--- title: "Helm Chart Generator" description: "Generate production-ready Helm charts with deterministic scaffolding, standard helpers, reusable templates, and validation loops." type: skill canonical_url: https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/skill-95 source: "Claudary" difficulty: intermediate author: "Claude Code Knowledge Pack" date: 2026-07-10T11:45:54.309Z license: CC-BY-4.0 attribution: "Helm Chart Generator — Claudary (https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/skill-95)" --- # Helm Chart Generator Generate production-ready Helm charts with deterministic scaffolding, standard helpers, reusable templates, and validation loops. ## Overview --- 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 bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh [options] ``` Options: - `--image ` - Supports repo-only, tagged image, registry ports, and digest refs - `--port ` - Service port (default: 80) - `--target-port ` - Container target port (default: 8080) - `--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 bash scripts/generate_standard_helpers.sh ``` 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: ```bash 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: ```yaml metadata: name: {{ include "mychart.fullname" . }} labels: {{- include "mychart.labels" . | nindent 4 }} {{- with .Values.nodeSelector }} nodeSelector: {{- toYaml . | nindent 2 }} {{- end }} annotations: {{- if and .Values.configMap .Values.configMap.enabled }} checksum/config: {{ include (print $.Template.BasePath "/configmap.yaml") . | sha256sum }} {{- end }} ``` Checksum annotations are required for workloads, but must be conditional and only reference generated templates (`configmap.yaml`, `secret.yaml`). ### Stage 6: Create values.yaml Structure guidelines: - Group related settings logically - Document every value with `# --` comments - Provide sensible defaults - Include security contexts, resource limits, probes - Keep `service.port` and `service.targetPort` separate and explicit - Keep `configMap.enabled` / `secret.enabled` aligned with generated templates See `assets/values-schema-template.json` for JSON Schema validation. ### Stage 7: Validate Preferred path: run the `helm-validator` skill. If skill invocation is unavailable, run local commands directly: ```bash helm lint helm template test ``` If `helm` is unavailable, report the block clearly and perform partial checks: - `bash -n scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh` - `bash -n scripts/generate_standard_helpers.sh` - Verify generated files and key fields manually Re-run validation after any fixes. ## Template Functions Quick Reference See `references/helm_template_functions.md` for complete guide. | Function | Purpose | Example | |----------|---------|---------| | `required` | Enforce required values | `{{ required "msg" .Values.x }}` | | `default` | Fallback value | `{{ .Values.x \\| default 1 }}` | | `quote` | Quote strings | `{{ .Values.x \\| quote }}` | | `include` | Use helpers | `{{ include "name" . \\| nindent 4 }}` | | `toYaml` | Convert to YAML | `{{ toYaml .Values.x \\| nindent 2 }}` | | `tpl` | Render as template | `{{ tpl .Values.config . }}` | | `nindent` | Newline + indent | `{{- include "x" . \\| nindent 4 }}` | ## Working with CRDs See `references/crd_patterns.md` for complete examples. Key points: - CRDs you ship -> `crds/` directory (not templated, not deleted on uninstall) - CR instances -> `templates/` directory (fully templated) - Always look up documentation for CRD spec requirements - Document operator dependencies in Chart.yaml annotations ## Converting Manifests to Helm 1. **Parameterize:** Names -> helpers, values -> `values.yaml` 2. **Apply patterns:** Labels, conditionals, `toYaml` for complex objects 3. **Add helpers:** Create `_helpers.tpl` with standard helpers 4. **Validate:** Run `helm-validator` (or local lint/template fallback), then test with different values ## Error Handling | Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | Template syntax errors | `helm template test --debug --show-only templates/.yaml` | | Undefined values | `helm lint --strict` and add `default`/`required` | | Checksum include errors | Ensure `templates/configmap.yaml` and `templates/secret.yaml` exist and `configMap.enabled` / `secret.enabled` are set correctly | | Port mismatch (Service vs container) | Set both `service.port` and `service.targetPort`, then re-run `helm template test ` | | CRD validation fails | Verify apiVersion/spec fields with Context7 or operator docs, then re-render | | Script argument failures | Run `bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh --help` and pass required values for option flags | ## Example Flows Full scaffold with templates, ingress, HPA, and explicit port mapping: ```bash bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh webapp ./charts \\ --image ghcr.io/acme/webapp:2.3.1 \\ --port 80 \\ --target-port 8080 \\ --type deployment \\ --with-templates \\ --with-ingress \\ --with-hpa ``` Digest-based image scaffold: ```bash bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh api ./charts \\ --image ghcr.io/acme/api@sha256:0123456789abcdef \\ --with-templates ``` Minimal scaffold without templates: ```bash bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh starter ./charts ``` ## Scaffold Success Criteria Mark complete only when all checks pass: - [ ] `Chart.yaml`, `values.yaml`, `.helmignore`, `templates/NOTES.txt`, and `templates/_helpers.tpl` exist - [ ] `values.yaml` contains explicit `service.port` and `service.targetPort` - [ ] If `--with-templates` was used, `serviceaccount.yaml`, `service.yaml`, `configmap.yaml`, `secret.yaml`, and one workload template exist - [ ] Generated workload template uses conditional checksum annotations for config/secret - [ ] Image rendering logic supports tag and digest modes - [ ] Validation completed (`helm-validator` skill or local fallback commands) and outcomes reported ## Resources ### Scripts | Script | Usage | |--------|-------| | `scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh` | `bash scripts/generate_chart_structure.sh [options]` | | `scripts/generate_standard_helpers.sh` | `bash scripts/generate_standard_helpers.sh [--force]` | ### References | File | Content | |------|---------| | `references/helm_template_functions.md` | Complete template function guide | | `references/resource_templates.md` | All K8s resource templates | | `references/crd_patterns.md` | CRD patterns (cert-manager, Prometheus, Istio, ArgoCD) | ### Assets | File | Purpose | |------|---------| | `assets/_helpers-template.tpl` | Standard helpers template | | `assets/values-schema-template.json` | JSON Schema for values validation | ## Integration with helm-validator After generating charts, invoke `helm-validator` and close the loop: 1. Generate chart/templates 2. Run `helm-validator` (or local fallback commands) 3. Fix identified issues 4. Re-validate until passing --- Source: [Claudary](https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/skill-95) · https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com