runbook-generator

# Runbook Generator

**Tier:** POWERFUL  
**Category:** Engineering  
**Domain:** DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering

---

## Overview

Generate operational runbooks quickly from a service name, then customize for deployment, incident response, maintenance, and rollback workflows.

## Core Capabilities

- Runbook skeleton generation from a CLI
- Standard sections for start/stop/health/rollback
- Structured escalation and incident handling placeholders
- Reference templates for deployment and incident playbooks

---

## When to Use

- A service has no runbook and needs a baseline immediately
- Existing runbooks are inconsistent across teams
- On-call onboarding requires standardized operations docs
- You need repeatable runbook scaffolding for new services

---

## Quick Start

```bash
# Print runbook to stdout
python3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api

# Write runbook file
python3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api --owner platform --output docs/runbooks/payments-api.md
```

---

## Recommended Workflow

1. Generate the initial skeleton with `scripts/runbook_generator.py`.
2. Fill in service-specific commands and URLs.
3. Add verification checks and rollback triggers.
4. Dry-run in staging.
5. Store runbook in version control near service code.

---

## Reference Docs

- `references/runbook-templates.md`

---

## Common Pitfalls

- Missing rollback triggers or rollback commands
- Steps without expected output checks
- Stale ownership/escalation contacts
- Runbooks never tested outside of incidents

## Best Practices

1. Keep every command copy-pasteable.
2. Include health checks after every critical step.
3. Validate runbooks on a fixed review cadence.
4. Update runbook content after incidents and postmortems.

{
  "format": "aiskill/v1",
  "skill": {
    "name": "runbook-generator",
    "slug": "runbook-generator",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "Generate operational runbooks from a service name — deployment, incident response, maintenance, and rollback workflows. Templated structure customizable per environment. Use when documenting on-call procedures for a new service, standardizing incident response across teams, or producing runbooks before launching to production.",
    "category": "Development",
    "tags": [
      "engineering"
    ],
    "platforms": [
      "chatgpt",
      "claude-code",
      "cursor"
    ],
    "tested_environment": "Agent Skills convention (SKILL.md) — works with Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT/Codex and compatible agents",
    "license": "MIT"
  },
  "prompts": {
    "system": "# Runbook Generator\r\n\r\n**Tier:** POWERFUL  \r\n**Category:** Engineering  \r\n**Domain:** DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Overview\r\n\r\nGenerate operational runbooks quickly from a service name, then customize for deployment, incident response, maintenance, and rollback workflows.\r\n\r\n## Core Capabilities\r\n\r\n- Runbook skeleton generation from a CLI\r\n- Standard sections for start/stop/health/rollback\r\n- Structured escalation and incident handling placeholders\r\n- Reference templates for deployment and incident playbooks\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## When to Use\r\n\r\n- A service has no runbook and needs a baseline immediately\r\n- Existing runbooks are inconsistent across teams\r\n- On-call onboarding requires standardized operations docs\r\n- You need repeatable runbook scaffolding for new services\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Quick Start\r\n\r\n```bash\r\n# Print runbook to stdout\r\npython3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api\r\n\r\n# Write runbook file\r\npython3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api --owner platform --output docs/runbooks/payments-api.md\r\n```\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Recommended Workflow\r\n\r\n1. Generate the initial skeleton with `scripts/runbook_generator.py`.\r\n2. Fill in service-specific commands and URLs.\r\n3. Add verification checks and rollback triggers.\r\n4. Dry-run in staging.\r\n5. Store runbook in version control near service code.\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Reference Docs\r\n\r\n- `references/runbook-templates.md`\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Common Pitfalls\r\n\r\n- Missing rollback triggers or rollback commands\r\n- Steps without expected output checks\r\n- Stale ownership/escalation contacts\r\n- Runbooks never tested outside of incidents\r\n\r\n## Best Practices\r\n\r\n1. Keep every command copy-pasteable.\r\n2. Include health checks after every critical step.\r\n3. Validate runbooks on a fixed review cadence.\r\n4. Update runbook content after incidents and postmortems.",
    "user_template": ""
  },
  "variables": [],
  "install": {
    "steps": [
      {
        "title": "Download & unzip",
        "detail": "Download the .zip package from SkillVault and unzip it. The runbook-generator/ folder contains SKILL.md plus any companion scripts, references and assets."
      },
      {
        "title": "Copy into your agent skills directory",
        "detail": "Move the folder into your agent's skills directory — e.g. ~/.claude/skills/ (Claude Code), .codex/skills/, .cursor/skills/ or your project's .claude/skills/ folder — then restart or reload the session."
      },
      {
        "title": "Use it",
        "detail": "Describe the task in natural language; the agent loads the skill automatically when the request matches the skill description."
      }
    ]
  },
  "usage": {
    "steps": []
  },
  "metadata": {
    "author": "SkillVault",
    "source": "https://skillvault.top/skills/runbook-generator",
    "exported_at": "2026-11-03T07:43:59.259Z"
  }
}

format: aiskill/v1
skill:
  name: runbook-generator
  slug: runbook-generator
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >-
    Generate operational runbooks from a service name — deployment, incident response, maintenance,
    and rollback workflows. Templated structure customizable per environment. Use when documenting
    on-call procedures for a new service, standardizing incident response across teams, or producing
    runbooks before launching to production.
  category: Development
  tags:
    - engineering
  platforms:
    - chatgpt
    - claude-code
    - cursor
  tested_environment: >-
    Agent Skills convention (SKILL.md) — works with Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT/Codex and
    compatible agents
  license: MIT
prompts:
  system: "# Runbook Generator\r\n\r\n**Tier:** POWERFUL  \r\n**Category:** Engineering  \r\n**Domain:** DevOps / Site Reliability Engineering\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Overview\r\n\r\nGenerate operational runbooks quickly from a service name, then customize for deployment, incident response, maintenance, and rollback workflows.\r\n\r\n## Core Capabilities\r\n\r\n- Runbook skeleton generation from a CLI\r\n- Standard sections for start/stop/health/rollback\r\n- Structured escalation and incident handling placeholders\r\n- Reference templates for deployment and incident playbooks\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## When to Use\r\n\r\n- A service has no runbook and needs a baseline immediately\r\n- Existing runbooks are inconsistent across teams\r\n- On-call onboarding requires standardized operations docs\r\n- You need repeatable runbook scaffolding for new services\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Quick Start\r\n\r\n```bash\r\n# Print runbook to stdout\r\npython3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api\r\n\r\n# Write runbook file\r\npython3 scripts/runbook_generator.py payments-api --owner platform --output docs/runbooks/payments-api.md\r\n```\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Recommended Workflow\r\n\r\n1. Generate the initial skeleton with `scripts/runbook_generator.py`.\r\n2. Fill in service-specific commands and URLs.\r\n3. Add verification checks and rollback triggers.\r\n4. Dry-run in staging.\r\n5. Store runbook in version control near service code.\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Reference Docs\r\n\r\n- `references/runbook-templates.md`\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n## Common Pitfalls\r\n\r\n- Missing rollback triggers or rollback commands\r\n- Steps without expected output checks\r\n- Stale ownership/escalation contacts\r\n- Runbooks never tested outside of incidents\r\n\r\n## Best Practices\r\n\r\n1. Keep every command copy-pasteable.\r\n2. Include health checks after every critical step.\r\n3. Validate runbooks on a fixed review cadence.\r\n4. Update runbook content after incidents and postmortems."
  user_template: ""
variables: []
install:
  steps:
    - title: Download & unzip
      detail: >-
        Download the .zip package from SkillVault and unzip it. The runbook-generator/ folder
        contains SKILL.md plus any companion scripts, references and assets.
    - title: Copy into your agent skills directory
      detail: >-
        Move the folder into your agent's skills directory — e.g. ~/.claude/skills/ (Claude Code),
        .codex/skills/, .cursor/skills/ or your project's .claude/skills/ folder — then restart or
        reload the session.
    - title: Use it
      detail: >-
        Describe the task in natural language; the agent loads the skill automatically when the
        request matches the skill description.
usage:
  steps: []
metadata:
  author: SkillVault
  source: https://skillvault.top/skills/runbook-generator
  exported_at: "2026-11-03T07:43:59.259Z"