runbook-generator

name	runbook-generator
description	A service has no runbook and needs a baseline immediately
executor	HYBRID
skill_id	engineering.cs-engineering.runbook-generator
status	ADOPTED
security	{"level":"standard","pii":false,"approval_required":false}
anchors	["engineering"]
tier	2
input_schema	[{"name":"code_or_task","type":"string","description":"Code snippet, script, or task description to process","required":true},{"name":"context","type":"string","description":"Additional context or background information","required":false}]
output_schema	[{"name":"result","type":"string","description":"Generated or refactored code output"},{"name":"explanation","type":"string","description":"Explanation of changes or implementation decisions"}]

Runbook Generator

Tier: POWERFUL
Category: Engineering
Domain: DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering

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Overview

Generate operational runbooks quickly from a service name, then customize for deployment, incident response, maintenance, and rollback workflows.

Core Capabilities

• Runbook skeleton generation from a CLI
• Standard sections for start/stop/health/rollback
• Structured escalation and incident handling placeholders
• Reference templates for deployment and incident playbooks

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When to Use

• A service has no runbook and needs a baseline immediately
• Existing runbooks are inconsistent across teams
• On-call onboarding requires standardized operations docs
• You need repeatable runbook scaffolding for new services

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Quick Start

# Print runbook to stdout
python3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api

# Write runbook file
python3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api --owner platform --output docs/runbooks/payments-api.md

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Recommended Workflow

1. Generate the initial skeleton with scripts/runbook_generator.py.
2. Fill in service-specific commands and URLs.
3. Add verification checks and rollback triggers.
4. Dry-run in staging.
5. Store runbook in version control near service code.

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Reference Docs

• references/runbook-templates.md

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Common Pitfalls

• Missing rollback triggers or rollback commands
• Steps without expected output checks
• Stale ownership/escalation contacts
• Runbooks never tested outside of incidents

Best Practices

1. Keep every command copy-pasteable.
2. Include health checks after every critical step.
3. Validate runbooks on a fixed review cadence.
4. Update runbook content after incidents and postmortems.

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Why This Skill Exists

Implement — Runbook Generator

What If Fails

If this skill fails to produce the expected output: (1) verify input completeness, (2) retry with more specific context, (3) fall back to the parent workflow without this skill.