# helm-chart-scaffolding

- type: skill
- industry: product
- roles: general
- source: https://github.com/wshobson/agents/blob/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/SKILL.md
- license: MIT (mirror-with-attribution)
- install: npx skills add wshobson/agents --skill helm-chart-scaffolding
- needs_credentials: false
- writes_external: false
- updated_at: 2026-10-15T10:15:30Z

Design, organize, and manage Helm charts for templating and packaging Kubernetes applications with reusable configurations. Use when creating Helm charts, packaging Kubernetes applications, or implementing templated deployments.

---

Mirrored from https://github.com/wshobson/agents/blob/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/SKILL.md under MIT. The original is authoritative.

---
name: helm-chart-scaffolding
description: Design, organize, and manage Helm charts for templating and packaging Kubernetes applications with reusable configurations. Use when creating Helm charts, packaging Kubernetes applications, or implementing templated deployments.
---

# Helm Chart Scaffolding

Comprehensive guidance for creating, organizing, and managing Helm charts for packaging and deploying Kubernetes applications.

## Purpose

This skill provides step-by-step instructions for building production-ready Helm charts, including chart structure, templating patterns, values management, and validation strategies.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

- Create new Helm charts from scratch
- Package Kubernetes applications for distribution
- Manage multi-environment deployments with Helm
- Implement templating for reusable Kubernetes manifests
- Set up Helm chart repositories
- Follow Helm best practices and conventions

## Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in `references/details.md`. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

## Best Practices

1. **Use semantic versioning** for chart and app versions
2. **Document all values** in values.yaml with comments
3. **Use template helpers** for repeated logic
4. **Validate charts** before packaging
5. **Pin dependency versions** explicitly
6. **Use conditions** for optional resources
7. **Follow naming conventions** (lowercase, hyphens)
8. **Include NOTES.txt** with usage instructions
9. **Add labels** consistently using helpers
10. **Test installations** in all environments

## Troubleshooting

**Template rendering errors:**

```bash
helm template my-app ./my-app --debug
```

**Dependency issues:**

```bash
helm dependency update
helm dependency list
```

**Installation failures:**

```bash
helm install my-app ./my-app --dry-run --debug
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
```


## Related Skills

- `k8s-manifest-generator` - For creating base Kubernetes manifests
- `gitops-workflow` - For automated Helm chart deployments