Learn how to configure Skills for common use cases and scenarios. These examples demonstrate best practices for skill selection, configuration, and assignment.
Production Deployment Agent An agent that can deploy applications to production with controlled permissions.
Skills Needed
File System (Full Access): Read deployment configs, write logsShell (Safe Commands): Run deployment scripts with restricted commandsDocker (Full Control): Manage production containers
Configuration # 1. Create file system skill for deployment configs kubiya skill create \ --name "Prod Deploy Files" \ --type file_system \ --variant full_access \ --config-json '{ "base_dir": "/opt/deployments", "allowed_extensions": ["yaml", "json", "sh", "log"] }' \ --enabled # 2. Create restricted shell skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Prod Deploy Shell" \ --type shell \ --variant safe_commands \ --config-json '{ "allowed_commands": ["kubectl", "helm", "docker", "git", "aws"], "timeout": 300 }' \ --enabled # 3. Create Docker skill for container management kubiya skill create \ --name "Prod Docker Manager" \ --type docker \ --variant full_control \ --enabled # 4. Associate all skills with the deployment agent kubiya skill associate agent < deploy-agent-i d > < file-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < deploy-agent-i d > < shell-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < deploy-agent-i d > < docker-skill-i d >
For production deployments, always use safe command variants and restrict shell access to only necessary commands.
Read-Only Monitoring Agent An agent for monitoring and observability with no write permissions.
Skills Needed
File System (Read Only): Monitor log files and configsShell (Read Only): Run diagnostic commandsData Visualization : Create monitoring dashboards
Configuration # 1. Create read-only file system skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Monitor Logs Reader" \ --type file_system \ --variant read_only \ --config-json '{ "base_dir": "/var/log", "allowed_extensions": ["log", "txt"] }' \ --enabled # 2. Create read-only shell skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Monitor Shell" \ --type shell \ --variant read_only \ --config-json '{ "allowed_commands": ["ps", "top", "df", "netstat", "tail", "grep"], "timeout": 30 }' \ --enabled # 3. Create data visualization skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Monitor Dashboards" \ --type data_visualization \ --enabled # 4. Associate with monitoring agent kubiya skill associate agent < monitor-agent-i d > < file-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < monitor-agent-i d > < shell-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < monitor-agent-i d > < viz-skill-i d >
Read-only variants are perfect for audit, compliance, and monitoring use cases where agents should observe but not modify the system.
Development Sandbox Environment An agent for developers working in isolated sandbox environments.
Skills Needed
File System (Sandboxed): Isolated directory accessShell (Full Access): Freedom to experimentPython (Full Access): Run and test Python codeDocker (Containers Only): Test containerized applications
Configuration # 1. Create sandboxed file system kubiya skill create \ --name "Dev Sandbox Files" \ --type file_system \ --variant sandboxed \ --config-json '{ "base_dir": "/sandbox/dev", "enable_read_file": true, "enable_save_file": true, "enable_list_files": true }' \ --enabled # 2. Create full-access shell for experimentation kubiya skill create \ --name "Dev Sandbox Shell" \ --type shell \ --variant full_access \ --enabled # 3. Create Python skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Dev Python" \ --type python \ --variant full_access \ --enabled # 4. Create limited Docker skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Dev Docker" \ --type docker \ --variant containers_only \ --enabled # 5. Associate with development team kubiya skill associate team < dev-team-i d > < file-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate team < dev-team-i d > < shell-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate team < dev-team-i d > < python-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate team < dev-team-i d > < docker-skill-i d >
Sandbox environments should be isolated from production. Use base_dir restrictions and separate workers for safety.
Multi-Agent Orchestration An orchestrator agent that delegates tasks to specialized agents.
Skills Needed
Agent Communication (Limited): Call approved agents with safeguardsFile System (Read Only): Access coordination dataWorkflow Executor : Execute complex orchestration workflows
Configuration # 1. Create agent communication skill with limited access kubiya skill create \ --name "Orchestrator Communication" \ --type agent_communication \ --variant limited \ --config-json '{ "allowed_operations": ["execute_agent", "get_execution_status"], "allowed_agents": ["deploy-agent-id", "monitor-agent-id", "test-agent-id"], "max_execution_depth": 2, "timeout": 600, "max_concurrent_calls": 3 }' \ --enabled # 2. Create read-only file system for coordination kubiya skill create \ --name "Orchestrator Files" \ --type file_system \ --variant read_only \ --config-json '{ "base_dir": "/opt/orchestration" }' \ --enabled # 3. Create workflow executor skill kubiya skill create \ --name "Orchestrator Workflows" \ --type workflow_executor \ --config-json '{ "allowed_executors": ["agent", "shell"], "validation_enabled": true, "timeout": 1800 }' \ --enabled # 4. Associate with orchestrator agent kubiya skill associate agent < orchestrator-agent-i d > < comm-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < orchestrator-agent-i d > < file-skill-i d > kubiya skill associate agent < orchestrator-agent-i d > < workflow-skill-i d >
Set max_execution_depth to prevent infinite loops in agent-to-agent calls. A depth of 2-3 is sufficient for most orchestration scenarios.
Custom Integration: Slack Notifications Using a custom skill to integrate with Slack for team notifications.
Setup # 1. Create custom skill directory mkdir -p ~/.kubiya/skills/slack-notifier # 2. Create skill.yaml (see Custom Skills guide for full example) # 3. Create Python implementation # 4. Create skill instance kubiya skill create \ --name "Team Slack Notifier" \ --type slack-notifier \ --config-json '{ "default_channel": "#deployments", "allowed_channels": ["#deployments", "#alerts", "#general"] }' \ --enabled # 5. Associate with deployment agent kubiya skill associate agent < deploy-agent-i d > < slack-skill-i d >
Use Case: Agent sends deployment notifications to Slack channels after successful deployments.Variant Selection Guide How to choose the right variant for your use case:
Use Case Recommended Variant Reason Production deployments Safe Commands (Shell) Balanced security and functionality Monitoring/Observability Read Only (All) No risk of accidental changes Development/Testing Full Access or Sandboxed Freedom to experiment safely Automated scripts Safe Commands or Limited Prevent destructive actions Admin/Operations Full Access Complete control when needed Multi-agent orchestration Limited (Agent Communication) Controlled delegation with safeguards Audit/Compliance Read Only (All) Observation without modification
Always start with the most restrictive variant that meets your needs. You can always upgrade permissions later if required.
Troubleshooting Scenarios Scenario: Agent Cannot Execute Task Symptoms: Agent fails with “Skill not found” or “Permission denied”Solution:
Verify skill is assigned: kubiya skill list-associations agent <agent-id>
Check skill is enabled: kubiya skill get <skill-id>
Review configuration: Ensure required commands/paths are in allowed list
# Check skill associations kubiya skill list-associations agent < agent-i d > # Get skill details kubiya skill get < skill-i d > -o json | jq '.configuration' # Update if needed kubiya skill update < skill-i d > --config-json '{"allowed_commands":[...]}'
Scenario: Skill Works in Development But Not Production Symptoms: Same skill configuration behaves differently across environmentsSolution:
Check environment variables are set on production worker
Verify Python dependencies are installed
Confirm base directories exist and have correct permissions
Review worker logs for error details
# On production worker export API_KEY = "production-key" pip list | grep required-package ls -la /expected/base/directory tail -f /var/log/kubiya-worker/worker.log
Related Pages
Built-in Skills Reference for all available Skills
Skill Variants Understand variant options
CLI Reference Complete CLI command guide
Custom Skills Create organization-specific Skills
