| name | dockerhub-credentials |
| description | Manages Docker Hub credentials for the MockServer project. Guides the user through creating a Docker Hub Personal Access Token, validates it, and stores it in AWS Secrets Manager for use by CI pipelines. Use when the user says "docker hub credentials", "docker hub token", "set up docker push", "configure docker hub", "rotate docker token", or needs to store Docker Hub credentials in AWS Secrets Manager.
|
Store Docker Hub Credentials in AWS Secrets Manager
This skill guides you through creating (or rotating) Docker Hub credentials and storing
them in AWS Secrets Manager (mockserver-build/dockerhub) for use by Buildkite pipelines.
Prerequisites
- AWS CLI installed and configured with the
mockserver-build SSO profile
- Authenticated to AWS:
aws sso login --profile mockserver-build
- Docker Hub account with push access to the
mockserver/mockserver repository
- Terraform resources deployed (the
aws_secretsmanager_secret.dockerhub resource
in terraform/buildkite-agents/build-secrets.tf must exist)
Step 1: Try Local Docker Credentials (Optional Shortcut)
Before asking the user to create a new token, check if Docker Hub credentials are
already available locally:
cat ~/.docker/config.json | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin).get('credsStore','none'))"
echo "https://index.docker.io/v1/" | docker-credential-desktop get 2>/dev/null
If credentials are found, ask the user if they want to use them. Note that credentials
from Docker Desktop may be session tokens rather than reusable PATs — prefer creating
a dedicated PAT in Step 2 for production use.
Step 2: Create a Docker Hub Personal Access Token
If no local credentials are available (or the user wants a fresh token):
- Instruct the user to navigate to Docker Hub:
- URL:
https://app.docker.com/settings/personal-access-tokens
- Or: Docker Hub → Avatar → Account Settings → Personal Access Tokens
- Click Generate New Token
- Settings:
- Description:
mockserver-ci (or similar)
- Permissions: Read & Write (needed to push images)
- Expiration: Choose based on rotation policy (recommended: 1 year)
- Copy the generated token (format:
dckr_pat_...)
Ask the user to provide:
- Docker Hub username
- Personal Access Token
Step 3: Validate Credentials
Test the credentials before storing them:
echo "<token>" | docker login --username "<username>" --password-stdin 2>&1
If login succeeds, proceed. If it fails, ask the user to verify the token.
After validation, log out to avoid leaving credentials in the local Docker config:
docker logout
Step 4: Store in AWS Secrets Manager
aws secretsmanager put-secret-value \
--secret-id mockserver-build/dockerhub \
--secret-string '{"username":"<username>","token":"<token>"}' \
--profile mockserver-build \
--region eu-west-2
IMPORTANT: Never log or echo the token value. Use the AWS CLI directly.
Step 5: Verify Storage
Confirm the secret was stored correctly by checking the JSON structure (not the token value):
aws secretsmanager get-secret-value \
--secret-id mockserver-build/dockerhub \
--profile mockserver-build \
--region eu-west-2 \
--query 'SecretString' \
--output text | python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(f'✓ Secret contains username: {\"username\" in d}'); print(f'✓ Secret contains token: {\"token\" in d}'); print(f'✓ Username: {d.get(\"username\", \"MISSING\")}'); print(f'✓ Token length: {len(d.get(\"token\", \"\"))} chars')"
SECURITY: Never print any part of the token value (not even the first N characters). Verify by checking the JSON structure and token length only.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|
aws secretsmanager put-secret-value fails with "not found" | Terraform not applied | Run terraform apply in terraform/buildkite-agents/ |
docker login fails with 401 | Token expired or invalid | Create a new PAT in Docker Hub |
| AWS CLI fails with expired SSO token | SSO session expired | Run aws sso login --profile mockserver-build |
ResourceNotFoundException | Secret doesn't exist yet | Ensure terraform apply has been run for build-secrets.tf |
Security Notes
- Never commit Docker Hub tokens to the repository
- Never log the full token value in CI output
- The secret in AWS Secrets Manager is encrypted at rest using the default KMS key
- Access is scoped: only the Buildkite agent EC2 instance role can read the secret (via
buildkite-read-dockerhub-secret IAM policy)
- Rotate the token if it may have been exposed