managing-flipt

name	managing-flipt
description	Use when working with Flipt — flipt feature flag management, segment-based targeting, rule configuration, and namespace organization. Covers flag and variant management, segment constraints, distribution rules, rollout percentages, and audit logging. Use when managing feature flags, configuring targeting segments, reviewing flag evaluations, or auditing changes in Flipt.
connection_type	flipt
preload	false

Flipt Management Skill

Manage and analyze feature flags, segments, rules, and namespaces in Flipt.

API Conventions

Authentication

All API calls use the Authorization: Bearer $FLIPT_API_KEY header. Never hardcode tokens.

Base URL

$FLIPT_URL/api/v1 (self-hosted, typically http://localhost:8080/api/v1)

Core Helper Function

#!/bin/bash

FLIPT_BASE="${FLIPT_URL:-http://localhost:8080}"

flipt_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLIPT_API_KEY" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${FLIPT_BASE}/api/v1${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $FLIPT_API_KEY" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${FLIPT_BASE}/api/v1${endpoint}"
    fi
}

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Extract only needed fields with jq
• Target <=50 lines per script output
• Never dump full API responses

Discovery Phase

List Namespaces and Flags

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Namespaces ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces" \
    | jq -r '.namespaces[] | "\(.key)\t\(.name)\t\(.description[0:40])"' | column -t

echo ""
NAMESPACE="${1:-default}"
echo "=== Flags in ${NAMESPACE} ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/flags" \
    | jq -r '.flags[] | "\(.type)\t\(.key)\t\(.enabled)\t\(.name[0:40])"' | column -t | head -25

List Segments

#!/bin/bash
NAMESPACE="${1:-default}"

echo "=== Segments ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/segments" \
    | jq -r '.segments[] | "\(.key)\t\(.name)\t\(.matchType)\t\(.constraints | length) constraints"' \
    | column -t | head -20

Analysis Phase

Flag Details and Rules

#!/bin/bash
NAMESPACE="${1:-default}"
FLAG_KEY="${2:?Flag key required}"

echo "=== Flag Details ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/flags/${FLAG_KEY}" \
    | jq '{key, name, type, enabled, variants: [.variants[].key]}'

echo ""
echo "=== Rules ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/flags/${FLAG_KEY}/rules" \
    | jq -r '.rules[] | "\(.rank)\t\(.segmentKey)\t\(.distributions | map("\(.variant.key):\(.rollout)%") | join(", "))"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Rollouts (boolean flags) ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/flags/${FLAG_KEY}/rollouts" \
    | jq -r '.rules[] | "\(.rank)\t\(.type)\t\(.segment.segmentKey // "threshold")\t\(.threshold.percentage // "segment-based")%"' \
    | column -t 2>/dev/null

Audit Overview

#!/bin/bash
NAMESPACE="${1:-default}"

echo "=== Flag Summary ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/flags" \
    | jq '{
        total: (.flags | length),
        enabled: ([.flags[] | select(.enabled)] | length),
        disabled: ([.flags[] | select(.enabled | not)] | length),
        by_type: (.flags | group_by(.type) | map({(.[0].type): length}) | add)
    }'

echo ""
echo "=== Segments Summary ==="
flipt_api GET "/namespaces/${NAMESPACE}/segments" \
    | jq -r '.segments[] | "\(.key)\t\(.matchType)\t\(.constraints | length) constraints"' | column -t | head -10

Output Format

• Use tab-separated columns with column -t
• Limit lists to 15-25 items
• Show summaries before details

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

• Self-hosted: Base URL varies per installation -- always use $FLIPT_URL env variable
• Flag types: VARIANT_FLAG_TYPE (multi-variant) and BOOLEAN_FLAG_TYPE (simple on/off)
• Namespaces: Flags and segments are scoped to namespaces -- default namespace is default
• Match types: Segments use ALL_MATCH_TYPE (AND) or ANY_MATCH_TYPE (OR) for constraints
• Rules vs rollouts: Variant flags use rules with distributions; boolean flags use rollouts
• GitOps support: Flipt supports declarative flag management via YAML files