cicd-workflow

name	cicd-workflow
description	CI/CD pipeline creation, deployment automation, and troubleshooting for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. Use when user says "CI pipeline", "CD pipeline", "GitHub Actions", "GitLab CI", "deployment automation", "pipeline debugging", "deployment pipeline", "workflow file".
triggers	["CI pipeline","CD pipeline","GitHub Actions","GitLab CI","deployment automation","pipeline debugging","deployment pipeline","workflow file"]

CI/CD Workflow Skill

Patterns, templates, and references for building CI pipelines, deployment automation, and debugging pipeline issues.

Before You Begin — Load Reference Docs

Read all of the following reference files before proceeding with any workflow step:

• Read references/github-actions.md — GitHub Actions patterns and best practices.
• Read references/gitlab-ci.md — GitLab CI patterns and best practices.
• Read references/deployment-strategies.md — Deployment strategy patterns.
• Read references/troubleshooting.md — Common CI/CD issues and solutions.

Overview

This skill provides:

• CI Patterns - Build, test, lint pipeline configurations
• CD Patterns - Deployment strategies and environment promotion
• Platform Templates - GitHub Actions, GitLab CI configurations
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Used By

This skill is referenced by:

• Orchestrator agents - Via Task tool delegation
• DevOps workflows requiring pipeline configuration

Core Principles

ALL pipelines MUST be fast, reliable, secure, and provide clear feedback.

---

Parameters (Orchestrator-Provided)

Parameter	Description	Required
{{TASK_ID}}	Current task identifier	Yes
{{DATE}}	Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)	Yes
{{SLUG}}	URL-safe topic name	Yes
{{PLATFORM}}	Target platform (github-actions, gitlab-ci)	Yes
{{WORKFLOW_TYPE}}	Type of workflow (ci, cd, full)	No
{{EPIC_ID}}	Parent epic identifier	No
{{SESSION_ID}}	Session identifier	No

---

Task System Integration

@_shared/templates/skill-boilerplate.md#task-integration

Execution Sequence

1. Get task via TaskGet
2. Set focus via TaskUpdate (status: in_progress)
3. Execute CI/CD workflow (create, debug, or optimize)
4. Write output to {{OUTPUT_DIR}}/{{DATE}}_{{SLUG}}.md
5. Append manifest entry to {{MANIFEST_PATH}}
6. Complete task via TaskUpdate (status: completed)
7. Return summary message only

---

Quick Reference

GitHub Actions

# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          cache: 'npm'
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm run lint
      - run: npm test
      - run: npm run build

GitLab CI

# .gitlab-ci.yml
stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build:
  stage: build
  image: node:20
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run build
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - dist/

test:
  stage: test
  image: node:20
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm test

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - ./deploy.sh
  only:
    - main

Pipeline Structure

CI Pipeline

+---------+   +---------+   +---------+   +---------+
|  Lint   |-->|  Build  |-->|  Test   |-->| Security|
+---------+   +---------+   +---------+   +---------+

CD Pipeline

+---------+   +---------+   +---------+   +---------+
|   CI    |-->|   Dev   |-->| Staging |-->|  Prod   |
|  Build  |   | Deploy  |   | Deploy  |   | Deploy  |
+---------+   +---------+   +---------+   +---------+
                  |             |             |
                  v             v             v
               Auto on       Auto on       Manual
               develop        main         Approval

Deployment Strategies

Strategy	Description	Risk	Downtime
Rolling	Gradual replacement	Low	None
Blue/Green	Full environment swap	Medium	None
Canary	Small % first	Low	None
Recreate	Stop old, start new	High	Yes

Caching by Language

Language	Cache Key	Cache Path
Node.js	package-lock.json	~/.npm
Python	requirements.txt	~/.cache/pip
Java	pom.xml/build.gradle	~/.m2/~/.gradle
Go	go.sum	~/go/pkg/mod
Rust	Cargo.lock	~/.cargo

Security Checklist

• Secrets in platform secret storage (not in code)
• Minimal permissions for CI token
• Dependencies scanned for vulnerabilities
• No secrets logged in output
• Branch protection enabled
• Required reviews for production deploys

---

Subagent Protocol

@_shared/templates/skill-boilerplate.md#subagent-protocol

Summary message: "CI/CD workflow complete. See MANIFEST.jsonl for summary."

---

Output File Format

Write to {{OUTPUT_DIR}}/{{DATE}}_{{SLUG}}.md:

# CI/CD Workflow Report: {{SLUG}}

## Summary

- **Platform:** {{PLATFORM}}
- **Workflow Type:** {{CI|CD|FULL}}
- **Status:** {{SUCCESS|PARTIAL|BLOCKED}}

## Configuration

### Workflow File

{{Workflow file content or path}}

## Pipeline Stages

| Stage | Description | Status |
|-------|-------------|--------|
| {{Stage}} | {{Description}} | {{PASS|FAIL|SKIP}} |

## Security Checklist Results

| Check | Status | Notes |
|-------|--------|-------|
| {{Check}} | {{PASS|FAIL}} | {{Notes}} |

## Recommendations

1. {{Recommendation 1}}
2. {{Recommendation 2}}

## Linked Tasks

- Epic: {{EPIC_ID}}
- Task: {{TASK_ID}}

---

Manifest Entry

@_shared/templates/skill-boilerplate.md#manifest-entry

CI/CD-specific fields:

• key_findings: Pipeline configuration and security checklist results
• actionable: true if security issues or optimizations found

---

Completion Checklist

@_shared/templates/skill-boilerplate.md#completion-checklist

Skill-Specific Items

• Workflow file created/updated
• Security checklist completed
• Caching configured
• Secrets properly stored

---

Error Handling

@_shared/templates/skill-boilerplate.md#error-handling

Skill-specific messages:

• Partial: "CI/CD workflow partial. See MANIFEST.jsonl for details."
• Blocked: "CI/CD workflow blocked. See MANIFEST.jsonl for blocker details."

---

File Structure

claude-code/
└── skills/
    └── cicd-workflow/
        ├── SKILL.md              # This file
        └── references/
            ├── github-actions.md
            ├── gitlab-ci.md
            ├── deployment-strategies.md
            └── troubleshooting.md

Common Workflows

New Project CI Setup

1. Analyze project -> Create CI pipeline -> Add caching -> Configure quality gates

Add Deployment

1. Configure environments -> Add secrets -> Set up approvals -> Create deployment jobs

Debug Pipeline Failure

1. Classify problem -> Check logs -> Identify root cause -> Fix

References

• references/github-actions.md - GitHub Actions patterns and best practices
• references/gitlab-ci.md - GitLab CI patterns and best practices
• references/deployment-strategies.md - Deployment strategy patterns
• references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions