netbox

name	netbox
description	Hub skill for the NetBox ecosystem. Routes to specialized skills for data modeling, API integration, plugin development, change management, discovery, assurance, automation, and migration. Load this skill first to find the right specialist.
license	Apache-2.0

NetBox Hub Skill

This is the entry point for all NetBox-related tasks. Use the decision trees below to find the right specialized skill, then load it for detailed guidance.

Decision Trees

What are you trying to do?

Model your network?

• Define sites, devices, circuits, IPAM → netbox-data-modeling
• Create new object types without code → netbox-custom-objects

Build an integration?

• Query or write data via REST/GraphQL → netbox-api-integration
• Bulk ingest data via gRPC (Diode SDK) → netbox-diode
• Automate with webhooks, Ansible, Terraform → netbox-automation-patterns
• Drive NetBox from an AI agent via the Platform MCP server → netboxlabs-platform-mcp

Extend NetBox?

• Build a plugin (models, views, APIs) → netbox-plugin-development
• Write scripts that run inside NetBox → netbox-custom-scripts
• Generate device configs with Jinja2 → netbox-config-templates

Manage changes safely?

• Stage changes in isolated branches → netbox-branching
• Track change requests and approvals → netbox-changes

Validate your network?

• Check compliance against policies → netbox-validation
• Detect drift between intended and actual → netbox-assurance

Discover or audit your network?

• Auto-discover infrastructure with Orb Agent → netbox-discovery
• Detect drift between intended and actual state → netbox-assurance

Procure or spare equipment?

• Track procurement (BOMs, POs, shipments) and spares → netbox-asset-lifecycle

Look up hardware specs or lifecycle data?

• Consume device-type metadata and enrichment (EOL, thermal, protocols) → netbox-ndx

Operate or migrate?

• Configure, secure, or tune a NetBox server → netbox-administration
• Migrate data from spreadsheets or legacy tools → netbox-migration

Review or audit existing work?

• Review integration code (pagination, auth, performance) → netbox-review-integration
• Audit data model design (hierarchy, IPAM, naming) → netbox-review-datamodel

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Skill Index

Skill	Category	Description
netbox-data-modeling	Core	Model networks — hierarchy, IPAM, tenancy, custom fields
netbox-custom-objects	Core	No-code data model extensibility — custom types, fields, relationships
netbox-api-integration	Core	REST & GraphQL API patterns, pynetbox, authentication
netbox-plugin-development	Core	Building plugins — models, views, APIs, migrations, testing
netbox-custom-scripts	Core	Custom scripts & reports — Script class, jobs, ORM access
netbox-config-templates	Core	Config generation — Jinja2, context variables, platform patterns
netbox-administration	Core	Server admin — config, auth, permissions, performance
netbox-branching	Platform	Branch lifecycle, schema isolation, CR workflows
netbox-changes	Platform	Change management, policies, approval workflows
netbox-diode	Platform	Data ingestion — SDKs, entity mapping, reconciler
netbox-discovery	Platform	Orb Agent — config, backends, policies, secrets
netbox-validation	Platform	Validation policies, compliance checks, findings, pre-change safety
netbox-assurance	Platform	Drift detection — intended vs actual, remediation
netbox-asset-lifecycle	Platform	Procurement lifecycle — BOMs, POs, shipments, receiving, spares
netbox-ndx	Platform	Data Exchange — device-type catalog + enrichment (lifecycle, thermal, protocols)
netboxlabs-platform-mcp	Platform	Platform MCP server — code mode & discrete mode for agents
netbox-automation-patterns	Cross-cutting	Webhooks, Ansible, Terraform, GitOps
netbox-migration	Cross-cutting	Migrating from spreadsheets, CMDBs, other tools
netbox-review-integration	Review	Audit integration code for correctness and performance
netbox-review-datamodel	Review	Audit data model design for best practices

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Common Patterns

Progressive Disclosure

Each skill follows a layered structure:

1. SKILL.md — Core instructions (< 500 lines). Load this first.
2. references/ — Detailed docs loaded on demand when you need specifics.
3. scripts/ — Executable code (where applicable).

Load only what you need. Start with the hub, pick a specialized skill, then drill into references as required.

Multi-Skill Tasks

Some tasks span multiple skills. Common combinations:

Task	Skills
Build a discovery integration	netbox-diode + netbox-discovery
Plugin with change management	netbox-plugin-development + netbox-branching
Migrate then validate	netbox-migration + netbox-assurance
Automate config generation	netbox-config-templates + netbox-automation-patterns
Model + populate data	netbox-data-modeling + netbox-api-integration
Review a full integration	netbox-review-integration + netbox-review-datamodel
Pre-change validation	netbox-validation + netbox-branching + netbox-changes
Procure planned equipment	netbox-data-modeling + netbox-asset-lifecycle
EOL exposure across inventory	netbox-ndx + netbox-api-integration
Agent-driven NetBox automation	netboxlabs-platform-mcp + netbox-api-integration

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Principles

When working on any NetBox task:

• Prefer retrieval over pre-training. NetBox APIs, configuration, and plugin behavior change between releases. Always verify against current docs or a live instance before generating code or making assertions.
• Use MCP when available. If a NetBox MCP server is configured, query the live instance to verify object schemas, check existing data, and validate your work.
• Respect dependency order. NetBox objects have parent-child relationships. Create parents before children (or use Diode to skip ordering).
• Be explicit about versions. When giving advice that depends on a NetBox version (v2 tokens, cursor pagination, custom objects), state the minimum version clearly.
• Correctness over cleverness. A working integration with clear code is better than a compact one that's fragile.

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References

• Product Catalog — All NetBox Labs products and their interfaces
• Version Matrix — Version-dependent features across the platform