jenkctl-cli

name	jenkctl-cli
description	Use this skill when working with the local jenkctl Jenkins CLI: mapping Jenkins tasks to exact commands, explaining subcommands, validating env vars, choosing between CLI and MCP, or running local smoke tests. Keywords: Jenkins CLI, jenkctl, system ping, job info, build log, pipeline validate, node list, monitor failures.
user-invocable	true

jenkctl CLI

Use this skill to operate the local jenkctl repository through its CLI entrypoints.

When To Use

• The user asks for an exact jenkctl command instead of an MCP call.
• The task is about Jenkins system, job, build, pipeline, node, or monitor operations through the local repo binary.
• The agent needs to explain which subcommand matches a Jenkins action.
• The agent needs a lightweight CLI smoke test after changing command handling or transport code.

Repository Defaults

• Prefer direct invocations of the compiled release binary: <repo>/target/release/jenkctl ....
• Prefer the main MCP entrypoint jenkctl mcp; keep jenkctl-mcp for compatibility only.
• Use --pretty when the output is intended for a human. Keep the default compact JSON when the result will be parsed.
• Jenkins credentials come from environment variables, not CLI flags.
• Release binaries live at target/release/jenkctl and target/release/jenkctl-mcp.

Procedure

1. Confirm the Jenkins connection variables are available.
2. Choose the execution path.
   • Use <repo>/target/release/jenkctl for all CLI commands.
   • Use <repo>/target/release/jenkctl mcp as the preferred MCP entrypoint.
   • Keep <repo>/target/release/jenkctl-mcp only for compatibility with older integrations.
3. Map the request to the narrowest subcommand. See the command cheatsheet.
4. Run the command with --pretty for human-facing output, or without it for structured JSON.
5. After code changes, prefer a narrow validation first: a targeted CLI smoke test through the compiled binary.

Required Environment

At least one variable from each group must be set:

• JENKCTL_JENKINS_URL or JENKINS_URL
• JENKCTL_JENKINS_USER or JENKINS_USER
• JENKCTL_JENKINS_TOKEN or JENKINS_TOKEN

Useful optional variables:

• JENKCTL_SERVER_ALIAS
• JENKCTL_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
• JENKCTL_USE_SYSTEM_PROXY
• JENKCTL_INSECURE_TLS

Quick Examples

<repo>/target/release/jenkctl system ping --pretty
<repo>/target/release/jenkctl build status team/backend-service 1024 --pretty
<repo>/target/release/jenkctl pipeline validate --file ./Jenkinsfile --pretty
<repo>/target/release/jenkctl mcp

Notes

• build wait, build status, build log, build artifacts, build cause, and build test-report accept an optional build number.
• pipeline validate reads the Jenkinsfile from --file.
• pipeline step-log requires job, build, and node_id.
• job info expects a Jenkins full job path such as team/backend-service.