOR principle: dispatch specialists, don't implement directly. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE. |
| "Ops tasks are simple" | Operations has production impact. Specialist oversight is MANDATORY. |
| "Same as DevOps" | dev-team DevOps handles development infrastructure. ops-team handles production operations. |
| "Cost analysis is just math" | Cost optimization requires business context and risk assessment. DISPATCH specialist. |
| "Security is handled by dev reviewers" | Security-reviewer handles code. security-operations handles infrastructure security. BOTH needed. |
Self-sufficiency bias check: If you're tempted to handle operations directly, ask:
- Is there a specialist for this? (Check the 5 specialists below)
- Does this affect production systems?
- Am I avoiding dispatch because it feels like "overhead"?
If ANY answer is yes -> You MUST DISPATCH the specialist. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Anti-Rationalization Table
If you catch yourself thinking ANY of these, STOP:
| Rationalization | Why It's WRONG | Required Action |
|---|---|---|
| "This is a small operations task" | Small tasks can cause big outages | DISPATCH specialist |
| "I already know how to do this" | Your knowledge != production context | DISPATCH specialist |
| "Just checking logs/metrics" | Log analysis requires domain expertise | DISPATCH specialist |
| "Cost report is straightforward" | Cost optimization needs risk assessment | DISPATCH specialist |
| "Security scan results are clear" | Findings need prioritization and context | DISPATCH specialist |
| "Incident seems minor" | Minor incidents can escalate. Proper triage required. | DISPATCH incident-responder |
Cannot Be Overridden
These requirements are NON-NEGOTIABLE:
| Requirement | Why It Cannot Be Waived |
|---|---|
| Dispatch to specialist | Specialists have production context |
| Incident documentation | Memory fades, audit trails required |
| Change management | Production changes need oversight |
| Security escalation | Security incidents have legal implications |
| Cost approval chain | Financial commitments need authorization |
User cannot override these. Time pressure cannot override these. "Small task" cannot override these.
Pressure Resistance
When facing pressure to bypass specialist dispatch:
| User Says | Your Response |
|---|---|
| "Production is down, no time for specialist" | "I understand the urgency. Specialist dispatch ensures proper incident response. Dispatching incident-responder with URGENT context now." |
| "Just restart the service quickly" | "Production restarts require change management. Dispatching incident-responder to assess proper remediation." |
| "Cost analysis can wait" | "Cost optimization opportunities have time-value. Dispatching cloud-cost-optimizer for data-driven analysis." |
| "Security finding is false positive" | "All security findings require verified documentation. Dispatching security-operations to properly assess." |
| "I know the architecture, skip review" | "Architecture decisions have long-term impact. Dispatching infrastructure-architect to validate." |
Critical Reminder:
- Urgency != Permission to bypass - Emergencies require MORE care, not less
- Authority != Permission to bypass - Ring standards override human preferences
- Familiarity != Permission to bypass - Production context differs from assumptions
5 Operations Specialists
| Agent | Specializations | Use When |
|---|---|---|
platform-engineer |
Service mesh, API gateways, developer platforms, self-service infrastructure | Service mesh config, API gateway setup, platform abstractions, developer portals |
incident-responder |
Incident management, RCA, post-mortems, blameless culture | Production incidents, outages, incident coordination, root cause analysis |
cloud-cost-optimizer |
Cost analysis, RI management, FinOps, tagging | Cost reviews, optimization recommendations, reserved instance planning |
infrastructure-architect |
Multi-region, DR, capacity planning, migrations | Architecture design, DR strategy, capacity planning, infrastructure lifecycle |
security-operations |
Security audits, compliance, vulnerability management | Security assessments, compliance validation, vulnerability remediation |
Dispatch template:
Task tool:
subagent_type: "{agent-name}"
prompt: "{Your specific request with context}"
Note: Dispatch ops-team agents via Task(subagent_type: "ring:{agent-name}").
When to Use Operations Specialists vs Other Teams
Use Operations Specialists for:
- Production infrastructure management
- Incident response and coordination
- Cloud cost optimization
- Infrastructure architecture design
- Security operations and compliance
Use Development Team (ring-dev-team) for:
- Application development
- Development infrastructure (Docker, IaC)
- CI/CD pipeline development
- Application testing
- Observability implementation
Use Default Reviewers (ring-default) for:
- Code quality review
- Business logic review
- Security code review (application-level)
Teams complement each other: Operations handles production, Development handles code, Reviewers handle quality.
Dispatching Multiple Specialists
If you need multiple specialists (e.g., incident + security), dispatch in parallel:
CORRECT:
Task #1: incident-responder
Task #2: security-operations
(Both run in parallel)
WRONG:
Task #1: incident-responder
(Wait for response)
Task #2: security-operations
(Sequential = 2x slower)
Emergency Response Protocol
Production incidents DO NOT bypass specialist dispatch:
| Scenario | Wrong Approach | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Production down | "Fix directly, document later" | Dispatch incident-responder with URGENT flag |
| Security alert | "I'll check the logs" | Dispatch security-operations for proper assessment |
| Cost anomaly | "Probably normal spike" | Dispatch cloud-cost-optimizer to investigate |
Emergency Dispatch Template:
Task tool:
subagent_type: "ring:incident-responder"
prompt: "URGENT PRODUCTION INCIDENT: [brief context]. [Your specific request]"
Available in This Plugin
Agents: See "5 Operations Specialists" table above.
Skills:
using-ops-team(this) - Plugin introductionops-incident-response- Incident management workflowops-capacity-planning- Capacity planning processops-cost-optimization- Cost optimization workflowops-disaster-recovery- DR planning and testingops-security-audit- Security audit workflowops-platform-onboarding- Service onboarding to platformops-migration-planning- Migration planning process
Commands:
/incident- Production incident management/capacity-review- Infrastructure capacity review/cost-analysis- Cloud cost analysis/security-audit- Security audit workflow
Integration with Other Plugins
- ring-default - ORCHESTRATOR principle, code reviewers
- ring-dev-team - Development infrastructure, application code
- ring-finops-team - Financial/regulatory compliance
- ring-pm-team - Product planning, pre-dev workflows
Dispatch based on your need:
- Production operations -> ring-ops-team agents
- Development infrastructure -> ring:devops-engineer
- Application code -> ring-dev-team specialists
- Code review -> ring-default reviewers
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