runbook
anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
Create step-by-step operational runbooks to turn tribal knowledge into repeatable procedures with troubleshooting and escalation paths.
What is runbook?
Generate or update operational runbooks for recurring tasks that on-call and ops teams need to execute reliably. Use this to document procedures with exact commands, failure modes, rollback steps, and escalation contacts—transforming informal knowledge into formal, testable documentation.
- Generate structured runbooks with prerequisites, step-by-step procedures, and expected outcomes
- Add troubleshooting tables mapping symptoms to causes and fixes
- Include rollback procedures for undoing changes if something goes wrong
- Define escalation paths with contacts and communication methods
- Integrate with knowledge base systems to search and publish existing runbooks
- Link runbooks to incident types and change requests via ITSM connectors
How to install runbook
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbookHow to use runbook
- 1.Invoke the skill with the process or task name you want to document
- 2.Provide details about the task: frequency, owner, prerequisites, and exact steps
- 3.Include specific commands, expected results, and failure handling for each step
- 4.Add a troubleshooting table with symptoms, causes, and fixes
- 5.Define rollback procedures and escalation contacts
- 6.Review and test the runbook with someone unfamiliar with the process
Use cases
- Document a database backup and restore procedure with failure recovery steps
- Create a deployment runbook with pre-flight checks, rollback instructions, and on-call escalation
- Turn an ad-hoc incident response process into a repeatable runbook with troubleshooting tables
- Update an existing procedure by adding new failure modes and escalation contacts
- Formalize a manual data sync task with exact commands and verification steps
- On-call engineers and SREs
- Operations and DevOps teams
- Incident response coordinators
- Knowledge managers documenting tribal knowledge
- Team leads standardizing recurring procedures
runbook FAQ
Be painfully specific. Instead of 'Run the script,' write 'Run `python sync.py --prod --dry-run` from the ops server.' Include exact commands, file paths, and expected output.
Use the skill to add troubleshooting steps, rollback procedures, or escalation paths to an existing runbook. If a knowledge base is connected, the skill can search for and update the existing document.
Yes, if an ITSM connector is available, the skill can link the runbook to related incident types and change requests, and auto-populate escalation contacts from on-call schedules.
Have someone unfamiliar with the process follow it step-by-step. Fix any places where they get stuck or need clarification.
Create a table with three columns: Symptom (what you observe), Likely Cause (why it happened), and Fix (what to do). Cover failure modes at each step.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins.
name: runbook description: Create or update an operational runbook for a recurring task or procedure. Use when documenting a task that on-call or ops needs to run repeatably, turning tribal knowledge into exact step-by-step commands, adding troubleshooting and rollback steps to an existing procedure, or writing escalation paths for when things go wrong. argument-hint: "<process or task name>"
/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
- Be painfully specific — "Run the script" is not a step. "Run
python sync.py --prod --dry-runfrom the ops server" is. - Include failure modes — What can go wrong at each step and what to do about it.
- Test the runbook — Have someone unfamiliar with the process follow it. Fix where they get stuck.
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