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Skillshub k8s-troubleshoot

Kubernetes Troubleshooting

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/rohitg00/kubectl-mcp-server/k8s-troubleshoot" ~/.claude/skills/comeonoliver-skillshub-k8s-troubleshoot && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/rohitg00/kubectl-mcp-server/k8s-troubleshoot/SKILL.md
source content

Kubernetes Troubleshooting

Expert debugging and diagnostics for Kubernetes clusters using kubectl-mcp-server tools.

When to Apply

Use this skill when:

  • User mentions: "debug", "troubleshoot", "diagnose", "failing", "crash", "not starting", "broken"
  • Pod states: Pending, CrashLoopBackOff, ImagePullBackOff, OOMKilled, Error, Unknown
  • Node issues: NotReady, MemoryPressure, DiskPressure, NetworkUnavailable, PIDPressure
  • Keywords: "logs", "events", "describe", "why isn't working", "stuck", "not responding"

Priority Rules

PriorityRuleImpactTools
1Check pod status firstCRITICAL
get_pods
, 
describe_pod
2View recent eventsCRITICAL
get_events
3Inspect logs (including previous)HIGH
get_pod_logs
4Check resource metricsHIGH
get_pod_metrics
5Verify endpointsMEDIUM
get_endpoints
6Review network policiesMEDIUM
get_network_policies
7Examine node statusLOW
get_nodes
, 
describe_node

Quick Reference

SymptomFirst ToolNext Steps
Pod Pending
describe_pod
Check events, node capacity, resource requests
CrashLoopBackOff
get_pod_logs(previous=True)
Check exit code, resources, liveness probes
ImagePullBackOff
describe_pod
Verify image name, registry auth, network
OOMKilled
get_pod_metrics
Increase memory limits, check for memory leaks
ContainerCreating
describe_pod
Check PVC binding, secrets, configmaps
Terminating (stuck)
describe_pod
Check finalizers, PDBs, preStop hooks

Diagnostic Workflows

Pod Not Starting

1. get_pods(namespace, label_selector) - Get pod status
2. describe_pod(name, namespace) - See events and conditions
3. get_events(namespace, field_selector="involvedObject.name=<pod>") - Check events
4. get_pod_logs(name, namespace, previous=True) - For crash loops

Common Pod States

StateLikely CauseTools to Use
PendingScheduling issues
describe_pod
, 
get_nodes
, 
get_events
ImagePullBackOffRegistry/auth
describe_pod
, check image name
CrashLoopBackOffApp crash
get_pod_logs(previous=True)
OOMKilledMemory limit
get_pod_metrics
, adjust limits
ContainerCreatingVolume/network
describe_pod
, 
get_pvc

Node Issues

1. get_nodes() - List nodes and status
2. describe_node(name) - See conditions and capacity
3. Check: Ready, MemoryPressure, DiskPressure, PIDPressure
4. node_logs_tool(name, "kubelet") - Kubelet logs

Deep Debugging Workflows

CrashLoopBackOff Investigation

1. get_pod_logs(name, namespace, previous=True) - See why it crashed
2. describe_pod(name, namespace) - Check resource limits, probes
3. get_pod_metrics(name, namespace) - Memory/CPU at crash time
4. If OOM: compare requests/limits to actual usage
5. If app error: check logs for stack trace

Networking Issues

1. get_services(namespace) - Verify service exists
2. get_endpoints(namespace) - Check endpoint backends
3. If empty endpoints: pods don't match selector
4. get_network_policies(namespace) - Check traffic rules
5. For Cilium: cilium_endpoints_list_tool(), hubble_flows_query_tool()

Storage Problems

1. get_pvc(namespace) - Check PVC status
2. describe_pvc(name, namespace) - See binding issues
3. get_storage_classes() - Verify provisioner exists
4. If Pending: check storage class, access modes

DNS Resolution

1. kubectl_exec(pod, namespace, "nslookup kubernetes.default") - Test DNS
2. If fails: check coredns pods in kube-system
3. get_pods(namespace="kube-system", label_selector="k8s-app=kube-dns")
4. get_pod_logs(name="coredns-*", namespace="kube-system")

Multi-Cluster Debugging

All tools support 

context
parameter for targeting different clusters:

get_pods(namespace="kube-system", context="production-cluster")
get_events(namespace="default", context="staging-cluster")
describe_pod(name="myapp-xyz", namespace="prod", context="prod-east")

Diagnostic Scripts

For comprehensive diagnostics, run the bundled scripts:

Decision Tree

See references/DECISION-TREE.md for visual troubleshooting flowcharts.

Common Errors Reference

See references/COMMON-ERRORS.md for error message explanations and fixes.

Related Tools

Core Diagnostics

  • get_pods
    , 
    describe_pod
    , 
    get_pod_logs
    , 
    get_pod_metrics
  • get_events
    , 
    get_nodes
    , 
    describe_node
  • get_resource_usage
    , 
    compare_namespaces

Advanced (Ecosystem)

  • Cilium: 
    cilium_endpoints_list_tool
    , 
    hubble_flows_query_tool
  • Istio: 
    istio_proxy_status_tool
    , 
    istio_analyze_tool

Related Skills