> **helm-chart-scaffolding** — skill 91 of 183 in [wshobson/agents](https://skillsdocs.com/wshobson/agents).
>
> Book (all skills, one file): https://skillsdocs.com/wshobson/agents.md
> Machine manifest: https://skillsdocs.com/wshobson/agents/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json
> Install the book: `npx skills add wshobson/agents`
> Upstream: https://github.com/wshobson/agents/blob/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/SKILL.md @ `main`
> Raw bytes, no header: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/SKILL.md
> Base for relative paths: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/
> Licence: MIT — https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html
>
> Bundled files (5), referenced from this skill's directory:
>   - `assets/Chart.yaml.template` — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/assets/Chart.yaml.template
>   - `assets/values.yaml.template` — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/assets/values.yaml.template
>   - `references/chart-structure.md` — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/references/chart-structure.md
>   - `references/details.md` — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/references/details.md
>   - `scripts/validate-chart.sh` — https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wshobson/agents/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations/skills/helm-chart-scaffolding/scripts/validate-chart.sh
>
> Content © its authors, served unmodified. Takedown: https://github.com/DreambaseAI/skillsdocs/issues/new?labels=takedown&title=Takedown+request

<!-- Verbatim upstream SKILL.md follows, YAML frontmatter included. -->

---
name: helm-chart-scaffolding
description: Design, organize, and manage Helm charts for templating and packaging Kubernetes applications with reusable configurations. Use when creating Helm charts, packaging Kubernetes applications, or implementing templated deployments.
---

# Helm Chart Scaffolding

Comprehensive guidance for creating, organizing, and managing Helm charts for packaging and deploying Kubernetes applications.

## Purpose

This skill provides step-by-step instructions for building production-ready Helm charts, including chart structure, templating patterns, values management, and validation strategies.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

- Create new Helm charts from scratch
- Package Kubernetes applications for distribution
- Manage multi-environment deployments with Helm
- Implement templating for reusable Kubernetes manifests
- Set up Helm chart repositories
- Follow Helm best practices and conventions

## Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in `references/details.md`. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

## Best Practices

1. **Use semantic versioning** for chart and app versions
2. **Document all values** in values.yaml with comments
3. **Use template helpers** for repeated logic
4. **Validate charts** before packaging
5. **Pin dependency versions** explicitly
6. **Use conditions** for optional resources
7. **Follow naming conventions** (lowercase, hyphens)
8. **Include NOTES.txt** with usage instructions
9. **Add labels** consistently using helpers
10. **Test installations** in all environments

## Troubleshooting

**Template rendering errors:**

```bash
helm template my-app ./my-app --debug
```

**Dependency issues:**

```bash
helm dependency update
helm dependency list
```

**Installation failures:**

```bash
helm install my-app ./my-app --dry-run --debug
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
```


## Related Skills

- `k8s-manifest-generator` - For creating base Kubernetes manifests
- `gitops-workflow` - For automated Helm chart deployments