managing-k8s-grafana-operator

name	managing-k8s-grafana-operator
description	Use when working with K8S Grafana Operator — grafana Operator management for Kubernetes dashboard and datasource automation. Covers Grafana instances, GrafanaDashboard CRDs, GrafanaDatasource configurations, GrafanaFolder management, and operator health. Use when auditing dashboards, managing datasource configurations, debugging Grafana operator issues, or reviewing Grafana instance settings.
connection_type	k8s
preload	false

Grafana Operator Management Skill

Manage and analyze Grafana Operator instances, dashboards, and datasource configurations.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always check Grafana Operator health and Grafana instances before inspecting dashboards.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Grafana Operator Deployment ==="
kubectl get deployment -l app.kubernetes.io/name=grafana-operator --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name,READY:.status.readyReplicas,IMAGE:.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image' 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Instances ==="
kubectl get grafana --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name,AGE:.metadata.creationTimestamp' 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Dashboards ==="
kubectl get grafanadashboards --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name,FOLDER:.spec.folder,UID:.status.uid' 2>/dev/null | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Datasources ==="
kubectl get grafanadatasources --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name,TYPE:.spec.datasource.type' 2>/dev/null | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Folders ==="
kubectl get grafanafolders --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name' 2>/dev/null | head -15

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Dashboard Sync Status ==="
kubectl get grafanadashboards --all-namespaces -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '
  .items[] |
  "\(.metadata.namespace)/\(.metadata.name)\tUID:\(.status.uid // "pending")\tHash:\(.status.hash // "none")"
' | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Dashboards with Errors ==="
kubectl get grafanadashboards --all-namespaces -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '
  .items[] |
  select(.status.conditions[]? | select(.type == "Ready" and .status != "True")) |
  "\(.metadata.namespace)/\(.metadata.name)\t\(.status.conditions[] | select(.type == "Ready") | .message // "unknown error")"
' | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Datasource Configuration Summary ==="
kubectl get grafanadatasources --all-namespaces -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '
  .items[] |
  "\(.metadata.namespace)/\(.metadata.name)\tType:\(.spec.datasource.type)\tURL:\(.spec.datasource.url // "default")\tAccess:\(.spec.datasource.access // "proxy")"
' | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Instance Details ==="
kubectl get grafana --all-namespaces -o json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '
  .items[] |
  "\(.metadata.namespace)/\(.metadata.name)\tExternal:\(.spec.external // "managed")"
' | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Grafana Pods ==="
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=grafana --all-namespaces -o custom-columns='NAMESPACE:.metadata.namespace,NAME:.metadata.name,STATUS:.status.phase,RESTARTS:.status.containerStatuses[0].restartCount' 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Operator Logs (errors) ==="
OPERATOR_NS=$(kubectl get deployment -l app.kubernetes.io/name=grafana-operator --all-namespaces -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.namespace}' 2>/dev/null)
kubectl logs deployment/grafana-operator -n  --=20 2>/dev/null | grep -i  |  -10

Output Format

• Target ≤50 lines per output
• Use -o custom-columns for CRD listings
• Show dashboard folder hierarchy when available
• Aggregate dashboard counts by folder or namespace
• Never dump full dashboard JSON -- show name, folder, and sync status only

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

• Operator versions: v4 vs v5 have significantly different CRD schemas -- check operator version first
• External Grafana: Operator can manage external Grafana instances -- check spec.external field
• Dashboard source: Dashboards can come from JSON, URL, or ConfigMap -- check spec.source or spec.json
• Datasource secrets: Credentials are often in Kubernetes Secrets -- verify secret references exist
• Instance selector: Dashboards use instanceSelector to target specific Grafana instances -- unmatched selectors cause silent failures
• Multi-instance: Multiple Grafana instances can coexist -- ensure dashboards target the correct instance
• Folder creation: Folders must exist before dashboards reference them -- check GrafanaFolder resources
• Resync period: Operator periodically resyncs -- temporary API errors may self-resolve