Use when customizing Kubernetes configurations without templates using Kustomize overlays and patches.
View on GitHubTheBushidoCollective/han
jutsu-kustomize
January 24, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han/blob/main/jutsu/jutsu-kustomize/skills/kustomize-basics/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill kustomize-basicsInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/kustomize-basics/# Kustomize Basics
Kubernetes configuration customization without templates.
## Basic Structure
```
app/
├── base/
│ ├── kustomization.yaml
│ ├── deployment.yaml
│ └── service.yaml
└── overlays/
├── development/
│ └── kustomization.yaml
└── production/
└── kustomization.yaml
```
## Base Kustomization
```yaml
# base/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- deployment.yaml
- service.yaml
commonLabels:
app: myapp
namePrefix: myapp-
images:
- name: myapp
newTag: v1.0.0
```
## Overlay Kustomization
```yaml
# overlays/production/kustomization.yaml
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
bases:
- ../../base
replicas:
- name: myapp-deployment
count: 5
images:
- name: myapp
newTag: v2.0.0
patches:
- patch: |-
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: myapp-deployment
spec:
template:
spec:
containers:
- name: myapp
resources:
limits:
memory: "1Gi"
cpu: "1000m"
```
## Common Commands
```bash
# Build kustomization
kustomize build base/
# Build overlay
kustomize build overlays/production/
# Apply with kubectl
kubectl apply -k overlays/production/
# Diff before apply
kubectl diff -k overlays/production/
```
## Transformers
### Common Labels
```yaml
commonLabels:
app: myapp
environment: production
```
### Name Prefix/Suffix
```yaml
namePrefix: prod-
nameSuffix: -v2
```
### Namespace
```yaml
namespace: production
```
### Config Map Generator
```yaml
configMapGenerator:
- name: app-config
files:
- config.properties
literals:
- LOG_LEVEL=info
```
### Secret Generator
```yaml
secretGenerator:
- name: app-secrets
literals:
- password=secret123
```
## Best Practices
### Use Bases for Common Configuration
Keep common configuration in