| name | create-pipeline |
| description | Generate Harness v0 Pipeline YAML for CI/CD workflows and create them via MCP. Supports CI stages (build, test, Docker push), CD stages (Kubernetes, Helm, ECS, serverless), approval gates, parallel execution, matrix strategies, and failure rollback. Use when asked to create a pipeline, build pipeline, deployment pipeline, CI/CD workflow, or set up Harness pipelines. Do NOT use for v1 simplified pipelines (use create-pipeline-v1). Trigger phrases: create pipeline, build pipeline, deployment pipeline, CI/CD, Harness pipeline, Kubernetes deploy pipeline. |
| metadata | {"author":"Harness","version":"2.2.0","mcp-server":"harness-mcp-v2"} |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| compatibility | Requires Harness MCP v2 server (harness-mcp-v2) |
Create Pipeline
Generate Harness v0 Pipeline YAML and optionally push to Harness via MCP.
Instructions
- Analyze codebase (if source code is available) - Scan the project to auto-detect language, build tools, test frameworks, containerization, deployment manifests, and target infrastructure. Use the detection tables and decision tree in
references/codebase-analysis.md to determine:
- Language and runtime version (package.json → Node.js, go.mod → Go, pom.xml → Java, etc.)
- Build commands and base images
- Test framework and report format (Jest → JUnit, pytest → JUnit XML, etc.)
- Linter and formatter (ESLint, Prettier, Ruff, etc.)
- Dockerfile presence and registry type (Docker Hub, ECR, GCR, ACR)
- Deployment manifests → Harness service/deployment type (k8s manifests → Kubernetes, Chart.yaml → NativeHelm, task-definition.json → ECS, serverless.yml → ServerlessAwsLambda)
- Existing CI/CD configs for migration (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, etc.)
- Clarify requirements - Confirm detected settings with the user. Ask about anything that couldn't be auto-detected — do not guess or use placeholders. If the user's request is ambiguous, ask before generating YAML. Examples of what to ask when missing:
- Deployment target / infrastructure: region (e.g. us-east-1), cluster name or ID, account ID (e.g. AWS account for ECR/ECS)
- Registry: which registry (Docker Hub, ECR, GCR, ACR), registry identifier/URL, repo path
- Cloud provider: which account, region, and resource identifiers for connectors/infrastructure
- Approval gates, notification channels if relevant
Critical rule: Never hardcode placeholder values (e.g.
123456789012, us-east-1, my-cluster) for deployment target, region, registry, or cluster when the user did not specify them — ask the user instead. If the user did not specify region, account ID, cluster, or registry (e.g. "deploys to ECS" with no region or cluster), ask the user for those values before generating YAML.
- Select native steps - Always prefer Harness native steps over
Run or ShellScript steps. Consult references/native-steps.md for the full mapping. Key rules:
- Docker build/push → use
BuildAndPushDockerRegistry / BuildAndPushECR / BuildAndPushGCR / BuildAndPushACR (never Run: docker build && docker push)
- K8s deploy → use
K8sRollingDeploy / K8sBlueGreenDeploy / K8sCanaryDeploy (never Run: kubectl apply)
- Helm deploy → use
HelmDeploy (never Run: helm upgrade --install)
- ECS deploy → use
EcsRollingDeploy (never Run: aws ecs update-service)
- Terraform → use
TerraformPlan / TerraformApply (never Run: terraform apply)
- Security scanning → use native STO steps (
AquaTrivy, Snyk, Sonarqube, Semgrep, etc.)
- Uploads → use
S3Upload / GCSUpload (never Run: aws s3 cp)
- Approvals → use
HarnessApproval / JiraApproval (never polling scripts)
- Ticketing → use
JiraCreate / ServiceNowCreate (never Run: curl)
- Use
Run steps only for custom build/test/lint commands with no native equivalent
- Test steps: Any Run step that runs unit or integration tests must include a
reports block (e.g. type: JUnit, spec.paths) so Harness can capture results; see references/codebase-analysis.md for framework → report path.
- Generate valid YAML following the structure below, using the detected build/test/deploy commands. Validation rules: (a) Stage names must match
^[a-zA-Z_0-9-.][-0-9a-zA-Z_\\s.]{0,127}$ — use only letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, underscores, or periods (no commas). (b) Every CI and CD stage must include a failureStrategies array (Approval stages do not require one). For CI use MarkAsFailure (never Ignore — it hides failures); for CD use StageRollback.
- Optionally create via MCP — First verify the project exists (see "Creating via MCP" section below), then use
harness_create with resource_type pipeline and body: { yamlPipeline: "<YAML string>" }
Pipeline Structure
pipeline:
identifier: my_pipeline
name: My Pipeline
orgIdentifier: default
projectIdentifier: my_project
tags: {}
properties:
ci:
codebase:
connectorRef: github_connector
repoName: my-repo
build:
type: branch
spec:
branch: <+trigger.branch>
stages:
- stage: ...
Stage Types
CI Stage (type: CI)
- stage:
identifier: build
name: Build
type: CI
spec:
cloneCodebase: true
platform:
os: Linux
arch: Amd64
runtime:
type: Cloud
spec: {}
execution:
steps:
- step: ...
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: MarkAsFailure
CD Stage (type: Deployment)
- stage:
identifier: deploy
name: Deploy
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
service:
serviceRef: my_service
environment:
environmentRef: dev
infrastructureDefinitions:
- identifier: k8s_dev
execution:
steps:
- step: ...
rollbackSteps:
- step: ...
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: StageRollback
Approval Stage (type: Approval)
HarnessApproval requires approvers.disallowPipelineExecutor (required by the API). Set it to true so the pipeline executor cannot approve their own run; omit it and the API returns "disallowPipelineExecutor: is missing but it is required".
- stage:
identifier: approval
name: Approval
type: Approval
spec:
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: approve
name: Approve
type: HarnessApproval
spec:
approvalMessage: "Please review and approve"
approvers:
userGroups: [prod_approvers]
minimumCount: 1
disallowPipelineExecutor: true
includePipelineExecutionHistory: true
timeout: 1d
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: Abort
Common Step Types
Run Step
- step:
identifier: run_tests
name: Run Tests
type: Run
spec:
shell: Bash
command: |
npm ci
npm test
envVariables:
NODE_ENV: test
reports:
type: JUnit
spec:
paths: ["junit.xml"]
Build and Push Docker
- step:
identifier: docker_push
name: Build and Push
type: BuildAndPushDockerRegistry
spec:
connectorRef: dockerhub
repo: myorg/myimage
tags: [latest, <+pipeline.sequenceId>]
dockerfile: Dockerfile
K8s Rolling Deploy
- step:
identifier: rollout
name: Rollout
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
timeout: 10m
K8s Rolling Rollback
- step:
identifier: rollback
name: Rollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
spec: {}
timeout: 10m
For the complete catalog of 300+ native step types (cloud deployments, security scanners, IaC, ticketing, approvals, GitOps, and more), consult references/native-steps.md. Always check this reference before using a Run step.
Variables and Expressions
pipeline:
variables:
- name: env
type: String
default: dev
- name: api_key
type: Secret
value: <+secrets.getValue("api_key")>
Common expressions:
<+pipeline.variables.env> - Pipeline variable<+stage.variables.VAR> - Stage variable<+steps.step_id.output.outputVariables.VAR> - Step output<+trigger.branch>, <+trigger.commitSha> - Trigger info<+secrets.getValue("name")> - Secret reference<+pipeline.sequenceId> - Build number
Parallel Execution
- parallel:
- step: ...
- step: ...
stages:
- parallel:
- stage: ...
- stage: ...
Failure Strategies
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: StageRollback
Conditional Execution
- stage:
when:
pipelineStatus: Success
condition: <+pipeline.variables.deploy> == "true"
Matrix Strategy
Placement: strategy must be at the stage level, as a sibling of spec, not inside spec. If you put strategy under spec, the matrix will not be applied and the UI will not show matrix iterations.
Reference matrix values in steps with <+stage.matrix.TAG> (e.g. <+stage.matrix.python_version>). Use hyphen-free dimension names (e.g. python_version not python-version).
- stage:
identifier: test_matrix
name: Test Matrix
type: CI
spec:
cloneCodebase: true
platform:
os: Linux
arch: Amd64
runtime:
type: Cloud
spec: {}
execution:
steps:
- step:
type: Run
spec:
image: node:<+stage.matrix.node_version>
command: npm test
strategy:
matrix:
node_version: ["16", "18", "20"]
os: [linux, macos]
maxConcurrency: 3
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: Abort
Creating via MCP
After generating the YAML, create it in Harness:
- Verify the project exists — List projects with
harness_list (resource_type: project, org_id) to confirm. If the project does not exist, create it first with harness_create (resource_type: project, body: { identifier, name }) or ask the user.
- Create the pipeline — Use
harness_create with resource_type: "pipeline" (v0). For v1 YAML use resource_type: "pipeline_v1" — but this skill generates v0; use /create-pipeline-v1 for v1. Serialize the YAML as a yamlPipeline string in the body. Do not pass a nested JSON pipeline object; it causes serialization errors.
Call MCP tool: harness_create
Parameters:
resource_type: "pipeline"
org_id: "<organization>"
project_id: "<project>"
body: { yamlPipeline: "<full pipeline YAML string, including 'pipeline:' root key>" }
Example body (abbreviated):
{
"yamlPipeline": "pipeline:\n identifier: nodejs_ci\n name: Node.js CI\n projectIdentifier: my_project\n orgIdentifier: default\n stages:\n - stage:\n identifier: build\n ..."
}
To update an existing pipeline, use the same yamlPipeline format:
Call MCP tool: harness_update
Parameters:
resource_type: "pipeline"
resource_id: "<pipeline_identifier>"
org_id: "<organization>"
project_id: "<project>"
body: { yamlPipeline: "<full updated pipeline YAML string>" }
To verify it was created:
Call MCP tool: harness_get
Parameters:
resource_type: "pipeline"
resource_id: "<pipeline_identifier>"
org_id: "<organization>"
project_id: "<project>"
Complete CI Example
pipeline:
identifier: nodejs_ci
name: Node.js CI
projectIdentifier: my_project
orgIdentifier: default
properties:
ci:
codebase:
connectorRef: github_connector
repoName: my-app
build:
type: branch
spec:
branch: <+trigger.branch>
stages:
- stage:
identifier: build_and_test
name: Build and Test
type: CI
spec:
cloneCodebase: true
platform:
os: Linux
arch: Amd64
runtime:
type: Cloud
spec: {}
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: install
name: Install
type: Run
spec:
shell: Bash
command: npm ci
- parallel:
- step:
identifier: lint
name: Lint
type: Run
spec:
shell: Bash
command: npm run lint
- step:
identifier: test
name: Test
type: Run
spec:
shell: Bash
command: npm test
reports:
type: JUnit
spec:
paths: ["junit.xml"]
- step:
identifier: docker_push
name: Build and Push
type: BuildAndPushDockerRegistry
spec:
connectorRef: dockerhub
repo: myorg/my-app
tags: [<+pipeline.sequenceId>, latest]
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: MarkAsFailure
Complete CD Example
pipeline:
identifier: k8s_deploy
name: K8s Deploy
projectIdentifier: my_project
orgIdentifier: default
stages:
- stage:
identifier: deploy_staging
name: Deploy Staging
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
service:
serviceRef: my_service
environment:
environmentRef: staging
infrastructureDefinitions:
- identifier: k8s_staging
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: rollout
name: Rollout
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
timeout: 10m
rollbackSteps:
- step:
identifier: rollback
name: Rollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
spec: {}
timeout: 10m
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: StageRollback
- stage:
identifier: approval
name: Production Approval
type: Approval
spec:
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: approve
name: Approve Prod
type: HarnessApproval
spec:
approvalMessage: "Approve production deployment?"
approvers:
userGroups: [prod_approvers]
minimumCount: 1
disallowPipelineExecutor: true
includePipelineExecutionHistory: true
timeout: 1d
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: Abort
- stage:
identifier: deploy_prod
name: Deploy Production
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
service:
serviceRef: my_service
environment:
environmentRef: prod
infrastructureDefinitions:
- identifier: k8s_prod
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: rollout
name: Rollout
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
timeout: 10m
rollbackSteps:
- step:
identifier: rollback
name: Rollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
spec: {}
timeout: 10m
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors: [AllErrors]
action:
type: StageRollback
Examples
Create a CI pipeline
/create-pipeline
Create a CI pipeline for a Node.js app that builds, runs tests, and pushes to Docker Hub
Create a CD pipeline with approvals
/create-pipeline
Create a Kubernetes deployment pipeline with staging, manual approval, and production stages
Create a combined CI/CD pipeline
/create-pipeline
Build a pipeline that runs tests, pushes a Docker image, and deploys to ECS with rollback
Create a matrix build pipeline
/create-pipeline
Create a CI pipeline that tests across Node 16, 18, and 20 on both Linux and macOS
Create a pipeline with parallel stages
/create-pipeline
Create a pipeline with parallel test stages for unit tests, integration tests, and linting
Performance Notes
- Always check
references/native-steps.md before using a Run step. Native steps provide better error handling and UI integration.
- Verify the target project exists (
harness_list, resource_type: project) before creating the pipeline.
- Validate that all referenced connectors, services, and environments exist before creating the pipeline.
- For CD pipelines, confirm the deployment type matches the service definition type.
- Quality of generated YAML is more important than speed. Verify structure before submitting.
Troubleshooting
YAML Validation Errors
- Pipeline/step identifier: must match
^[a-zA-Z_][0-9a-zA-Z_]{0,127}$ (letters, numbers, underscores only).
- Stage name: must match
^[a-zA-Z_0-9-.][-0-9a-zA-Z_\\s.]{0,127}$ — no commas; use letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, underscores, or periods (e.g. use "Build Test and Push" not "Build, Test and Push").
- Every CI and CD stage must include a
failureStrategies array (Approval stages do not require one); omit it and the API returns "failureStrategies: is missing but it is required". For CI use type: MarkAsFailure; for CD use type: StageRollback.
- Stage type is case-sensitive:
CI, Deployment, Approval, Custom
- Every stage must have a
spec field
- Matrix not applied / not visible in UI:
strategy must be a sibling of spec on the stage, not inside spec. Use strategy.matrix at the stage level and reference values as <+stage.matrix.TAG>.
- HarnessApproval: "disallowPipelineExecutor: is missing but it is required" — add
approvers.disallowPipelineExecutor: true to the step spec.
MCP Creation Errors
- Project not found — Verify the project exists with
harness_list (resource_type: project, org_id). Create it first with harness_create (resource_type: project, body: { identifier, name }) or confirm org_id/project_id are correct.
- Missing required fields for pipeline: pipeline — Pass the body as
{ yamlPipeline: "<full pipeline YAML string>" } instead of a nested JSON pipeline object. Nested JSON causes serialization errors.
DUPLICATE_IDENTIFIER — Pipeline already exists; use harness_update insteadCONNECTOR_NOT_FOUND — Create the connector first or fix connectorRefACCESS_DENIED — Check API key permissions
Ambiguous or Incomplete Requests
- "Deploys to ECS" / "K8s deploy" / "push to registry" with no specifics — Ask the user for region, account ID, cluster name/ID, and which registry (ECR, Docker Hub, etc.) before generating YAML. Do not insert placeholder values (e.g.
us-east-1, 123456789012).
Execution Failures
- Missing
<+input> values - provide via input sets or runtime inputs
- Connector auth expired - test with
harness_execute (resource_type: "connector", action: "test_connection")
- Delegate offline - check with
harness_status
