troubleshoot-cassandra

Classify Apache Cassandra symptoms into failure archetypes using Netdata MCP evidence.

1|Updated Apr 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/netdata/skills --skill troubleshoot-cassandra
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: troubleshoot-cassandra
Source: https://github.com/netdata/skills/tree/main/skills/troubleshoot-cassandra
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/netdata/skills --skill troubleshoot-cassandra

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

It helps diagnose Apache Cassandra production incidents by turning confusing symptoms (GC spiral, compaction spiral, tombstone storm, disk exhaustion, hint overflow) into a structured triage path with concrete Netdata signals.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Guided failure-pattern triage: Maps observed behavior to dominant Cassandra failure archetypes and orders investigation by the operator playbook’s signal domains.
  • Netdata-native evidence via MCP: Uses MCP queries to validate node liveness, transport health, request rate/latency, and related signals from the Netdata Cassandra collector.
  • Actionable remediation verification: Recommends remediation pointers and verifies the fix by re-checking the same load-bearing contexts to confirm signals return to expected bands.

Use case: An on-call engineer is paged for elevated Cassandra errors and latency, and needs to quickly determine whether the incident matches GC pressure, compaction backlog, tombstone amplification, disk space constraints, or hint backlog inconsistencies.

Quick Start

Ask: "Diagnose Apache Cassandra issues for host <hostname> with Netdata MCP and determine whether it is a GC death spiral, compaction death spiral, tombstone storm, disk space exhaustion, or hint overflow, then verify the likely fix using the required load-bearing metrics."

Frequently Asked Questions about troubleshoot-cassandra

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I troubleshoot Apache Cassandra incidents using observability metrics?

Troubleshoot Apache Cassandra incidents by classifying symptoms into dominant failure archetypes and guiding signal-driven triage via Netdata MCP evidence. The Skill maps observed behaviors like GC pauses and compaction backlog to structured investigation paths using concrete metrics.

What causes elevated latency and errors in Cassandra during an on-call incident?

Elevated Cassandra latency and errors typically match failure archetypes such as GC death spiral, compaction death spiral, tombstone storm, disk space exhaustion, or hint overflow. The Skill classifies these symptoms to determine the root cause and guide remediation.

How do I verify a Cassandra remediation fix was successful?

Verify Cassandra remediation success by re-running the same Netdata MCP queries used during triage to confirm that node liveness, client request rate, and latency metrics return to their expected bands.

Can I use Netdata MCP to triage Cassandra node liveness and transport health?

Yes, Netdata MCP queries validate Cassandra node liveness, transport health, and client request rate and latency. The Skill uses this evidence to support on-call and SRE troubleshooting scenarios for persistent service-health anomalies.

When do I need to investigate Cassandra tombstone amplification and compaction backlog?

Investigate Cassandra tombstone amplification and compaction backlog when experiencing persistent service-health anomalies or elevated errors. The Skill orders investigation by operator playbook signal domains to identify these specific failure patterns.