yaml-reader

name	yaml-reader
description	Read and parse YAML files using yq command-line tool. Extract values, query nested structures, filter arrays, and validate syntax. Use when working with YAML configuration files (.yaml, .yml), docker-compose files, Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, or any YAML parsing tasks.

YAML Reader with yq

When reading or querying YAML files, use yq instead of the Read tool or cat command.

Quick Overview

Start by listing keys to understand the file structure:

# List all top-level keys
yq 'keys' config.yaml

# List keys of a nested object
yq '.database | keys' config.yaml

# Then query specific keys for their values
yq '.database.host' config.yaml

Basic Operations

# Read entire file (pretty-printed)
yq '.' config.yaml

# Extract a specific value
yq '.database.host' config.yaml

# Extract nested value
yq '.spec.containers[0].image' deployment.yaml

# Get multiple values
yq '.database | (.host, .port)' config.yaml

Querying Arrays

# Get first element
yq '.servers[0]' config.yaml

# Get all elements
yq '.servers[]' config.yaml

# Get array length
yq '.servers | length' config.yaml

# Filter by condition
yq '.services[] | select(.enabled == true)' config.yaml

# Get specific field from all array items
yq '.containers[].name' config.yaml

Output Formats

# Output as JSON
yq -o=json '.' config.yaml

# Output raw string (no quotes)
yq -r '.name' config.yaml

# Output as properties
yq -o=props '.' config.yaml

Working with Multiple Documents

# Select specific document (0-indexed)
yq 'select(documentIndex == 0)' multi-doc.yaml

# Process all documents
yq '.' multi-doc.yaml

Validation

# Check if file is valid YAML (exits 0 if valid)
yq '.' config.yaml > /dev/null && echo "Valid YAML"

# Check if key exists
yq 'has("database")' config.yaml

Common Use Cases

Docker Compose

# List service names
yq '.services | keys' docker-compose.yaml

# Get image for a service
yq '.services.web.image' docker-compose.yaml

Kubernetes

# Get container images from deployment
yq '.spec.template.spec.containers[].image' deployment.yaml

# Get all resource names from a manifest
yq '.metadata.name' manifest.yaml

Helm

# Read values file
yq '.replicaCount' values.yaml