Helm Chart Management

Comprehensive Helm v3 operations using kubectl-mcp-server's 16 Helm tools.

Quick Reference

Install Chart

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install_helm_chart(
    name="my-release",
    chart="bitnami/nginx",
    namespace="web",
    values={"replicaCount": 3, "service.type": "LoadBalancer"}
)

Upgrade Release

code

upgrade_helm_release(
    name="my-release",
    chart="bitnami/nginx",
    namespace="web",
    values={"replicaCount": 5}
)

Rollback Release

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rollback_helm_release(
    name="my-release",
    namespace="web",
    revision=1  # Specific revision, or 0 for previous
)

Uninstall Release

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uninstall_helm_chart(name="my-release", namespace="web")

Release Management

List Releases

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list_helm_releases(namespace="web")
list_helm_releases()  # All namespaces

Get Release Details

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get_helm_release(name="my-release", namespace="web")

Release History

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get_helm_history(name="my-release", namespace="web")

Get Release Values

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get_helm_values(name="my-release", namespace="web")

Get Release Manifest

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get_helm_manifest(name="my-release", namespace="web")

Repository Management

Add Repository

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add_helm_repo(name="bitnami", url="https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami")

List Repositories

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list_helm_repos()

Update Repositories

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update_helm_repos()

Search Charts

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search_helm_charts(keyword="nginx")
search_helm_charts(keyword="postgres", repo="bitnami")

Chart Development

Template Chart (Dry Run)

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template_helm_chart(
    name="my-release",
    chart="./my-chart",
    namespace="test",
    values={"key": "value"}
)

Lint Chart

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lint_helm_chart(chart="./my-chart")

Package Chart

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package_helm_chart(chart="./my-chart", destination="./packages")

Common Workflows

New Application Deployment

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1. add_helm_repo(name="bitnami", url="...")
2. search_helm_charts(keyword="postgresql")
3. template_helm_chart(...)  # Preview
4. install_helm_chart(...)   # Deploy
5. get_helm_release(...)     # Verify

Upgrade with Rollback Safety

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1. get_helm_history(name, namespace)  # Note current revision
2. upgrade_helm_release(name, chart, namespace, values)
3. # If issues:
   rollback_helm_release(name, namespace, revision)

Multi-Environment Deployment

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# Development
install_helm_chart(
    name="app",
    chart="./charts/app",
    namespace="dev",
    values={"replicas": 1},
    context="development"
)

# Staging
install_helm_chart(
    name="app",
    chart="./charts/app",
    namespace="staging",
    values={"replicas": 2},
    context="staging"
)

# Production
install_helm_chart(
    name="app",
    chart="./charts/app",
    namespace="prod",
    values={"replicas": 5},
    context="production"
)

Troubleshooting

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for common issues.

Release Stuck in Pending

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get_helm_release(name, namespace)
get_pods(namespace, label_selector="app.kubernetes.io/instance=<release>")

Failed Installation

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get_helm_history(name, namespace)  # Check status
get_events(namespace)              # Check events
uninstall_helm_chart(name, namespace)  # Clean up

Values Not Applied

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get_helm_values(name, namespace)  # Verify current values
template_helm_chart(...)          # Preview with new values
upgrade_helm_release(...)         # Apply

Best Practices

•

Always Template First

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template_helm_chart(name, chart, namespace, values)
# Review output before install

•

Use Semantic Versioning

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install_helm_chart(..., version="1.2.3")

•
Store Values in Git
- •values-dev.yaml
- •values-staging.yaml
- •values-prod.yaml
•
Namespace Isolation
- •One namespace per release
- •Easier cleanup and RBAC

Related Skills

•k8s-deploy - Deployment strategies
•k8s-gitops - GitOps Helm releases