Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Kubernetes Specialist agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The kubernetes-specialist skill is a set of instructions and reference guides that tells an AI agent how to work on Kubernetes workloads. It covers deployment manifests, RBAC, NetworkPolicies, Helm charts, storage, GitOps and multi-cluster topics. This guide shows you how to install it, how to ask for help in plain language, and what to check before you use the output.

Kubernetes SpecialistJeffallan/claude-skills · MIT Download the skill

Quick start

1Download the ZIP. Get the kubernetes-specialist skill ZIP from the item page on this directory.
2Unzip into the skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
3Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
4Describe your task in plain words. Ask for a manifest, RBAC rule, NetworkPolicy or debugging help, and include the namespace, app name and symptoms.
5Provide cluster context if you want actions. Give kubectl access only if you want the agent to run commands. Share current manifests, events and logs.
6Review and test the output. Check every manifest and rule, test in a non-production cluster and confirm rollouts with kubectl rollout status.

What the skill makes the agent do

Once the skill is installed, the agent follows a structured Kubernetes workflow. It analyzes the workload's needs, then writes declarative YAML with resource limits, health probes, dedicated service accounts, least-privilege RBAC and NetworkPolicies. It also checks rollouts with kubectl.

For deeper topics, the agent loads reference guides on storage, Helm, service meshes, GitOps (ArgoCD, Flux), custom operators, cost optimization and multi-cluster setups. The skill provides guidance and templates. The agent still needs access to a cluster to act on them.

Create deployment manifests and configure pod security settings
Set up service accounts and RBAC policies
Define network isolation with NetworkPolicies
Debug pod crashes, analyze resource limits and inspect logs
Right-size workloads and review storage or Helm configuration

Install the kubernetes-specialist skill

Download the skill ZIP from the item page on this directory. Then choose one of the two install options below.

For a personal setup available in all your projects, unzip the download into ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Personal (all projects): unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
Single project: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. The skill's description lists the tasks it is meant for, so describe what you need in plain words. Mention your context, such as the namespace, the app's ports or the symptom you are seeing. The more specific you are, the more useful the output.

The skill's trigger terms include Kubernetes, K8s, kubectl, Helm, RBAC, NetworkPolicy, Ingress, StatefulSet, ArgoCD, Flux, Istio, Linkerd and VPA, among others.

Write a Deployment for my-app in namespace my-namespace with 3 replicas, probes and resource limits.
Create a Role and RoleBinding so my-app-sa can only read ConfigMaps.
Lock down traffic so only pods labeled app=frontend can reach my-app on port 8080.
My pod is in CrashLoopBackOff. Walk me through a debugging checklist.
Review this Helm chart values file for resource limits and security context.

Examples of what to expect

The skill's own deployment example includes a non-root security context, a dedicated service account, CPU and memory requests and limits, liveness and readiness probes, a read-only root filesystem, and secrets pulled from a Secret instead of a ConfigMap. The agent is also directed to avoid the default service account and the latest image tag.

For networking, the skill's pattern starts with a default-deny NetworkPolicy and then adds an explicit allow rule. Treat these as starting templates and adapt the names, labels and ports to your application.

kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app -n my-namespace
kubectl get pods -n my-namespace -w
kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n my-namespace
kubectl logs <pod-name> -n my-namespace --previous
kubectl top pods -n my-namespace
kubectl auth can-i --list --as=system:serviceaccount:my-namespace:my-app-sa
kubectl rollout undo deployment/my-app -n my-namespace

What you need before you start

The skill itself is guidance and files. To have the agent act on a cluster, you need kubectl and access to a Kubernetes cluster. kubectl is only needed if you ask the agent to run commands. If you want charts created or tested, you also need Helm. Workloads also need a container registry and images.

The skill does not verify a live cluster on its own. Its value depends on the real cluster context you give it, such as current manifests, events and logs.

kubectl and cluster access (only if the agent runs commands)
Helm, if creating or testing charts
A container registry and images for the workloads you deploy
kubectl top needs metrics-server, as noted in the cost-optimization guide

Safety notes: scripts and network

According to the item's details, the skill runs no scripts and uses no network. It consists of instructions and reference files.

The examples are generic. Review every generated manifest, RBAC rule and NetworkPolicy, adapt it to your environment and test it in a non-production cluster before applying it to production. Be careful with commands that change cluster state, and check the agent's commands before running them against a real cluster.

Runs scripts: no
Uses network: no
Review all YAML before applying it
Test in a non-production cluster first
Confirm the agent's kubectl commands before you run them

Tips for better results

Give the agent the current manifest, the error message or the output of kubectl describe and kubectl logs. Real context produces more accurate changes than a general request.

If a rollout fails, the skill's validation step recommends checking rollout status and pod state, then rolling back with kubectl rollout undo if needed. Ask the agent to walk through this checklist with you.

Paste real manifests, events and logs into the chat
Ask for one change at a time, such as only RBAC or only resource limits
Ask the agent to explain each setting so you can review it
Use the related skills listed in the metadata (devops-engineer, sre-engineer, security-reviewer) for adjacent work

What people use it for

Drafting a Deployment with probes, resource limits and a dedicated service account for a new service
Writing a least-privilege Role and RoleBinding for an application that only reads ConfigMaps
Creating a default-deny NetworkPolicy and an allow rule for one frontend-to-backend path
Working through a checklist when a pod is crashing, using describe, logs and --previous output
Reviewing a Helm values file or cost settings for right-sizing requests and limits

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the kubernetes-specialist skill?

Download the ZIP from the item page, then unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Does the kubernetes-specialist skill require a Kubernetes cluster?

Not to get guidance and templates. The agent needs kubectl and access to a cluster only if you ask it to run commands against one. Helm is needed only for chart work, and you need a container registry for your images.

Is the kubernetes-specialist skill free to use?

The item is listed under the MIT licence. Check the licence file in the download for the exact terms before you use or redistribute it.

Will the skill check my live cluster for problems?

No. The skill's files contain guidance and examples, not automated checks. It can only reason about the context you provide, such as manifests, events and logs.

Why does the agent say it cannot access my cluster?

The agent needs kubectl and access to your cluster to run commands. Without that, it can still write and review YAML, but it cannot apply or inspect anything. Confirm kubectl works from the same environment where the agent runs.

How does it compare with other Kubernetes tools or skills?

This page does not include a comparison with other tools. The skill's metadata lists related skills, including devops-engineer, cloud-architect, sre-engineer, terraform-engineer, security-reviewer and chaos-engineer, which cover adjacent work.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you need production-style Kubernetes manifests, RBAC or NetworkPolicies drafted quickly, or a systematic checklist for debugging pod crashes and right-sizing resources. Skip it if you plan to apply generated manifests to production without review, have no cluster access and only want theory, or expect it to verify a live cluster by itself.

Download the skill