| name | deploy-checklist |
| description | Generate deployment checklists with pre-flight checks, rollout strategy, and verification steps. Analysis only - does not execute deployments. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | ["runtime:any"] |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Glob","Grep","Bash(git:log)","Bash(git:diff)","Bash(git:show)"] |
| metadata | {"author":"thoreinstein","version":"1.0.0"} |
Deploy Checklist
Generate comprehensive deployment checklists for safe, documented releases.
When to Use This Skill
- Before deploying a new release to any environment
- When preparing for production deployments
- When you need a documented rollback plan
- For compliance or audit requirements around deployments
- When onboarding team members to deployment processes
Input
Provide the following:
-
Target
- Service or application name
- Target environment (staging, production, etc.)
- Release version or tag
-
Scope
- Commits or PRs included in this release
- Features being released
- Bug fixes included
-
Strategy Preference (optional)
- Rolling update
- Blue-green
- Canary
- Or let the checklist recommend based on risk
Workflow
Step 1: Analyze Changes
Review what's being deployed:
- List commits since last deployment
- Identify database migrations
- Note configuration changes
- Check dependency updates
- Flag feature flag changes
Step 2: Assess Risk
Evaluate deployment risk:
- Breaking changes
- Migration complexity
- Rollback difficulty
- Blast radius
Step 3: Generate Pre-flight Checklist
Create verification items for:
- Code Readiness - tests pass, reviewed, merged
- Environment Readiness - resources available, configs updated
- Observability - dashboards ready, alerts configured
- Communication - stakeholders notified, runbook available
Step 4: Define Rollout Strategy
Based on risk assessment, recommend:
- Rollout type (rolling, blue-green, canary)
- Traffic progression (for canary)
- Rollout steps with verification gates
- Timeline estimate
Step 5: Create Verification Checklist
Define what to check after deployment:
- Immediate (0-5 min) - pods healthy, no errors
- Short-term (5-30 min) - metrics normal, features working
- Extended (30 min - 2 hr) - performance stable, no regressions
Step 6: Document Rollback Plan
For every deployment, include:
- Rollback trigger conditions
- Rollback commands/steps
- Rollback verification
- Communication plan if rollback needed
Output
Produce a deployment checklist following the template in references/deploy-checklist-template.md.
The checklist should include:
- Summary (service, environment, version, date)
- Changes included (features, fixes, migrations, dependencies)
- Pre-flight checklist
- Deployment strategy with steps
- Verification checklist by time window
- Rollback triggers and plan
Investigation Areas
| Area | What to Check |
|---|
| Code | Changes, migrations, config, dependencies, flags |
| Infrastructure | Manifests, resources, scaling, env config |
| History | Previous deployments, known issues, incidents |
Constraints
- Checklist only - this skill generates documentation, not executes deployments
- Always include rollback - every checklist must have a rollback plan
- Be specific - include actual commands, not just descriptions
- Risk-appropriate - match strategy complexity to deployment risk
Example
Example: API Service Production Deploy
Input:
- Service:
user-api
- Environment:
production
- Version:
v2.3.0
- Changes: 3 features, 1 migration, 2 bug fixes
Output Summary:
Deployment: user-api v2.3.0 → production
Risk Assessment: MEDIUM
- Database migration (additive, backward compatible)
- New authentication flow (feature flagged)
Strategy: Canary (10% → 50% → 100%)
Pre-flight:
✓ All tests passing
✓ Migration tested in staging
✓ Feature flag configured (disabled by default)
✓ Dashboards bookmarked
✓ On-call notified
Rollback Triggers:
- Error rate > 1%
- P99 latency > 500ms
- Migration failure
Rollback Command:
kubectl rollout undo deployment/user-api -n production
Begin by analyzing the changes included in this deployment before generating the checklist.
