| name | sys-admin-guide |
| description | Use this skill when performing general system administration tasks across Windows, macOS, or Linux, such as configuring OS settings, managing packages/software, interacting with services, or network operations. |
Cross-Platform System Administration Skill
Use this skill when performing system administration tasks on any operating system.
Guidelines for System Administration
-
OS Detection First:
- Always verify the operating system environment before executing commands (e.g., using
python -c "import platform; print(platform.system())" or checking available CLI tools).
- Tailor your commands strictly to the detected OS (Windows, Darwin for macOS, Linux) and the
{{os}} injected tokens.
-
Shell Execution & Abstraction:
- Windows: Use PowerShell (
Get-Process, Get-Service, etc.). Use -WhatIf for dry runs where applicable.
- macOS / Linux: Use standard POSIX commands (
ps, top, systemctl, launchctl, grep). Ensure safe flags are used to avoid unintended consequences (e.g., rm -i).
- Use the provided shell tool appropriate for the environment (e.g., typically injected as
{{shell}}).
-
Python as a Universal Bridge:
- Whenever possible, leverage Python (
PythonReplMCP) with built-in modules (os, sys, platform, shutil, socket) or virtual environments to install cross-platform utilities (psutil via uv pip install psutil).
- Python handles system queries and file movements cleanly, preventing many shell syntax mismatches.
-
Package Management Ecosystems:
- Windows: Check for
winget (preferred), choco, or scoop.
- macOS: Use
brew (Homebrew).
- Linux: Use
apt (Debian/Ubuntu), dnf/yum (RHEL/CentOS), or pacman (Arch).
-
Network Operations:
- Windows:
Test-NetConnection, Get-NetIPConfiguration.
- macOS / Linux:
ping, nc, ifconfig, ip addr, lsof -i, netstat.
-
Safety & Verification:
- Do not execute destructive actions or kill critical processes without explicit confirmation.
- Always query the state, perform the change, and re-query to validate the change was successful.
