| name | nbox-patch-writes |
| description | Update NetBox object fields using nbox's PATCH write commands — interface set description and device set status. Use when the user wants to change an interface description or a device's status in NetBox. |
nbox PATCH writes
Two update write commands modify specific fields on NetBox objects via
minimal PATCH bodies. Both follow the same dry-run / confirm / audit lifecycle
(see the safe writes skill).
The two PATCH commands
nbox interface <device> <interface> set description "…"
Set an interface's description.
nbox --no-tui interface edge01 xe-0/0/1 set description "uplink to core" --dry-run --json
nbox --no-tui interface edge01 xe-0/0/1 set description "uplink to core" --allow-writes --confirm --json
Optional: --message. Run nbox interface <device> <interface> set description --help for the full flag set.
nbox device <name> set status <value>
Set a device's status. The status value is validated live against NetBox's
OPTIONS choices before any PATCH — a label (e.g. "active") is accepted
case-insensitively when it maps unambiguously to one canonical value; an
unknown or ambiguous status is a usage error (exit 2) naming the input and
listing the allowed values, before any PATCH.
nbox --no-tui device edge01 set status active --dry-run --json
nbox --no-tui device edge01 set status active --allow-writes --confirm --json
Optional: --message. Run nbox device <name> set status --help for the full
flag set.
How they work
- Minimal PATCH. The plan carries only the field being changed —
{"description": "…"} or {"status": "active"}. No other fields are sent.
- A no-op (current value already matches) sends no
PATCH — the receipt
reports no_op: true.
- Concurrency. ETag + If-Match on NetBox 4.6+;
last_updated + before-hash
on pre-4.6. A concurrent writer is caught (412 / hash mismatch) and the write
is refused with a "re-run dry-run" message (exit 1).
- Choice validation (device status only): the allowed values are
enumerated live from NetBox via a read-only
OPTIONS request, so nbox
never sends an invalid status. The normalization mechanism
(src/netbox/choices.rs) is reusable for future REST choice fields.
Reference
