kubectl-cli

name	kubectl-cli
description	Kubernetes CLI operations for AKS cluster management. USE FOR: kubectl get, kubectl apply, kubectl describe, pod troubleshooting, service debugging, namespace management. DO NOT USE FOR: Helm charts (use helm-cli), ArgoCD sync (use argocd-cli), Azure resource provisioning (use azure-cli).

When to Use

• Cluster health verification
• Resource deployment and management
• Troubleshooting pod issues
• Viewing logs and events

Prerequisites

• kubectl installed and configured
• KUBECONFIG set to valid config
• kubelogin for Azure AD authentication
• Appropriate RBAC permissions

Commands

Cluster Health

# Cluster info
kubectl cluster-info

# Node status
kubectl get nodes -o wide

# System pods
kubectl get pods -n kube-system

# Unhealthy pods across all namespaces
kubectl get pods -A --field-selector=status.phase!=Running,status.phase!=Succeeded

Resource Management

# Dry-run before apply
kubectl apply -f manifest.yaml --dry-run=client -o yaml

# Diff changes
kubectl diff -f manifest.yaml

# Apply with recording
kubectl apply -f manifest.yaml --record

# Delete with grace
kubectl delete -f manifest.yaml --grace-period=30

Troubleshooting

# Describe pod
kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>

# Pod logs (current)
kubectl logs -f <pod-name> -n <namespace>

# Pod logs (previous crash)
kubectl logs <pod-name> -n <namespace> --previous

# Events by time
kubectl get events -n <namespace> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'

# Exec into pod
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -n <namespace> -- /bin/sh

Resource Queries

# Get all resources in namespace
kubectl get all -n <namespace> -o wide

# Get resource as YAML
kubectl get deployment <name> -n <namespace> -o yaml

# Resource usage
kubectl top pods -n <namespace>
kubectl top nodes

Best Practices

1. ALWAYS use --dry-run=client before apply
2. ALWAYS specify namespace with -n
3. Use labels for selection: -l app=myapp
4. Check events when pods fail
5. Use kubectl diff for change preview
6. NEVER delete without explicit namespace

Output Format

1. Command executed
2. Resource status summary
3. Any warnings or errors
4. Recommended actions

Integration with Agents

Used by: @deploy, @backstage-expert, @sre