/helm-generator

name: helm-generator
description: Create, scaffold, or generate Helm charts, Chart.yaml, values.yaml, templates, helpers.

Helm Chart Generator

Overview

Generate production-ready Helm charts with deterministic scaffolding, standard helpers, reusable templates, and validation loops.

**Official Documentation:**

• [Helm Docs](https://helm.sh/docs/) - Main documentation
• [Chart Best Practices](https://helm.sh/docs/chart_best_practices/) - Official best practices guide
• [Template Functions](https://helm.sh/docs/chart_template_guide/function_list/) - Built-in functions
• [Sprig Functions](http://masterminds.github.io/sprig/) - Extended function library

When to Use This Skill

| Use helm-generator | Use OTHER skill | |-------------------|-----------------| | Create new Helm charts | **helm-validator**: Validate/lint existing charts | | Generate Helm templates | **k8s-yaml-generator**: Raw K8s YAML (no Helm) | | Convert K8s manifests to Helm | **k8s-debug**: Debug deployed resources | | Implement CRDs in Helm | **k8s-yaml-validator**: Validate K8s manifests |

Trigger Phrases

Use this skill when prompts include phrases like:

• "create Helm chart"
• "scaffold Helm chart"
• "generate Helm templates"
• "convert manifests to Helm chart"
• "build chart with Deployment/Service/Ingress"

Execution Flow

Follow these stages in order. Do not skip required stages.

Stage 1: Gather Requirements (Required)

Collect:

• Scope: full chart, specific templates, or conversion from manifests
• Workload: `deployment`, `statefulset`, or `daemonset`
• Image reference: repository, optional tag, or digest
• Ports: service port and container target port (separate values)
• Runtime settings: resources, probes, autoscaling, ingress, storage
• Security: service account, security contexts, optional RBAC/network policies

Use `request_user_input` when critical fields are missing.

If `request_user_input` is unavailable, ask in normal chat and continue with explicit assumptions.

| Missing Information | Question to Ask | |---------------------|-----------------| | Image repository/tag | "What container image should be used? (e.g., nginx:1.25)" | | Service port | "What service port should be exposed?" | | Container target port | "What container port should traffic be forwarded to?" | | Resource limits | "What CPU/memory limits should be set? (e.g., 500m CPU, 512Mi memory)" | | Probe endpoints | "What health check endpoints does the app expose? (e.g., /health, /ready)" | | Scaling requirements | "Should autoscaling be enabled? If yes, min/max replicas and target CPU%?" | | Workload type | "What workload type: Deployment, StatefulSet, or DaemonSet?" | | Storage requirements | "Does the application need persistent storage? Size and access mode?" |

Do not silently assume critical settings.

Stage 2: Lookup CRD Documentation (Only if CRDs Are In Scope)

1. Try Context7 first:

• `mcp__context7__resolve-library-id`
• `mcp__context7__query-docs`

2. Fallback chain if Context7 is unavailable or incomplete:

• Operator official docs (preferred)
• General web search

Also consult `references/crd_patterns.md` for example patterns.

Stage 3: Scaffold Chart Structure (Required)

Run:

bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh <chart-name> <output-directory> [options]

Options:

• `--image <repo>` - Supports repo-only, tagged image, registry ports, and digest refs
• `--port <number>` - Service port (default: 80)
• `--target-port <number>` - Container target port (default: 8080)
• `--type <type>` - Workload type: deployment, statefulset, daemonset (default: deployment)
• `--with-templates` - Generate resource templates (deployment.yaml, service.yaml, etc.)
• `--with-ingress` - Include ingress template
• `--with-hpa` - Include HPA template
• `--force` - Overwrite existing chart without prompting

Image parsing behavior:

• `--image nginx:1.27` -> repository `nginx`, tag `1.27`
• `--image registry.local:5000/team/app` -> repository kept intact
• `--image ghcr.io/org/app@sha256:...` -> digest mode (no tag concatenation)
• `--tag` cannot be combined with digest image references

Idempotency and overwrite behavior:

• `generate_chart_structure.sh`: prompts before overwrite; `--force` overwrites non-interactively.
• `generate_standard_helpers.sh`: prompts before replacing `templates/_helpers.tpl`; `--force` bypasses prompt.

Expected scaffold shape:

mychart/
  Chart.yaml
  values.yaml
  templates/
    _helpers.tpl
    NOTES.txt
    serviceaccount.yaml
    service.yaml
    configmap.yaml
    secret.yaml
    deployment.yaml|statefulset.yaml|daemonset.yaml
    ingress.yaml (optional)
    hpa.yaml (optional)
  .helmignore

Stage 4: Generate Standard Helpers

Run:

bash scripts/generate_standard_helpers.sh <chart-name> <chart-directory>

Required helpers: `name`, `fullname`, `chart`, `labels`, `selectorLabels`, `serviceAccountName`.

Fallback:

• If script execution is blocked, copy `assets/_helpers-template.tpl` and replace `CHARTNAME` with the chart name.

Stage 5: Consult References and Generate Templates (Required)

Consult relevant references once at this stage:

• `references/resource_templates.md` for the resource patterns being generated
• `references/helm_template_functions.md` for templating function usage
• `references/crd_patterns.md` only when CRDs are in scope

Example file-open commands:

sed -n '1,220p' references/resource_templates.md
sed -n '1,220p' references/helm_template_functions.md

Resource coverage from `references/resource_templates.md`:

• Workloads: Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet, Job, CronJob
• Services: Service, Ingress
• Config: ConfigMap, Secret
• RBAC: ServiceAccount, Role, RoleBinding, ClusterRole, ClusterRoleBinding
• Network: NetworkPolicy
• Autoscaling: HPA, PodDisruptionBudget

Required template patterns:

metadata:
  name: {{ include "mychart.fullname" . }}
  labels: {{- include "mychart.labels" . | nindent 4 }