Agent skill
helm
Helm package management, chart development, and release management
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-kubernetes/tree/main/skills/helm
SKILL.md
Helm Package Management
Executive Summary
Production-grade Helm chart development and management covering template syntax, values schema, release lifecycle, and CI/CD integration. This skill provides deep expertise in creating maintainable, reusable charts for enterprise Kubernetes deployments.
Core Competencies
1. Chart Structure
Production Chart Layout
myapp/
├── Chart.yaml
├── Chart.lock
├── values.yaml
├── values.schema.json
├── README.md
├── templates/
│ ├── _helpers.tpl
│ ├── deployment.yaml
│ ├── service.yaml
│ ├── ingress.yaml
│ ├── hpa.yaml
│ ├── pdb.yaml
│ ├── serviceaccount.yaml
│ ├── servicemonitor.yaml
│ └── NOTES.txt
├── charts/
└── tests/
└── test-connection.yaml
Chart.yaml
apiVersion: v2
name: myapp
description: Production API Server
type: application
version: 1.2.0
appVersion: "2.1.0"
keywords:
- api
- backend
maintainers:
- name: Platform Team
email: platform@example.com
dependencies:
- name: redis
version: "18.x.x"
repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
condition: redis.enabled
2. Template Best Practices
_helpers.tpl
{{- define "myapp.name" -}}
{{- default .Chart.Name .Values.nameOverride | trunc 63 | trimSuffix "-" }}
{{- end }}
{{- define "myapp.fullname" -}}
{{- if .Values.fullnameOverride }}
{{- .Values.fullnameOverride | trunc 63 | trimSuffix "-" }}
{{- else }}
{{- $name := default .Chart.Name .Values.nameOverride }}
{{- printf "%s-%s" .Release.Name $name | trunc 63 | trimSuffix "-" }}
{{- end }}
{{- end }}
{{- define "myapp.labels" -}}
helm.sh/chart: {{ .Chart.Name }}-{{ .Chart.Version | replace "+" "_" }}
app.kubernetes.io/name: {{ include "myapp.name" . }}
app.kubernetes.io/instance: {{ .Release.Name }}
app.kubernetes.io/version: {{ .Values.image.tag | default .Chart.AppVersion | quote }}
app.kubernetes.io/managed-by: {{ .Release.Service }}
{{- end }}
{{- define "myapp.selectorLabels" -}}
app.kubernetes.io/name: {{ include "myapp.name" . }}
app.kubernetes.io/instance: {{ .Release.Name }}
{{- end }}
deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: {{ include "myapp.fullname" . }}
labels:
{{- include "myapp.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
spec:
{{- if not .Values.autoscaling.enabled }}
replicas: {{ .Values.replicaCount }}
{{- end }}
selector:
matchLabels:
{{- include "myapp.selectorLabels" . | nindent 6 }}
template:
metadata:
annotations:
checksum/config: {{ include (print $.Template.BasePath "/configmap.yaml") . | sha256sum }}
labels:
{{- include "myapp.selectorLabels" . | nindent 8 }}
spec:
serviceAccountName: {{ include "myapp.fullname" . }}
securityContext:
{{- toYaml .Values.podSecurityContext | nindent 8 }}
containers:
- name: {{ .Chart.Name }}
image: "{{ .Values.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.image.tag | default .Chart.AppVersion }}"
imagePullPolicy: {{ .Values.image.pullPolicy }}
ports:
- name: http
containerPort: {{ .Values.service.targetPort }}
{{- with .Values.resources }}
resources:
{{- toYaml . | nindent 12 }}
{{- end }}
{{- if .Values.probes.liveness.enabled }}
livenessProbe:
httpGet:
path: {{ .Values.probes.liveness.path }}
port: http
initialDelaySeconds: {{ .Values.probes.liveness.initialDelaySeconds }}
{{- end }}
3. Values Schema
values.schema.json
{
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"type": "object",
"required": ["image", "replicaCount"],
"properties": {
"replicaCount": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 1,
"description": "Number of replicas"
},
"image": {
"type": "object",
"required": ["repository"],
"properties": {
"repository": {
"type": "string"
},
"tag": {
"type": "string"
},
"pullPolicy": {
"type": "string",
"enum": ["Always", "IfNotPresent", "Never"]
}
}
},
"resources": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"requests": {
"type": "object"
},
"limits": {
"type": "object"
}
}
}
}
}
4. Release Management
Common Operations
# Install with values
helm install myapp ./myapp \
-n production \
-f values-prod.yaml \
--set image.tag=v2.1.0
# Upgrade
helm upgrade myapp ./myapp \
-n production \
-f values-prod.yaml \
--atomic \
--timeout 5m
# Rollback
helm rollback myapp 2 -n production
# History
helm history myapp -n production
# Diff (with helm-diff plugin)
helm diff upgrade myapp ./myapp -n production -f values-prod.yaml
5. Hooks
Pre-upgrade Migration
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: Job
metadata:
name: {{ include "myapp.fullname" . }}-migrate
annotations:
"helm.sh/hook": pre-upgrade
"helm.sh/hook-weight": "-5"
"helm.sh/hook-delete-policy": hook-succeeded
spec:
template:
spec:
restartPolicy: Never
containers:
- name: migrate
image: "{{ .Values.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.image.tag }}"
command: ["./migrate.sh"]
Integration Patterns
Uses skill: gitops
- Chart versioning
- ArgoCD integration
Coordinates with skill: deployments
- Release strategies
- Rollback management
Works with skill: monitoring
- ServiceMonitor templates
- Metrics configuration
Troubleshooting Guide
Decision Tree: Helm Issues
Helm Problem?
│
├── Template error
│ ├── helm template . --debug
│ ├── Check indentation
│ └── Verify values exist
│
├── Upgrade failed
│ ├── Check hook failures
│ ├── Verify resources
│ └── Use --atomic
│
└── Release stuck
├── helm rollback
├── Check pending hooks
└── Delete stuck resources
Debug Commands
# Debug template
helm template myapp . --debug 2>&1 | head -100
# Dry run
helm upgrade myapp . --dry-run --debug
# Get values
helm get values myapp -n production
helm get manifest myapp -n production
# Lint
helm lint .
Common Challenges & Solutions
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Complex values | Use schema validation |
| Template errors | Use --debug flag |
| Upgrade failures | Use --atomic |
| Version conflicts | Lock dependencies |
Success Criteria
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Lint passing | 100% |
| Schema validation | All charts |
| Test coverage | Core functionality |
| Documentation | README complete |
Resources
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