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troubleshoot-coredns

Diagnose CoreDNS failure archetypes using Netdata MCP health signals.

1|Updated Apr 17, 2026
Search Tags:#troubleshooting#mcp#kubernetes#netdata#coredns#incident triage#dns reliability
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/netdata/skills --skill troubleshoot-coredns
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: troubleshoot-coredns
Source: https://github.com/netdata/skills/tree/main/skills/troubleshoot-coredns
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/netdata/skills --skill troubleshoot-coredns

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

It helps diagnose and localize CoreDNS outages by mapping common failure archetypes (upstream black holes, cache collapse, Kubernetes API disconnect, memory blowouts, and forwarding loops) to the Netdata-observed health signals that reflect root cause.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Failure-mode triage tree for CoreDNS: Routes an on-call or engineering agent through a structured diagnostic path tailored to distinct CoreDNS failure archetypes rather than generic “is the pod up” checks.
  • Netdata MCP-driven signal verification: Uses MCP to query CoreDNS-specific Netdata contexts, pull recent anomalous metrics, and validate findings against load-bearing chart contexts.
  • Remediation confirmation loop: Recommends remediation and then instructs re-querying the same MCP verification set to confirm signals return to expected bands.
  • Use case: You get paged for elevated DNS errors/latency or CrashLoopBackOff in Kubernetes; this skill walks you through identifying whether the underlying cause matches upstream reachability, caching behavior, Kubernetes API connectivity, memory/OOM, or misconfigured forwarding loops.

Quick Start

Use the troubleshoot-coredns skill to diagnose why my CoreDNS service is failing (upstream unreachable, cache collapse, kubernetes api disconnect, memory blowout, or forwarding loop) and then recommend the remediation based on Netdata MCP health signals.

Frequently Asked Questions about troubleshoot-coredns

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I troubleshoot CoreDNS failures in Kubernetes?▼

Troubleshooting CoreDNS failures involves mapping incidents to failure archetypes like upstream black holes, cache collapse, and forwarding loops, then verifying root cause using Netdata MCP anomaly ranking and coredns.* metric queries.

What causes CoreDNS upstream black holes and how do I diagnose them?▼

CoreDNS upstream black holes occur when forwarding targets are unreachable; this skill diagnoses them by querying Netdata coredns.* metrics to identify throughput anomalies and validate upstream reachability during incident triage.

Can I use Netdata MCP to diagnose Kubernetes CoreDNS cache collapse?▼

Yes, you can use Netdata MCP to diagnose CoreDNS cache collapse by listing and querying coredns.* metrics, pulling recent anomalous health signals, and validating findings against load-bearing chart contexts.

How do I verify CoreDNS remediation after fixing a forwarding loop?▼

To verify CoreDNS remediation after fixing a forwarding loop, re-query the same Netdata MCP verification set of coredns.* metrics to confirm throughput and latency signals return to their expected baseline bands.

Does this skill diagnose CoreDNS memory blowouts and Kubernetes API disconnects?▼

Yes, this skill diagnoses CoreDNS memory blowouts and Kubernetes API disconnects by applying a structured triage tree that correlates Netdata anomaly ranking with specific failure archetypes during incident response.

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