sysadmin-toolbox

Tool discovery and shell one-liner reference for sysadmin, DevOps, and security tasks. AUTO-CONSULT this skill when the user is: troubleshooting network issues, debugging processes, analyzing logs, working with SSL/TLS, managing DNS, testing HTTP endpoints, auditing security, working with containers, writing shell scripts, or asks 'what tool should I use for X'. Source: github.com/trimstray/the-book-of-secret-knowledge

224 stars

Best use case

sysadmin-toolbox is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Tool discovery and shell one-liner reference for sysadmin, DevOps, and security tasks. AUTO-CONSULT this skill when the user is: troubleshooting network issues, debugging processes, analyzing logs, working with SSL/TLS, managing DNS, testing HTTP endpoints, auditing security, working with containers, writing shell scripts, or asks 'what tool should I use for X'. Source: github.com/trimstray/the-book-of-secret-knowledge

Teams using sysadmin-toolbox should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/sysadmin-toolbox/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jdrhyne/agent-skills/main/skills/sysadmin-toolbox/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/sysadmin-toolbox/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How sysadmin-toolbox Compares

Feature / Agentsysadmin-toolboxStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Tool discovery and shell one-liner reference for sysadmin, DevOps, and security tasks. AUTO-CONSULT this skill when the user is: troubleshooting network issues, debugging processes, analyzing logs, working with SSL/TLS, managing DNS, testing HTTP endpoints, auditing security, working with containers, writing shell scripts, or asks 'what tool should I use for X'. Source: github.com/trimstray/the-book-of-secret-knowledge

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

# Sysadmin Toolbox

Curated tool recommendations and practical shell one-liners for operational work.

## When to Auto-Consult

Load relevant references when user is:
- Debugging network connectivity, ports, traffic
- Troubleshooting DNS or SSL/TLS
- Analyzing processes, memory, disk usage
- Working with logs or system diagnostics
- Writing shell scripts or one-liners
- Asking "what's a good tool for..."
- Doing security audits or pentesting
- Working with containers/Docker/K8s

## Bundled Guides

| File | Use When |
|------|----------|
| `shell-oneliners.md` in this skill's `references` folder | Need practical commands for: terminal, networking, SSL, curl, ssh, tcpdump, git, awk, sed, grep, find |
| `cli-tools.md` in this skill's `references` folder | Recommending CLI tools: shells, file managers, network utils, databases, security tools |
| `web-tools.md` in this skill's `references` folder | Web-based tools: SSL checkers, DNS lookup, performance testing, OSINT, scanners |
| `security-tools.md` in this skill's `references` folder | Pentesting, vulnerability scanning, exploit databases, CTF resources |
| `shell-tricks.md` in this skill's `references` folder | Shell scripting patterns and tricks |

## Safety Boundaries

- Do not run destructive system commands, privilege-escalation steps, or offensive tooling unless the user explicitly asked for that scope.
- Do not scan hosts, domains, or networks the user does not control or have permission to assess.
- Do not assume a command is safe to paste into production without explaining what it does.
- Do not persist logs, captures, or credentials outside the user's requested troubleshooting workflow.

## Quick Tool Index

### Network Debugging
- `mtr` - traceroute + ping combined
- `tcpdump` / `tshark` - packet capture
- `netstat` / `ss` - connection monitoring
- `nmap` - port scanning
- `curl` / `httpie` - HTTP testing

### DNS
- `dig` / `host` - DNS queries
- `dnsdiag` - DNS diagnostics
- `subfinder` / `amass` - subdomain enumeration

### SSL/TLS
- `openssl` - certificate inspection
- `testssl.sh` - TLS testing
- `sslyze` - SSL scanning
- `certbot` - Let's Encrypt

### Process/System
- `htop` / `btop` - process monitoring
- `strace` / `ltrace` - syscall/library tracing
- `lsof` - open files/connections
- `ncdu` - disk usage

### Log Analysis
- `lnav` - log navigator
- `GoAccess` - web log analyzer
- `angle-grinder` - log slicing

### Containers
- `dive` - Docker image analysis
- `ctop` - container top
- `lazydocker` - Docker TUI

## Keeping Current

References auto-refresh weekly (Sundays 5am ET) from the upstream repo:
```bash
~/clawd-duke-leto/skills/sysadmin-toolbox/scripts/refresh.sh
```

Manual refresh anytime:
```bash
./scripts/refresh.sh [skill-dir]
```

## Example Queries → Actions

**"Why is this port not responding?"**
→ Load shell-oneliners.md, search for netstat/ss/lsof commands

**"What's a good tool for testing SSL?"**
→ Load cli-tools.md SSL section, recommend testssl.sh or sslyze

**"Show me how to find large files"**
→ Load shell-oneliners.md, search for find/ncdu/du commands

**"I need to debug DNS resolution"**
→ Load shell-oneliners.md dig section + recommend dnsdiag from cli-tools.md

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