Runbook

1---2name: runbook3description: 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.4argument-hint: "<process or task name>"5---6 7# /runbook8 9> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md).10 11Create a step-by-step operational runbook for a recurring task or procedure.12 13## Usage14 15```16/runbook $ARGUMENTS17```18 19## Output20 21```markdown22## Runbook: [Task Name]23**Owner:** [Team/Person] | **Frequency:** [Daily/Weekly/Monthly/As Needed]24**Last Updated:** [Date] | **Last Run:** [Date]25 26### Purpose27[What this runbook accomplishes and when to use it]28 29### Prerequisites30- [ ] [Access or permission needed]31- [ ] [Tool or system required]32- [ ] [Data or input needed]33 34### Procedure35 36#### Step 1: [Name]37```38[Exact command, action, or instruction]39```40**Expected result:** [What should happen]41**If it fails:** [What to do]42 43#### Step 2: [Name]44```45[Exact command, action, or instruction]46```47**Expected result:** [What should happen]48**If it fails:** [What to do]49 50### Verification51- [ ] [How to confirm the task completed successfully]52- [ ] [What to check]53 54### Troubleshooting55| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |56|---------|-------------|-----|57| [What you see] | [Why] | [What to do] |58 59### Rollback60[How to undo this if something goes wrong]61 62### Escalation63| Situation | Contact | Method |64|-----------|---------|--------|65| [When to escalate] | [Who] | [How to reach them] |66 67### History68| Date | Run By | Notes |69|------|--------|-------|70| [Date] | [Person] | [Any issues or observations] |71```72 73## If Connectors Available74 75If **~~knowledge base** is connected:76- Search for existing runbooks to update rather than create from scratch77- Publish the completed runbook to your ops wiki78 79If **~~ITSM** is connected:80- Link the runbook to related incident types and change requests81- Auto-populate escalation contacts from on-call schedules82 83## Tips84 851. **Be painfully specific** — "Run the script" is not a step. "Run `python sync.py --prod --dry-run` from the ops server" is.862. **Include failure modes** — What can go wrong at each step and what to do about it.873. **Test the runbook** — Have someone unfamiliar with the process follow it. Fix where they get stuck.