Name: building-gitops-workflows
Author: jeremylongshore

name	building-gitops-workflows
description	Use when constructing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or Flux. Trigger with phrases like "create GitOps workflow", "setup ArgoCD", "configure Flux", or "automate Kubernetes deployments". Generates production-ready configurations, implements best practices, and ensures security-first approach for continuous deployment.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(kubectl:), Bash(git:)
version	1.0.0
author	Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io>
license	MIT

Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure:

Kubernetes cluster is accessible and kubectl is configured
Git repository is available for GitOps source
ArgoCD or Flux is installed on the cluster (or ready to install)
Appropriate RBAC permissions for GitOps operator
Network connectivity between cluster and Git repository

Instructions

Select GitOps Tool: Determine whether to use ArgoCD or Flux based on requirements
Define Application Structure: Establish repository layout with environment separation (dev/staging/prod)
Generate Manifests: Create Application/Kustomization files pointing to Git sources
Configure Sync Policy: Set automated or manual sync with self-heal and prune options
Implement RBAC: Define service accounts and role bindings for GitOps operator
Set Up Monitoring: Configure notifications and health checks for deployments
Validate Configuration: Test sync behavior and verify reconciliation loops

Output

Generates GitOps workflow configurations including:

ArgoCD Application Manifest:

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: app-name
  namespace: argocd
spec:
  project: default
  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/org/repo
    path: manifests/prod
    targetRevision: main
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: production
  syncPolicy:
    automated:
      prune: true
      selfHeal: true

Flux Kustomization:

apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
kind: Kustomization
metadata:
  name: app-name
  namespace: flux-system
spec:
  interval: 5m
  path: ./manifests/prod
  prune: true
  sourceRef:
    kind: GitRepository
    name: app-repo

Error Handling

Common issues and solutions:

Sync Failures

Error: "ComparisonError: Failed to load target state"
Solution: Verify Git repository URL, credentials, and target path exist

RBAC Permissions

Error: "User cannot create resource in API group"
Solution: Grant GitOps service account appropriate cluster roles

Out of Sync State

Warning: "Application is OutOfSync"
Solution: Enable automated sync or manually sync via UI/CLI

Git Authentication

Error: "Authentication failed for repository"
Solution: Configure SSH keys or access tokens in {baseDir}/.git/config

Resource Conflicts

Error: "Resource already exists and is not managed by GitOps"
Solution: Import existing resources or remove conflicting manual deployments

Resources

ArgoCD documentation: https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/
Flux documentation: https://fluxcd.io/docs/
GitOps principles and patterns guide
Kubernetes manifest best practices
Repository structure templates in {baseDir}/gitops-examples/

Overview

This skill provides automated assistance for the described functionality.

Examples

Example usage patterns will be demonstrated in context.

building-gitops-workflows

Install Skill

SKILL.md