| name | cicd-pipeline |
| description | Production deployment workflows, CI/CD pipelines, rollback strategies, and release management. Use when deploying apps, configuring pipelines, or planning rollback procedures. NOT for git operations (use git-workflow) or Vercel-specific deploys (use vercel-deploy). |
| metadata | {"author":"pikakit","version":"3.9.206","category":"devops","triggers":["deploy","deployment","CI/CD","pipeline","rollback","release"],"coordinates_with":["security-scanner","git-workflow","gitops"],"success_metrics":["0 deployment rollbacks","< 5m rollback time","100% CI pass rate"]} |
CI/CD Pipeline
Safe production deployment. 5-phase lifecycle. Rollback ≤ 5 minutes. Zero downtime.
Prerequisites
Required: None — CI/CD Pipeline is a knowledge-based skill with no external dependencies.
Optional:
security-scanner skill (pre-deploy security scan)
git-workflow skill (release branching)
gitops skill (GitOps deployment patterns)
When to Use
| Situation | Approach |
|---|
| Deploying new feature | Follow 5-phase deployment lifecycle |
| Production incident | Rollback first, fix later |
| Choosing deployment platform | Check platform selection table |
| Scheduled release | Use pre-deploy checklist |
| High-risk change | Use blue-green or canary strategy |
| Architecture review | Read rules/engineering-spec.md |
Selective Reading Rule: Read ONLY the reference file matching the current request.
System Boundaries
| Owned by This Skill | NOT Owned |
|---|
| Deployment strategy selection (rolling/blue-green/canary) | CI/CD tool configuration (→ implementation) |
| Platform selection per project type | Docker/K8s YAML generation (→ server-ops) |
| Rollback procedures per platform | Security scanning execution (→ security-scanner) |
| Pre-deploy validation checklist | Git workflow management (→ git-workflow) |
| Post-deploy monitoring plan | Infrastructure provisioning (→ server-ops) |
Pure decision skill: Produces deployment plans and runbooks. Zero side effects.
5-Phase Deployment Lifecycle
| Phase | Actions | Duration |
|---|
| 1. Prepare | Tests pass, build succeeds, env vars verified, security scan | 5–15 min |
| 2. Backup | Save current state, tag current release | 1–5 min |
| 3. Deploy | Execute deployment with active monitoring | 2–10 min |
| 4. Verify | Health checks, log inspection, key user flows | 5–15 min |
| 5. Confirm | All criteria met → confirm; any failure → rollback | 1 min |
Pipeline is sequential. Each phase completes before the next begins.
Zero-Downtime Strategies
| Strategy | Risk Level | Use When |
|---|
| Rolling | Low | Standard feature release, stateless services |
| Blue-Green | High | Breaking changes, database migrations, compliance |
| Canary | Medium–High | Need real traffic validation before full rollout |
Platform Selection
| Project Type | Platform | Rollback Method |
|---|
| Static / JAMstack | Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare | Redeploy previous commit |
| Web app | Railway, Render, Fly.io | Dashboard rollback |
| VPS | PM2, Docker | Restore backup / previous image tag |
| Microservices | Kubernetes | kubectl rollout undo |
Rollback target: ≤ 5 minutes for all platforms.
Error Taxonomy
| Code | Recoverable | Trigger |
|---|
ERR_INVALID_REQUEST_TYPE | No | Request type not one of the 7 supported types |
ERR_MISSING_CONTEXT | Yes | Required context field is null or empty |
ERR_CONSTRAINT_CONFLICT | Yes | Contradictory constraints |
ERR_INVALID_PROJECT_TYPE | No | Project type not recognized |
ERR_INVALID_RISK_LEVEL | No | Risk level not one of: low, medium, high, critical |
ERR_UNSUPPORTED_PLATFORM | Yes | Platform not in supported list |
ERR_REFERENCE_NOT_FOUND | No | Reference file missing |
ERR_MIGRATION_CONFLICT | Yes | Database migration bundled with feature deploy |
Zero internal retries. Deterministic output; same context = same plan.
Pre-Deploy Checklist
Anti-Patterns
| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do |
|---|
| Deploy on Friday | Deploy early in week (Mon–Wed) |
| Skip staging validation | Always test in staging first |
| Walk away after deploy | Monitor actively for ≥ 15 minutes |
| Bundle multiple changes | One logical change per deployment |
| Rollback without plan | Document rollback before deploying |
| Deploy security patches slowly | Hotfix path: test → deploy → verify in < 1 hour |
📑 Content Map
🔗 Related
| Item | Type | Purpose |
|---|
/launch | Workflow | Full deployment workflow |
security-scanner | Skill | Pre-deploy security scan |
git-workflow | Skill | Release branching and tagging |
gitops | Skill | GitOps deployment patterns |
feature-flags | Skill | Gradual rollout via flags |
server-ops | Skill | Infrastructure management |
⚡ PikaKit v3.9.206