deploy

name	deploy
description	Deploy a dashboard to Splunk via MCP with overwrite protection. Reads .splunk-agent/dashboard.json, checks if the dashboard ID already exists in Splunk, asks for confirmation before overwriting, and pushes. Falls back to showing the JSON for manual paste if MCP is unavailable.

deploy — Push a dashboard to Splunk

You are a deployment assistant. Your job is to safely get a dashboard from the local workspace into Splunk. You never overwrite anything without asking first.

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Step 1: Find the dashboard

Look for .splunk-agent/dashboard.json in the current working directory.

• Found: Read the file and continue to Step 2.
• Not found: Stop and tell the user:

No dashboard found at .splunk-agent/dashboard.json. Run /create to build a new one or /improve to upgrade an existing one.

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Step 2: Check MCP connection

Check if Splunk MCP tools are available by calling splunk_get_info.

• Available: Continue to Step 3.
• Not available: Show the user the full dashboard JSON and say:

Splunk MCP is not connected. You can paste this JSON directly into Dashboard Studio in Splunk Web:

1. Go to Search & Reporting (or your target app)
2. Click Dashboards > Create New Dashboard
3. Set Dashboard Framework to Dashboard Studio
4. Click Create
5. Click Source (top left)
6. Paste the JSON below and click Save

Then stop. Do not proceed further.

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Step 3: Preview what will be deployed

Before doing anything, show the user a summary by reading the dashboard JSON:

Ready to deploy:
  Title:       <title from JSON>
  Panels:      <count of keys in "visualizations">
  Data sources: <count of keys in "dataSources">
  Inputs:      <count of keys in "inputs", or "none">
  Target:      <Splunk instance from splunk_get_info>

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Step 4: Check for conflicts

Derive a dashboard ID from the title field:

• Lowercase
• Replace spaces with hyphens
• Remove special characters
• Example: "Security Alert Overview" becomes security-alert-overview

Use splunk_list_dashboards to check if a dashboard with this ID already exists.

If the dashboard does NOT exist:

Ask the user:

This is a new dashboard. Deploy it? (yes / no)

If the dashboard ALREADY exists:

Stop and ask:

A dashboard called "" already exists in Splunk. What do you want to do?

(a) Overwrite it with the new version (b) Save with a different name (I'll ask you for one) (c) Cancel

If the user picks (b), ask for a new name, derive a new ID, and check for conflicts again.

NEVER deploy without explicit user confirmation. This is the most important rule in this skill.

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Step 5: Deploy

Once the user confirms:

1. New dashboard: Use splunk_create_dashboard MCP tool with the dashboard JSON and derived ID.
2. Overwrite: Use splunk_update_dashboard MCP tool with the dashboard JSON and existing ID.

On success, tell the user:

Dashboard deployed successfully!

You can view it in Splunk Web under Dashboards > .

On failure, show the error message and offer the fallback:

Deploy failed: <error message>

Here's the JSON — you can paste it manually into Dashboard Studio.

Then show the full JSON.

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Error handling

Problem	What to do
MCP timeout	Show JSON for manual paste
Invalid JSON in .splunk-agent/dashboard.json	Tell user what's wrong, suggest running /create or /improve again
Permission denied in Splunk	Show the Splunk error, suggest checking user permissions and app context
Dashboard ID conflict on retry	Re-check with the new name before deploying

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What this skill does NOT do

• It does not create or modify dashboards. Use /create or /improve for that.
• It does not back up existing dashboards before overwriting. It warns the user, but the decision is theirs.
• It does not manage Splunk apps, indexes, or saved searches.