VP Refactor Skill
Type: Process-oriented (no upstream repository)
Overview
The VP Refactor skill guides the AI assistant through auditing an existing Validated Pattern repository — including repos initialized with patternizer init — against the requirements for the VP Operator and the Sandbox/Tested/Maintained tier progression.
patternizer init generates the structural scaffolding (Makefiles, utility scripts, values file templates) but deliberately leaves the payload empty. Developers frequently stall during the “Day 2” phase — after initialization but before a functional deployment — because the generated configuration files require contextual data that the tool cannot infer: main.clusterGroupName, operator subscription fields, Helm chart paths, and secrets file locations. This skill bridges that gap with a structured 8-area audit.
When the AI Uses This Skill
Your AI assistant will activate this skill when you’re:
- Asking “what do I fill in after
patternizer init?” - Asking “why won’t
./pattern.sh make installwork?” - Preparing a pattern for Sandbox tier submission to validatedpatterns.io
- Fixing values files where operators are not deploying correctly
- Verifying the pattern works with the VP Operator (not just the CLI)
- Finding that
pattern-metadata.yamlis missing or incorrectly structured - Removing secrets that were accidentally committed to the repository
Do NOT use this skill when initializing a new pattern from scratch — use the Patternizer skill instead.
The 8-Area Audit
| # | Audit Area | What It Checks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Values file completeness | main.clusterGroupName routing, three mandatory blocks (namespaces, subscriptions, applications) |
| 2 | Operator subscription correctness | Catalog source, channel, and startingCSV via cluster query workflow |
| 3 | Charts directory structure | Minimum Helm chart anatomy at every path: in applications: |
| 4 | Secrets model compliance | --with-secrets, Vault+ESO setup, values-secret.yaml at ~/.config/validatedpatterns/ |
| 5 | VP Operator compatibility | CLI vs Operator differences, three required Operator form fields, fork URL requirement |
| 6 | pattern-metadata.yaml presence | Required for VP catalog visibility and tier submission |
| 7 | Sandbox tier checklist | Deployability, README, architecture diagram, support policy, open contribution |
| 8 | Imperative jobs assessment | CronJob structure, YAML list requirement, idempotency, 10-min schedule |
Key Architectural Concepts
Values File Routing
main.clusterGroupName in values-global.yaml acts as the topological router — ArgoCD uses this string to find the matching values-<string>.yaml file. A mismatch causes a silent deployment failure with no workloads deployed.
Dependency Chain
The three mandatory blocks in values-<cluster>.yaml must be populated in dependency order:
namespaces: → subscriptions: → applications:
↑ ↑ ↑
Must exist Must target Must target
before defined defined
operators namespaces namespaces
deploy
Secrets File Location
values-secret.yaml must never be committed to git. The make load-secrets target searches for it at:
~/.config/validatedpatterns/values-secret-<pattern_name>.yaml
Related Skills
| Skill | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Patternizer | Initialization skill — use for patternizer init and upgrade; vp-refactor audits what patternizer generates |
| Skill Researcher | Resolves open (RESEARCH NEEDED) placeholders in this skill’s audit areas |
See ADR-013 for the design rationale and ADR-014 for how open research questions are resolved.
Install
./install.sh install --skill vp-refactor