Agent skill

Helm Helper

by shepherdjerred in shepherdjerred/monorepo

Helm chart management for Kubernetes deployments When user mentions Helm, charts, helm commands, values, releases, or Kubernetes packaging

GPL-3.0Auto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Helm Helper

skills CLI
$ npx skills add shepherdjerred/monorepo --skill helm-helper -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install shepherdjerred/monorepo helm-helper --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/shepherdjerred/monorepo.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/packages/dotfiles/dot_agents/skills/helm-helper .claude/skills/helm-helper && 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
helm-helper
GitHub stars
112
Token cost
~2.9k tokens
SKILL.md length
325 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
63
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
GPL-3.0

At a glance

Helm chart management for Kubernetes deployments When user mentions Helm, charts, helm commands, values, releases, or Kubernetes packaging

  • Works in 6 steps: Always use --atomic for production -… → Pin chart versions - Never use floating… → Use helm diff before upgrades → …
  • Kubernetes packaging
  • SKILL.md covers What's New in Helm 4.x & 2025, Overview, CLI Commands and Common Workflows, plus 4 more sections
  • Calls helm and kubectl; reaches charts.bitnami.com and json-schema.org

What it does

Helm Helper is an agent skill from shepherdjerred/monorepo. Helm chart management for Kubernetes deployments When user mentions Helm, charts, helm commands, values, releases, or Kubernetes packaging

Its SKILL.md is about 2.9k 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 Helm and Kubernetes. The repository describes itself as: Monorepo for all of my projects. The licence is GPL-3.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Kubernetes packaging
  • Tasks that involve Container orchestration

Example prompts

  • “/helm-helper”

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Always use --atomic for production - Automatic rollback on failure
  2. Pin chart versions - Never use floating versions
  3. Use helm diff before upgrades
  4. Structure values files by environment
  5. Use library charts for shared components
  6. Template naming conventions

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit da14ae9. 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:

    • helm
    • 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:

    • charts.bitnami.com
    • json-schema.org
    • github.com

    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

Helm Helper loads about 2.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 38 tokens; SKILL.md has 325 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~38
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.9k

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 shepherdjerred/monorepo at commit da14ae9, republished under its GPL-3.0 licence (© shepherdjerred). 325 words, ~2,897 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/helm-helper/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
helm-helper
description
Helm chart management for Kubernetes deployments When user mentions Helm, charts, helm commands, values, releases, or Kubernetes packaging

Helm Helper Agent

What's New in Helm 4.x & 2025

  • OCI Registry Support: Push/pull charts using oci:// protocol to container registries
  • Server-Side Dry Run: Full API validation with --dry-run=server
  • JSON Schema Validation: Validate values with values.schema.json
  • Enhanced Diff: Preview changes with helm diff plugin
  • Provenance & Signing: Sigstore support for chart verification
  • Library Charts: Reusable chart components with type: library

Overview

Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. Charts are packages containing Kubernetes resource definitions. Repositories store and share charts. Releases are instances of charts deployed to a cluster.

CLI Commands

Auto-Approved Commands

The following helm commands are auto-approved and safe to use:

  • helm list - List releases
  • helm get - Download release information
  • helm status - Display release status
  • helm show - Show chart information
  • helm search - Search for charts
  • helm version - Show version info
  • helm env - Display client environment
  • helm history - Fetch release history
Chart Discovery
bash
# Search Artifact Hub (public charts)
helm search hub nginx

# Search local repositories
helm search repo bitnami/nginx

# Show all versions
helm search repo bitnami/nginx --versions

# Search with version constraints
helm search repo bitnami/nginx --version "^10.0.0"
Installation & Upgrades
bash
# Basic install
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx

# Install with custom values file
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx -f values.yaml

# Install with inline values
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --set replicaCount=3

# Install to specific namespace (create if missing)
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx -n production --create-namespace

# Dry run with server-side validation
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --dry-run=server

# Install with wait and timeout
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --wait --timeout 5m

# Atomic install (rollback on failure)
helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --atomic

# Install from OCI registry
helm install my-release oci://registry.example.com/charts/nginx --version 1.0.0

Upgrade patterns:

bash
# Upgrade existing release
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx -f values.yaml

# Install or upgrade (idempotent)
helm upgrade --install my-release bitnami/nginx

# Reuse previous values and add new ones
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx --reuse-values --set image.tag=v2

# Reset to chart defaults
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx --reset-values

# Rollback on upgrade failure
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx --atomic

# Force replace resources
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx --force
Release Management
bash
# View release history
helm history my-release

# Rollback to previous revision
helm rollback my-release

# Rollback to specific revision
helm rollback my-release 3

# Uninstall release
helm uninstall my-release

# Uninstall but keep history
helm uninstall my-release --keep-history
Repository Management
bash
# Add repository
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

# Update repository cache
helm repo update

# List repositories
helm repo list

# Remove repository
helm repo remove bitnami

# Add with credentials
helm repo add private https://charts.example.com --username user --password pass
Chart Development
bash
# Create new chart
helm create mychart

# Validate chart
helm lint mychart

# Render templates locally
helm template my-release mychart

# Render specific template
helm template my-release mychart --show-only templates/deployment.yaml

# Package chart
helm package mychart

# Package with specific version
helm package mychart --version 1.0.0

# Update dependencies
helm dependency update mychart

# List dependencies
helm dependency list mychart
Information Commands
bash
# Get all release info
helm get all my-release

# Get deployed values
helm get values my-release

# Get manifest (rendered templates)
helm get manifest my-release

# Get release notes
helm get notes my-release

# Get hooks
helm get hooks my-release

# Show chart info
helm show chart bitnami/nginx

# Show default values
helm show values bitnami/nginx

# Show README
helm show readme bitnami/nginx

Common Workflows

Install Chart with Custom Values
bash
# 1. View available values
helm show values bitnami/nginx > default-values.yaml

# 2. Create custom values file
cat > my-values.yaml <<EOF
replicaCount: 3
service:
  type: LoadBalancer
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 256Mi
EOF

# 3. Dry run to preview
helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx -f my-values.yaml --dry-run=server

# 4. Install
helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx -f my-values.yaml --atomic --wait
Upgrade with Rollback Strategy
bash
# 1. Check current status
helm status my-release

# 2. Preview changes (requires helm-diff plugin)
helm diff upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx -f new-values.yaml

# 3. Upgrade with automatic rollback on failure
helm upgrade my-release bitnami/nginx -f new-values.yaml --atomic --timeout 10m

# 4. If manual rollback needed
helm rollback my-release 0  # Previous revision
Working with OCI Registries
bash
# Login to registry
helm registry login registry.example.com

# Push chart to OCI registry
helm push mychart-1.0.0.tgz oci://registry.example.com/charts

# Pull chart
helm pull oci://registry.example.com/charts/mychart --version 1.0.0

# Install from OCI
helm install my-release oci://registry.example.com/charts/mychart --version 1.0.0

# Logout
helm registry logout registry.example.com

Chart Development

Template Syntax
yaml
# Access values
{{ .Values.replicaCount }}

# Release information
{{ .Release.Name }}
{{ .Release.Namespace }}
{{ .Release.IsUpgrade }}

# Chart metadata
{{ .Chart.Name }}
{{ .Chart.Version }}

# Common functions
{{ .Values.name | quote }}
{{ .Values.name | upper }}
{{ default "nginx" .Values.image.name }}
{{ required "image.tag is required" .Values.image.tag }}

# Conditionals
{{- if .Values.ingress.enabled }}
# ingress config here
{{- end }}

# Loops
{{- range .Values.hosts }}
- {{ . | quote }}
{{- end }}
Chart.yaml Structure
yaml
apiVersion: v2
name: mychart
version: 1.0.0
appVersion: "1.16.0"
description: My Helm chart
type: application # or "library"
keywords:
  - nginx
  - web
dependencies:
  - name: postgresql
    version: "12.x.x"
    repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
    condition: postgresql.enabled
Values Schema Validation
json
{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "type": "object",
  "required": ["replicaCount"],
  "properties": {
    "replicaCount": {
      "type": "integer",
      "minimum": 1
    },
    "image": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "repository": { "type": "string" },
        "tag": { "type": "string" }
      }
    }
  }
}
Hooks
yaml
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: Job
metadata:
  name: {{ .Release.Name }}-db-migrate
  annotations:
    "helm.sh/hook": pre-upgrade,pre-install
    "helm.sh/hook-weight": "-5"
    "helm.sh/hook-delete-policy": hook-succeeded
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: migrate
        image: migrate:latest
        command: ["./migrate.sh"]
      restartPolicy: Never

Hook types: pre-install, post-install, pre-delete, post-delete, pre-upgrade, post-upgrade, pre-rollback, post-rollback, test

Show full SKILL.md (181 more words)Show less

Best Practices

  1. Always use --atomic for production - Automatic rollback on failure

    bash
    helm upgrade --install my-release chart --atomic
  2. Pin chart versions - Never use floating versions

    bash
    helm install my-release bitnami/nginx --version 15.0.0
  3. Use helm diff before upgrades

    bash
    helm plugin install https://github.com/databus23/helm-diff
    helm diff upgrade my-release chart -f values.yaml
  4. Structure values files by environment

    values.yaml          # defaults
    values-dev.yaml      # development overrides
    values-staging.yaml  # staging overrides
    values-prod.yaml     # production overrides
  5. Use library charts for shared components

    yaml
    # Chart.yaml
    dependencies:
      - name: common
        version: 1.x.x
        repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
  6. Template naming conventions

    • Use .yaml extension for YAML output
    • Use .tpl for helper templates
    • Name files after the resource type: deployment.yaml, service.yaml

Troubleshooting

Failed Installation
bash
# Check release status
helm status my-release

# Get detailed info
helm get all my-release

# Check events
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'

# View rendered templates
helm get manifest my-release
Pending Upgrades
bash
# List all releases including pending
helm list --all

# Check for stuck releases
helm list --pending

# Force rollback
helm rollback my-release 0 --force
Hook Failures
bash
# List hooks
helm get hooks my-release

# Check hook job status
kubectl get jobs -l app.kubernetes.io/managed-by=Helm

# View hook logs
kubectl logs job/my-release-pre-upgrade
Template Rendering Issues
bash
# Debug template rendering
helm template my-release mychart --debug

# Validate with lint
helm lint mychart --strict

# Test with specific values
helm template my-release mychart -f values.yaml --validate

Examples

Example 1: Complete Deployment Workflow
bash
#!/bin/bash
set -e

RELEASE="my-app"
CHART="./charts/my-app"
NAMESPACE="production"
VALUES="values-prod.yaml"

# Lint chart
helm lint "$CHART" -f "$VALUES" --strict

# Dry run
helm upgrade --install "$RELEASE" "$CHART" \
  -n "$NAMESPACE" \
  -f "$VALUES" \
  --dry-run=server

# Deploy with atomic
helm upgrade --install "$RELEASE" "$CHART" \
  -n "$NAMESPACE" \
  -f "$VALUES" \
  --atomic \
  --timeout 10m \
  --wait

# Verify
helm status "$RELEASE" -n "$NAMESPACE"
kubectl get pods -n "$NAMESPACE" -l app.kubernetes.io/instance="$RELEASE"
Example 2: Multi-Environment Values
bash
# Base values.yaml
replicaCount: 1
image:
  repository: nginx
  tag: "1.25"

# values-prod.yaml (overrides)
replicaCount: 3
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 1
    memory: 512Mi

# Deploy to production
helm upgrade --install my-app ./chart \
  -f values.yaml \
  -f values-prod.yaml \
  -n production
Example 3: Umbrella Chart Pattern
yaml
# umbrella/Chart.yaml
apiVersion: v2
name: my-platform
version: 1.0.0
dependencies:
  - name: frontend
    version: "1.x.x"
    repository: "file://../frontend"
  - name: backend
    version: "1.x.x"
    repository: "file://../backend"
  - name: postgresql
    version: "12.x.x"
    repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
bash
# Update dependencies
cd umbrella
helm dependency update

# Install entire platform
helm install my-platform . -f values.yaml

When to Ask for Help

Ask the user for clarification when:

  • The target namespace or cluster context is ambiguous
  • Values file paths or chart locations are unclear
  • Destructive operations (uninstall, rollback) need confirmation
  • Version constraints conflict with requirements
  • OCI registry credentials are needed
  • Multiple releases match the criteria

© shepherdjerred, GPL-3.0. 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 packages/dotfiles/dot_agents/skills/helm-helper of shepherdjerred/monorepo.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit da14ae9

Compare with similar skills

Helm Helper 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.

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Helm Chart ScaffoldingCybereason-Public/owLSM28013 repos~381Automated safety check: PassGPL-2.0
NGINX Ingress Controller Feature Checklistsnginx/kubernetes-ingress5.1k—~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Kubernetes SpecialistJeffallan/claude-skills12k1 repos~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
KubeShark for KubernetesLukasNiessen/kubernetes-skill444—~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Helm Helper

What does Helm Helper do?

Helm chart management for Kubernetes deployments When user mentions Helm, charts, helm commands, values, releases, or Kubernetes packaging. Helm Helper is an agent skill from shepherdjerred/monorepo.

When should I use Helm Helper?

Helm Helper fits situations like: Kubernetes packaging; tasks that involve Container orchestration.

How do I install Helm Helper in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add shepherdjerred/monorepo --skill helm-helper -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (packages/dotfiles/dot_agents/skills/helm-helper in shepherdjerred/monorepo) into .claude/skills/helm-helper in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Helm Helper in Codex?

Run `npx skills add shepherdjerred/monorepo --skill helm-helper -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (packages/dotfiles/dot_agents/skills/helm-helper in shepherdjerred/monorepo) into .agents/skills/helm-helper in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Helm Helper 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 shepherdjerred/monorepo --skill helm-helper -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/helm-helper, .gemini/skills/helm-helper, .github/skills/helm-helper and .opencode/skills/helm-helper in your project.

What does Helm Helper need to run?

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

Does Helm Helper access the network?

SKILL.md names 3 domains. In commands or code: charts.bitnami.com, json-schema.org and github.com; the agent is likely to contact these when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Helm Helper 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 Helm Helper use?

Helm Helper is published under the GPL-3.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Helm Helper use?

About 2.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 12k 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 Helm Helper?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Helm Helper: Sim Helm (simstudioai/sim, 30k stars), Helm Chart Scaffolding (Cybereason-Public/owLSM, 280 stars), NGINX Ingress Controller Feature Checklists (nginx/kubernetes-ingress, 5.1k stars) and Kubernetes Specialist (Jeffallan/claude-skills, 12k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Helm Helper?

shepherdjerred (a GitHub user) maintains it in shepherdjerred/monorepo, which has 112 GitHub stars. The repository holds 63 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: shepherdjerred/monorepo on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.