Kubernetes Helm Charts Cursor Rules Template

Overview

This Cursor Rules Template explains how to configure Cursor AI for Kubernetes environments using Helm charts. It targets DevOps teams building and deploying apps on Kubernetes, offering a copyable .cursorrules block you can paste at project root. It covers Helm-based deployment, manifest validation, security hardening, and GitOps workflows while enforcing best practices for Kubernetes, Helm, and Cursor AI interactions.

Direct Answer

The rules provide an end-to-end safety net: scoped RBAC, secret hygiene, idempotent Helm templates, and tested manifests that Cursor AI can reason about to automate safe deployments.

When to Use These Cursor Rules

• When automating Kubernetes deployments via Helm charts in CI/CD pipelines.
• When validating generated manifests before applying to clusters.
• When enforcing namespace-scoped RBAC and restricted permissions.
• When integrating Helm charts with GitOps workflows in Kubernetes environments.
• When ensuring secrets are not stored in plaintext in repo values.
• When auditing deck-level changes to Helm templates and Kubernetes manifests.

Copyable .cursorrules Configuration

# Cursor Rules Template - Kubernetes Helm Charts for Cursor AI
framework: kubernetes
stack: kubernetes
name: "Kubernetes Helm Charts Cursor Rules for Cursor AI"
roleContext: "DevOps Engineer - Kubernetes Helm charts"
codeStyle: "yaml indent 2 spaces; lint with yamllint and helm lint"
architecture:
  manifestsDir: "manifests/"
  chartsDir: "charts/"
  templatesDir: "charts/my-app/templates/"
  valuesFiles: ["values.yaml", "charts/my-app/values.yaml"]
authenticationSecurity:
  serviceAccounts: "namespace-scoped; minimal privileges"
  secretsManagement: "External Secrets; do not commit literals"
  rbac: "restrictive; avoid cluster-wide roles"
security:
  runAsNonRoot: true
  readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
  allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
  imagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"
database:
  usage: "N/A"
testingLinting:
  unit: "helm lint; yamllint; kubeval"
  integration: "kind cluster; helm test (if available)"
  ci: "GitHub Actions or GitLab CI triggers on PRs"
antiPatterns:
  - "Do not store plaintext credentials in values.yaml"
  - "Do not bypass resource requests/limits"
  - "Do not install cluster-wide CRDs without review"
prohibitedActions:
  - "Avoid hostPath volumes by default"
  - "Do not enable privileged containers"
usageExamples:
  - "helm install my-app charts/my-app -f values.yaml"
  - "helm upgrade --install my-app charts/my-app -f values.yaml"
notes: "Adjust per cluster policy. Cursor AI will validate Helm templates and manifests against the defined constraints."

Recommended Project Structure

my-app/
  manifests/
    deployments/
    services/
    rbac/
    configmaps/
  charts/
    my-app/
      charts/
      templates/
      Chart.yaml
      values.yaml
  overlays/
  values.yaml

Core Engineering Principles

• Idempotent manifests and Helm templates that can be applied repeatedly with the same result.
• Declarative configuration driven by values.yaml and environment overlays.
• Principle of least privilege for all RBAC and service accounts.
• Do not embed secrets in code or values files; use external secret management.
• GitOps-first workflow with CI validation before deployment.
• Observability through logs, metrics, and events to monitor Helm releases and resources.

Code Construction Rules

• Write Helm templates with explicit apiVersion, kind, and metadata, avoiding deprecated fields.
• Use values.yaml to drive all template behavior; avoid hard-coding values in templates.
• Keep container images pinned to immutable tags and verify digests where possible.
• Validate all manifests with kubeval before applying to clusters in CI.
• Keep Helm charts small and composable; prefer charts/ and templates/ over large monolith templates.
• Document changes in CHANGELOG and publish Helm chart versioning per release.
• Do not bypass securityContext or allowPrivilegeEscalation in containers.

Security and Production Rules

• Enable readOnlyRootFilesystem and runAsNonRoot for all containers.
• Disable privilege escalation and limit capabilities to a minimal set.
• Use imagePullSecrets and private registries with short-lived tokens.
• Store secrets outside of Helm values; use External Secrets or Vault integrations.
• Implement namespace-scoped RBAC; avoid cluster-wide permissions unless absolutely required.
• Enforce network policies to isolate workloads where appropriate.

Testing Checklist

• Run helm lint and helm template to catch template errors early.
• Validate YAML with yamllint and Kubernetes OpenAPI with kubeval.
• Test rendering with helm template in a dry-run against a kind cluster.
• Run CI checks on PRs to ensure kubectl diff and chart lint are clean.
• Perform a dry-run of a full release in a staging cluster before production.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Storing secrets in values.yaml or repository; use external secret managers.
• Using hostPath volumes unless strictly necessary and reviewed.
• Disabling resource requirements for containers; neglecting resource requests/limits.
• Using deprecated API versions in manifests; keep manifests up to date.
• Overcomplicating Helm charts; keep templates maintainable and well-documented.

FAQ

What is a Cursor Rules Template for Kubernetes Helm charts?

A Cursor Rules Template defines a dedicated set of Cursor AI instructions for Kubernetes Helm chart workflows. It covers architecture, security, testing, and deployment practices so Cursor AI can assist safely in your Helm-based Kubernetes, providing a copyable .cursorrules block for integration into your project root.

How do I paste this into a .cursorrules file?

Copy the large instructions block under Copyable .cursorrules Configuration and paste into a new file named .cursorrules at your project root. Cursor AI will parse the blocks and enforce the rules during prompts, code generation, and review tasks related to Kubernetes Helm charts.

What stack specifics are covered?

This template targets Kubernetes with Helm charts, YAML manifests, and typical CI/CD workflows. It emphasizes RBAC, secret handling, Helm linting, YAML validation, and GitOps for a reliable Kubernetes deployment pipeline using Cursor AI.

What should I test before production?

Test Helm templates with helm lint, render manifests with helm template, validate YAML with kubeval, and run integration tests on a kind cluster. Ensure all RBAC, securityContext, and network policies are enforced and that values.yaml drives template behavior as designed.

Can I customize for dev, staging, and prod?

Yes. Use environment overlays or separate values files for each environment. Cursor Rules should enforce environment-specific constraints and ensure deployment artifacts remain idempotent across stages.