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skill Claude Code CX Codex Cursor GitHub Copilot official · Anthropic

runbook — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

This skill turns a recurring operation into a step-by-step runbook with verification, failure handling, rollback, and escalation guidance.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓ 
npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbook -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What runbook does

The skill creates or updates an operational runbook for a recurring task. It breaks the procedure into exact actions, records the expected result and response to failure for each step, and covers purpose, prerequisites, verification, troubleshooting, rollback, escalation, and history.

The output is a Markdown document with sections for ownership, run frequency, commands, checks, and operational notes. When a knowledge base connector is available, the skill can search for an existing runbook and publish the completed version to an ops wiki. An ITSM connector can link the document to incident types and change requests, then populate escalation contacts from on-call schedules.

The source asks someone unfamiliar with the process to test the runbook. That matters because the procedure depends on concrete access, tools, and input data listed under prerequisites.

What it helps with

  • turn a recurring procedure into exact operational steps
  • record what to do when an individual step fails
  • define checks that confirm successful completion
  • document a rollback path for a failed change
  • map escalation situations to contacts and methods

Example prompts for the agent

  • `/runbook certificate renewal`
  • `/runbook restore a production backup`
  • `/runbook add troubleshooting and rollback to the existing deployment procedure`

How to install runbook

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbook -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/runbook/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/runbook/

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Questions about runbook

How do I install runbook in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbook -a claude-code, then run npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins --skill runbook -a claude-code again. The skill file is at ~/.claude/skills/runbook/SKILL.md.

What does the runbook skill do?

It creates or updates a step-by-step operational document for a recurring task. The structure includes prerequisites, verification, troubleshooting, rollback, escalation, and run history.

What do the knowledge base and ITSM connectors add?

The knowledge base connector can find an existing runbook and publish the finished document to an ops wiki. The ITSM connector links it to incident types and change requests and can fill escalation contacts from on-call schedules.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0 
---
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](../../CONNECTORS.md).

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

## Usage

```
/runbook $ARGUMENTS
```

## Output

```markdown
## 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.

© anthropics · Apache-2.0 · anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins

See also

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