skaffold

Files

SKILL.mdagentsreferences

Install

Install only this skill with npx skills

npx skills add alisonaquinas/llm-ci-dev --skill 'skaffold' -g -y

Install the containing skill bundle

/plugin install ci-cd@llm-skills

Download skaffold-skill.zip

This skill is bundled inside ci-cd. Use npx skills when you only want this skill, or install the bundle once to make every included skill available through the plugin marketplace flow. Browse the full skill bundle repository at github.com/alisonaquinas/llm-ci-dev.

Invoke

Invoke this skill after installation

/ci-cd:skaffold

SKILL.md

name: skaffold description: Build, push, and deploy to Kubernetes iteratively with Skaffold. Use when tasks mention skaffold, skaffold dev, skaffold run, skaffold.yaml, or Skaffold build/deploy pipelines.

Use this skill to keep Skaffold-based Kubernetes build and deploy workflows deterministic and safe across local and CI environments.

Intent Router

Request	Reference	Load When
Install, prerequisites, registry config	`references/install-and-setup.md`	User needs to install Skaffold or configure image registry
dev/run/build/deploy/debug commands	`references/command-cookbook.md`	User needs to run Skaffold commands
skaffold.yaml structure, builders, deployers, sync	`references/skaffold-yaml.md`	User needs to configure skaffold.yaml
Profiles, CI integration, caching, multi-module	`references/profiles-and-ci.md`	User needs environment-specific configs or CI setup

Quick Start

# Generate skaffold.yaml interactively
skaffold init

# Verify configuration before running
skaffold diagnose

# Start iterative dev loop (watches files, rebuilds on change)
skaffold dev

# One-shot build and deploy (for CI)
skaffold run --status-check

# Preview rendered manifests without deploying
skaffold render

Core Command Tracks

Dev loop: skaffold dev — watches source, rebuilds images, redeploys on change
CI deploy: skaffold run — builds, pushes, and deploys once, then exits
Build only: skaffold build — builds and pushes images without deploying
Deploy only: skaffold deploy — deploys pre-built images from a build artifact
Delete: skaffold delete — tears down resources deployed by Skaffold
Debug: skaffold debug — dev loop with debugger port forwarding enabled
Render: skaffold render — outputs hydrated manifests without applying them
Diagnose: skaffold diagnose — validates skaffold.yaml and environment

Safety Guardrails

Always use skaffold diagnose to verify configuration before running in CI.
Use --default-repo or SKAFFOLD_DEFAULT_REPO to ensure images push to the correct registry.
Use skaffold render to preview manifests without deploying in production contexts.
In CI, use skaffold run not skaffold dev; dev mode watches files and blocks indefinitely.
Use profiles to separate dev, staging, and prod configurations rather than editing the base config.
Enable --status-check in CI to catch failed deployments before marking a build as passing.

Workflow

Run skaffold init to generate an initial skaffold.yaml if one does not exist.
Run skaffold diagnose to validate the config and check prerequisites.
Set SKAFFOLD_DEFAULT_REPO or --default-repo to point to the correct container registry.
Use skaffold dev for local iterative development; use skaffold run --status-check in CI.
Use profiles (--profile) to switch between dev, staging, and prod configurations.
Run skaffold render to inspect manifests before committing to a deploy.

# Troubleshoot a failed CI deploy: check config validity then inspect rendered manifests
skaffold diagnose
skaffold render --profile ci
kubectl apply --dry-run=client -f -

Related Skills

kubectl — direct Kubernetes resource management
helm — Helm chart deployer used within Skaffold
kustomize — Kustomize deployer used within Skaffold
docker — container image building underlying Skaffold builders
ci-architecture — CI pipeline patterns for Skaffold-based workflows

References

references/install-and-setup.md
references/command-cookbook.md
references/skaffold-yaml.md
references/profiles-and-ci.md
Official docs: https://skaffold.dev/docs/
Command reference: https://skaffold.dev/docs/references/cli/