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.

skaffold

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

Intent Router

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

1. Run skaffold init to generate an initial skaffold.yaml if one does not exist.
2. Run skaffold diagnose to validate the config and check prerequisites.
3. Set SKAFFOLD_DEFAULT_REPO or --default-repo to point to the correct container registry.
4. Use skaffold dev for local iterative development; use skaffold run --status-check in CI.
5. Use profiles (--profile) to switch between dev, staging, and prod configurations.
6. 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/