mcpField
R
runbook

runbook

github.com/anthropicsCloud & DevOps33.6k3.1k installsUpdated 1d ago
Repository

About runbook

runbook is a skill for creating step-by-step procedures for recurring tasks, aimed at operations teams and others documenting processes. It emphasizes precise instructions, expected results, failure handling, and verification.

Key features

  1. 01Generate step-by-step procedures
  2. 02Record owners and execution frequency
  3. 03Specify expected results and failure actions
  4. 04Include verification and troubleshooting

Use cases

  1. 01Document recurring operations
  2. 02Hand off procedures across a team
  3. 03Describe responses to operational failures

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbook

After installing, type/runbookin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

/runbook

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Create a step-by-step operational runbook for a recurring task or procedure.

Usage

/runbook $ARGUMENTS

Output

## Runbook: [Task Name]
**Owner:** [Team/Person] | **Frequency:** [Daily/Weekly/Monthly/As Needed]
**Last Updated:** [Date] | **Last Run:** [Date]

### Purpose
[What this runbook accomplishes and when to use it]

### Prerequisites
- [ ] [Access or permission needed]
- [ ] [Tool or system required]
- [ ] [Data or input needed]

### Procedure

#### Step 1: [Name]

[Exact command, action, or instruction]

**Expected result:** [What should happen]
**If it fails:** [What to do]

#### Step 2: [Name]

[Exact command, action, or instruction]

**Expected result:** [What should happen]
**If it fails:** [What to do]

### Verification
- [ ] [How to confirm the task completed successfully]
- [ ] [What to check]

### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------------|-----|
| [What you see] | [Why] | [What to do] |

### Rollback
[How to undo this if something goes wrong]

### Escalation
| Situation | Contact | Method |
|-----------|---------|--------|
| [When to escalate] | [Who] | [How to reach them] |

### History
| Date | Run By | Notes |
|------|--------|-------|
| [Date] | [Person] | [Any issues or observations] |

If Connectors Available

If ~~knowledge base is connected:

  • Search for existing runbooks to update rather than create from scratch
  • Publish the completed runbook to your ops wiki

If ~~ITSM is connected:

  • Link the runbook to related incident types and change requests
  • Auto-populate escalation contacts from on-call schedules

Tips

  1. Be painfully specific — "Run the script" is not a step. "Run python sync.py --prod --dry-run from the ops server" is.
  2. Include failure modes — What can go wrong at each step and what to do about it.
  3. Test the runbook — Have someone unfamiliar with the process follow it. Fix where they get stuck.

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