Provide CI/CD best practices and pipeline templates for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI, recommending configurations based on project type (frontend, backend, fullstack, library, monorepo, mobile).
SkillScore91Maintained
Automatic
◆DevOps & SRE pack
Last verified 8/10/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 16 of 22 without it.
Without skill73%
With skill91%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
specifies default image node:20-slim
specifies ubuntu-22.04 as the runner environment
uses __token__ as the username for PyPI authentication
and 2 more in the full report
5 fixed15 passed either way1 still failing1 broke
Pass-rate lift
+18 pp
Tokens
+171%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-20%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/10/2026v120 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 5 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 5
Prompt
I need a GitLab CI pipeline for a Django application with PostgreSQL integration tests. Developers usually run tests without services or push images on every branch commit. Produce a .gitlab-ci.yml configuration with test, image build, and deployment stages.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
includes postgres:16 as a service container in the test job
Missed
Passed
sets the deploy job rule to manual execution
Passed
Passed
case-03 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/10/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md645 linessingle file
CI/CD Configuration Best Practices
This skill provides CI/CD pipeline templates and best practices for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. It recommends configurations based on project type, helping teams quickly set up reliable, secure, and efficient pipelines.
How to Use
When a user describes their project (language, framework, deployment target), recommend the most appropriate pipeline template below. Adapt stages, caching strategies, and deployment steps to match their stack.
General Best Practices
Pipeline Design Principles
Fail fast: Run linting and unit tests before expensive integration or E2E tests.
Cache aggressively: Cache dependency directories (node_modules, .pip_cache, .m2, .gradle) to speed up builds.
Pin versions: Pin CI runner images, tool versions, and action versions to SHA or exact tags — never use latest.
Least privilege: Use minimal permissions for tokens and credentials. Prefer OIDC over long-lived secrets where supported.
Parallelize: Split test suites across parallel jobs. Use matrix builds for multi-version testing.
Immutable artifacts: Build once, promote the same artifact through staging → production.
Branch protection: Require CI to pass before merging. Use status checks on the default branch.
Security Checklist
Never hardcode secrets in pipeline files; use the platform's secret management (GitHub Secrets / GitLab CI Variables).
Audit third-party actions/images before use. Prefer official or verified sources.
Enable dependency scanning (Dependabot, GitLab Dependency Scanning) and SAST where possible.