| name | shimmy-tool-netcat |
| description | Guidance for using, changing, testing, and troubleshooting the Netcat/Ncat shim in this repository, including local image build behavior and network debugging safety. |
Netcat Shim
Use this skill when working with shims/netcat, its local image, its tests, its docs, or Netcat/Ncat usage through Shimmy.
Files
- Kind dispatcher:
../../../shims/netcat
- Version shim:
../../../shims/netcat_7_92
- Local image:
../../../images/netcat_7_92/Containerfile
- User docs:
../../../docs/shims/netcat.md
- Tests:
../../../scripts/test-shimmy.sh
- Installer:
../../../scripts/install-shimmy.sh
- README:
../../../README.md
- Contributor guidance:
../../../CONTRIBUTING.md
- Shared prompt:
../../../docs/prompt-shimmy-project.md
Installed Workflow
When this skill is installed outside the Shimmy source checkout, do not rely on the repo-relative Files paths above. Prefer activated commands such as <tool> --version, inspect selected profile state with shimmy status --format manifest, and use SHIMMY_PROFILE_ACTIVE=upstream <tool> --version when validating the upstream profile. Use repo-local paths such as ./shims/<tool> only when intentionally editing or testing source files in the Shimmy checkout.
Current Behavior
- Default image: locally built
localhost/shimmy-netcat-7_92:<context-hash>-<platform>
- Image override:
SHIMMY_NETCAT_IMAGE
- Build override:
SHIMMY_NETCAT_IMAGE_BUILD=always
- Pull override for image overrides:
SHIMMY_NETCAT_IMAGE_PULL=always
- Base image override:
SHIMMY_NETCAT_BASE_IMAGE
- Default base image:
registry.access.redhat.com/ubi9/ubi-minimal:latest
- Runtime mode: stdin-friendly via
podman run --rm -i
- Mount:
$PWD to /work:rw
- Platform: shared Podman helper resolves
linux/amd64 on Linux and linux/arm64 on macOS
Change Rules
- Keep package installation inside
../../../images/netcat_7_92/Containerfile, not the kind dispatcher.
- Use
SHIMMY_NETCAT_IMAGE only as a full runtime image override; local build args apply only to Shimmy-built images.
- Keep
SHIMMY_NETCAT_IMAGE_PULL=always scoped to external image overrides.
- Treat network probes as potentially environment-specific. Prefer
netcat --help for routine validation.
- If a Shimmy wrapper fails because of Podman reachability, sandboxing, or AI Agent approval symptoms, follow the
shimmy-escalation workflow before using a non-shim fallback.
- Update the runtime shim, local image, docs, tests, installer behavior, and README together when behavior changes.
Validation
- Direct smoke:
./shims/netcat --help
- Local build validation may pull or build images; use it only when the task changes image behavior.
Learning Guidance
- Capture Netcat-specific lessons here when they affect local image builds, base image choice, network probe behavior, stdin, or ncat package behavior.
- Promote reusable Shimmy design lessons to
../shimmy-create-tool/SKILL.md under Learning Guidance.
