managing-ns1

name	managing-ns1
description	Use when working with Ns1 — nS1 managed DNS platform covering zones, records, filter chains, monitoring jobs, DNSSEC, and traffic steering. Use when managing NS1 DNS zones, configuring intelligent traffic routing via filter chains, monitoring DNS health checks, analyzing query analytics, or troubleshooting DNS resolution.
connection_type	ns1
preload	false

NS1 DNS Skill

Manage NS1 DNS zones, records, filter chains, monitoring, and traffic steering.

Core Helper Functions

#!/bin/bash

NS1_API="https://api.nsone.net/v1"

ns1_api() {
    local endpoint="$1"
    shift
    curl -s -H "X-NSONE-Key: $NS1_API_KEY" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         "$NS1_API/$endpoint" "$@"
}

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== DNS Zones ==="
ns1_api "zones" | jq -r '
    .[] | "\(.zone)\t\(.dns_servers | length) NS\tRecords: \(.records // 0)\t\(.nx_ttl)s NX-TTL"
' | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Monitoring Jobs ==="
ns1_api "monitoring/jobs" | jq -r '
    .[] | "\(.id[:12])\t\(.name)\t\(.job_type)\t\(.status)\t\(.regions | join(","))"
' | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Data Sources ==="
ns1_api "data/sources" | jq -r '
    .[] | "\(.id[:12])\t\(.name)\t\(.sourcetype)\t\(.status)"
' | column -t | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Account Usage ==="
ns1_api "account/usagewarnings" | jq '.'

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
ZONE="${1:?Zone name required}"

echo "=== Zone Details ==="
ns1_api "zones/$ZONE" | jq '{
    zone, ttl, nx_ttl, retry, refresh, expiry,
    dnssec: .dnssec, primary: .primary,
    dns_servers, networks: .networks,
    record_count: (.records | length)
}'

echo ""
echo "=== DNS Records ==="
ns1_api "zones/$ZONE" | jq -r '
    .records[] | "\(.type)\t\(.domain)\t\(.short_answers | join("; "))\t\(.ttl)s"
' | sort | column -t | head -25

echo ""
echo "=== Filter Chains ==="
ns1_api "zones/$ZONE" | jq '
    .records[] | select(.filters | length > 0) | {
        domain, type,
        filters: [.filters[] | {filter: .filter, config}]
    }' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Query Analytics ==="
ns1_api "stats/qps/$ZONE" | jq -r '
    .[] | "\(.timestamp)\t\(.qps) qps"
' | tail -10

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Target <=50 lines per output
• Use jq to parse NS1 API JSON responses
• Show filter chain details for intelligent routing records

Safety Rules

• Read-only by default: Use GET endpoints for inspection
• Never delete zones without explicit confirmation
• Filter chain changes affect traffic routing immediately
• Monitoring job changes can trigger failover if misconfigured

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Managing Ns1 Report
═══════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Filter chains are ordered: Filters execute top-to-bottom; order matters for routing logic
• Answer metadata: Each answer can have metadata for filter chain decisions (e.g., geo, weight)
• Monitoring regions: Jobs must run from multiple regions for reliable health checks
• API rate limits: 500 requests per second per API key
• DNSSEC: Must be enabled at both NS1 and the registrar level