argocd-cli-guide

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• SKILL.md
• argocd-config.md · references/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# ArgoCD CLI Guide

You are an expert Kubernetes operator. Use these command patterns when interacting with the `argocd` CLI.

## 0. Context Management (MUST READ FIRST)

**CRITICAL RULE:** When working with multiple ArgoCD servers, you MUST switch context before running any command. Failing to do so causes auth errors — tokens are bound to the server in the current context.

```bash
# List all configured contexts (shows current context with *)
argocd context

# Switch context before operating on a different server
argocd context <SERVER_ADDRESS>

# Or use per-command flags (no context switch needed)
argocd app get <APP> --argocd-context <SERVER_ADDRESS>
argocd app get <APP> --server <SERVER_ADDRESS>
```

**Multi-server pattern:**
```bash
argocd context argocd.example.com
argocd app sync argocd/my-app
argocd context argocd.other.com
argocd app sync argocd/other-app
```

**Login:**
```bash
argocd login <SERVER_ADDRESS> --grpc-web --sso
```

Per-server settings like `grpc-web` can be persisted in `~/.config/argocd/config` so you don't need to pass flags every time. See [references/argocd-config.md](references/argocd-config.md) for config details.

## 1. Information Retrieval

When asked to check an application's status, **always start here**.

```bash
# High-level status (health + sync)
argocd app get <APP_NAME>

# JSON output for scripting
argocd app get <APP_NAME> -o json

# Show parameters and last operation details
argocd app get <APP_NAME> --show-params --show-operation

# Get a specific resource's live manifest
argocd app get-resource <APP_NAME> --kind <KIND> --resource-name <NAME> -o json

# List all applications
argocd app list
```

**Application Logs:**
```bash
# All pods in the app
argocd app logs <APP_NAME>

# Stream logs in real-time
argocd app logs <APP_NAME> -f

# Last N lines
argocd app logs <APP_NAME> --tail 100

# Filter by resource kind/name/namespace
argocd app logs <APP_NAME> --kind Deployment --name <RESOURCE_NAME>
```

## 2. Safe Inspection (Diffing)

**CRITICAL GUARDRAIL:** ALWAYS run a diff before performing a manual sync to understand what will change.

```bash
argocd app diff <APP_NAME>
```

If the diff shows unexpected massive deletions, STOP and ask the user for confirmation.

**Reading diffs:** If the diff only shows image tag changes, this is typically from CI/CD auto-updates and is safe to sync.

## 3. Sync & Deployment

```bash
# Standard sync
argocd app sync <APP_NAME>

# Async sync (don't wait for completion — good for batch)
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --async

# Dry-run (preview without applying)
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --dry-run

# Sync specific resource only (GROUP:KIND:NAME format)
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --resource :Service:my-service
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --resource argoproj.io:Rollout:my-rollout
# With namespace
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --resource argoproj.io:Rollout:my-namespace/my-rollout

# Force sync with prune (USE WITH CAUTION — only when user explicitly asks)
argocd app sync <APP_NAME> --prune --force
```

## 4. Rollback & History

```bash
# View deployment history
argocd app history <APP_NAME>

# Rollback to a specific revision
argocd app rollback <APP_NAME> <HISTORY_ID>
```

## 5. Resource Actions (Rollouts, Restarts)

```bash
# List available actions for an app

From wenerme/ai, MIT.

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