Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize.

MITAuto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Kustomize

skills CLI
$ npx skills add BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills --skill kustomize -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills kustomize --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/devops/orchestration/kustomize .claude/skills/kustomize && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
kustomize
GitHub stars
1.1k
Token cost
~2.1k tokens
SKILL.md length
226 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
44
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize.

  • Managing Kubernetes configurations across multiple environments without Helm
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, Prerequisites, Directory Structure and Base Configuration, plus 11 more sections
  • Calls kubectl; reaches github.com and raw.githubusercontent.com
  • Tasks that involve Container orchestration

What it does

Kustomize is an agent skill from BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills. Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize. Create base configurations with environment overlays, manage configuration variants, and patch resources declaratively. Use when managing Kubernetes configurations across multiple environments without Helm.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Container orchestration. It works with Kubernetes. The repository describes itself as: Agent-ready DevOps, security, infrastructure, and compliance knowledge base with 80+ skills across Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/Azure/GCP, AI platform operations, container… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Managing Kubernetes configurations across multiple environments without Helm
  • Tasks that involve Container orchestration

Example prompts

  • “/kustomize”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 0365f57. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • kubectl

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • github.com
    • raw.githubusercontent.com
    • prometheus-community.github.io

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Kustomize loads about 2.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 71 tokens; SKILL.md has 226 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~71
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills at commit 0365f57, republished under its MIT licence (© BagelHole). 226 words, ~2,065 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/kustomize/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
kustomize
description
Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize. Create base configurations with environment overlays, manage configuration variants, and patch resources declaratively. Use when managing Kubernetes configurations across multiple environments without Helm.
license
MIT
metadata.author
devops-skills
metadata.version
1.0

Kustomize

Customize Kubernetes resources declaratively without templating.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • Managing Kubernetes configs across environments
  • Patching existing manifests without modification
  • Creating configuration variants from bases
  • Customizing third-party manifests
  • Preferring declarative over templating approach

Prerequisites

  • kubectl 1.14+ (includes kustomize)
  • Or standalone kustomize CLI
  • Basic Kubernetes manifest knowledge

Directory Structure

myapp/
├── base/
│   ├── kustomization.yaml
│   ├── deployment.yaml
│   ├── service.yaml
│   └── configmap.yaml
└── overlays/
    ├── development/
    │   ├── kustomization.yaml
    │   └── replica-patch.yaml
    ├── staging/
    │   ├── kustomization.yaml
    │   └── namespace.yaml
    └── production/
        ├── kustomization.yaml
        ├── replica-patch.yaml
        └── resource-patch.yaml

Base Configuration

kustomization.yaml
yaml
# base/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
  - deployment.yaml
  - service.yaml
  - configmap.yaml

commonLabels:
  app: myapp
  
commonAnnotations:
  managed-by: kustomize
Base Resources
yaml
# base/deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myapp
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myapp
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: myapp
        image: myapp:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8080
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "64Mi"
            cpu: "100m"
          limits:
            memory: "128Mi"
            cpu: "200m"

Overlays

Development Overlay
yaml
# overlays/development/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
  - ../../base

namespace: myapp-dev

namePrefix: dev-

commonLabels:
  environment: development

images:
  - name: myapp
    newTag: dev-latest
Production Overlay
yaml
# overlays/production/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
  - ../../base

namespace: myapp-prod

namePrefix: prod-

commonLabels:
  environment: production

replicas:
  - name: myapp
    count: 5

images:
  - name: myapp
    newName: registry.example.com/myapp
    newTag: v2.0.0

patches:
  - path: resource-patch.yaml

Patching

Strategic Merge Patch
yaml
# overlays/production/resource-patch.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: myapp
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "256Mi"
            cpu: "500m"
          limits:
            memory: "512Mi"
            cpu: "1000m"
JSON Patch
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
patches:
  - target:
      kind: Deployment
      name: myapp
    patch: |-
      - op: replace
        path: /spec/replicas
        value: 5
      - op: add
        path: /spec/template/spec/containers/0/env
        value:
          - name: LOG_LEVEL
            value: info
Inline Patches
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
patches:
  - patch: |-
      apiVersion: apps/v1
      kind: Deployment
      metadata:
        name: myapp
      spec:
        replicas: 3
    target:
      kind: Deployment
      name: myapp

Configuration Generation

ConfigMap Generator
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
configMapGenerator:
  - name: myapp-config
    literals:
      - APP_ENV=production
      - LOG_LEVEL=info
    files:
      - config.yaml
    envs:
      - config.env
    options:
      disableNameSuffixHash: false
Secret Generator
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
secretGenerator:
  - name: myapp-secrets
    literals:
      - api-key=secret123
    files:
      - tls.crt
      - tls.key
    type: kubernetes.io/tls

Image Transformations

yaml
# kustomization.yaml
images:
  # Change tag
  - name: myapp
    newTag: v2.0.0
  
  # Change registry
  - name: myapp
    newName: registry.example.com/myapp
    newTag: v2.0.0
  
  # Use digest
  - name: myapp
    digest: sha256:abc123...

Resource Transformations

Name Prefix/Suffix
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
namePrefix: prod-
nameSuffix: -v2
Namespace
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
namespace: production
Labels and Annotations
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
commonLabels:
  app.kubernetes.io/name: myapp
  app.kubernetes.io/environment: production

commonAnnotations:
  example.com/owner: team-a
Replicas
yaml
# kustomization.yaml
replicas:
  - name: myapp
    count: 5
  - name: worker
    count: 3

Components

yaml
# components/monitoring/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1alpha1
kind: Component

resources:
  - servicemonitor.yaml

patches:
  - patch: |-
      apiVersion: apps/v1
      kind: Deployment
      metadata:
        name: myapp
      spec:
        template:
          metadata:
            annotations:
              prometheus.io/scrape: "true"
              prometheus.io/port: "8080"
yaml
# overlays/production/kustomization.yaml
components:
  - ../../components/monitoring

Remote Resources

yaml
# kustomization.yaml
resources:
  # Remote Git repository
  - https://github.com/org/manifests//base?ref=v1.0.0
  
  # Remote URL
  - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/org/repo/main/deployment.yaml

Commands

bash
# Build and view output
kubectl kustomize overlays/production

# Apply to cluster
kubectl apply -k overlays/production

# Delete resources
kubectl delete -k overlays/production

# View diff
kubectl diff -k overlays/production

# Build with standalone kustomize
kustomize build overlays/production

# Build and apply
kustomize build overlays/production | kubectl apply -f -

Helm Chart Integration

yaml
# kustomization.yaml
helmCharts:
  - name: prometheus
    repo: https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
    version: 25.0.0
    releaseName: prometheus
    namespace: monitoring
    valuesFile: values.yaml
    includeCRDs: true

Variable Substitution

yaml
# kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization

resources:
  - deployment.yaml

replacements:
  - source:
      kind: ConfigMap
      name: myapp-config
      fieldPath: data.APP_VERSION
    targets:
      - select:
          kind: Deployment
          name: myapp
        fieldPaths:
          - spec.template.spec.containers.[name=myapp].image
        options:
          delimiter: ':'
          index: 1

Common Issues

Issue: Name Hash Conflicts

Problem: Resources not updating when ConfigMap changes Solution: Enable name suffix hash (default) or use replacement

Issue: Patch Not Applying

Problem: Strategic merge patch doesn't work Solution: Verify resource names match, use JSON patch for complex changes

Issue: Remote Resource Fails

Problem: Cannot fetch remote resources Solution: Check URL, verify ref/tag exists, ensure network access

Issue: Label Selector Mismatch

Problem: commonLabels breaks selectors Solution: Use includeSelectors: false or exclude specific resources

yaml
commonLabels:
  app: myapp
configurations:
  - labelExclusions.yaml

Best Practices

  • Keep base manifests environment-agnostic
  • Use overlays for environment-specific config
  • Prefer strategic merge patches for simple changes
  • Use components for optional features
  • Pin remote resource versions
  • Enable ConfigMap/Secret hash suffixes
  • Document overlay structure in README
  • Test builds before applying

© BagelHole, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in devops/orchestration/kustomize of BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 0365f57

Compare with similar skills

Kustomize next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Kustomize compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Kustomize this skillBagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills1.1k—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Kubeshark Installerkubeshark/kubeshark12k—~3.6kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
KubeSphere Multi-Tenant Managementkubesphere/kubesphere17k—~3.1kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Sim Helmsimstudioai/sim30k—~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Helm Chart ScaffoldingCybereason-Public/owLSM28013 repos~381Automated safety check: PassGPL-2.0
Kubeshark KFL2 Filter Referencekubeshark/kubeshark12k—~3.6kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Kustomize

What does Kustomize do?

Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize. Kustomize is an agent skill from BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills. Customize Kubernetes manifests without templating using Kustomize.

When should I use Kustomize?

Kustomize fits situations like: managing Kubernetes configurations across multiple environments without Helm; tasks that involve Container orchestration.

How do I install Kustomize in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills --skill kustomize -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (devops/orchestration/kustomize in BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills) into .claude/skills/kustomize in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Kustomize in Codex?

Run `npx skills add BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills --skill kustomize -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (devops/orchestration/kustomize in BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills) into .agents/skills/kustomize in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Kustomize in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills --skill kustomize -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/kustomize, .gemini/skills/kustomize, .github/skills/kustomize and .opencode/skills/kustomize in your project.

What does Kustomize need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Kustomize needs the command-line tools its instructions call (kubectl).

Does Kustomize access the network?

SKILL.md names 3 domains. In commands or code: github.com, raw.githubusercontent.com and prometheus-community.github.io; the agent is likely to contact these when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Kustomize safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Kustomize use?

Kustomize is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Kustomize use?

About 2.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Kustomize?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Kustomize: Kubeshark Installer (kubeshark/kubeshark, 12k stars), KubeSphere Multi-Tenant Management (kubesphere/kubesphere, 17k stars), Sim Helm (simstudioai/sim, 30k stars) and Helm Chart Scaffolding (Cybereason-Public/owLSM, 280 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Kustomize?

BagelHole (a GitHub user) maintains it in BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills, which has 1,148 GitHub stars. The repository holds 44 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on May 22, 2026.

Source: BagelHole/DevOps-Security-Agent-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.