Execute use when constructing GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or Flux. Trigger with phrases like "create GitOps workflow", "setup ArgoCD", "configure Flux", or "automate Kubernetes deployments". Generates production-ready configurations, implements best practices, and ensures security-first approach for continuous deployment.
Construct GitOps workflows using ArgoCD or Flux to implement declarative, Git-driven continuous delivery for Kubernetes. Generate Application/Kustomization manifests, configure sync policies, set up multi-environment promotion, and implement RBAC and notification integrations.
Prerequisites
Kubernetes cluster accessible via kubectl with admin permissions
Git repository for storing Kubernetes manifests (separate from application code recommended)
ArgoCD or Flux installed on the cluster, or Helm charts ready for installation
Container images built and pushed to a registry accessible from the cluster
SSH key or access token for Git repository authentication from the cluster
Instructions
Choose the GitOps tool based on requirements: ArgoCD for UI-driven management, Flux for lightweight Git-native approach
Design the repository structure: environments/{dev,staging,prod}/ with Kustomize overlays or Helm values per environment
Generate ArgoCD Application or Flux Kustomization manifests pointing to the Git repository path for each environment
Configure sync policy: enable automated.selfHeal and automated.prune for non-production; use manual sync for production
Set up Git repository credentials as a Kubernetes Secret for the GitOps operator
Implement environment promotion: update the image tag in staging manifests, test, then promote to production via PR
Configure notifications: Slack/email alerts on sync success, failure, or health degradation via ArgoCD Notifications or Flux Alert Provider
Add RBAC: restrict who can sync production applications and who can modify GitOps configurations
Validate the setup: push a manifest change to Git and verify the GitOps operator detects and applies it within the sync interval
Output
ArgoCD Application or Flux Kustomization manifests per environment
Git repository structure with Kustomize bases and overlays
CI pipeline step to update image tags in the GitOps repository after build
Error Handling
Error
Cause
Solution
ComparisonError: Failed to load target state
Invalid manifest path or Git ref
Verify path: and targetRevision: in the Application manifest; check repo structure
Authentication failed for repository
SSH key or token not configured or expired
Create/update the Git credentials Secret; verify deploy key has read access
Application is OutOfSync but not syncing
Automated sync disabled or sync window closed
Enable automated: in syncPolicy or trigger manual sync with argocd app sync
Resource already exists and is not managed
Resource created outside of GitOps
Add the argocd.argoproj.io/managed-by annotation or delete the conflicting resource
Sync failed: health check timeout
Application pods not becoming ready after sync
Check pod logs; verify resource requests fit node capacity; increase health check timeout
Examples
"Set up ArgoCD with three Application manifests for dev, staging, and production, each pointing to a different Kustomize overlay in the GitOps repo."
"Configure Flux with automatic image updates: scan ECR for new tags matching v*, update the staging manifests, and create a PR for production promotion."
"Create an ArgoCD AppProject that restricts the production application to specific namespaces and requires manual sync with admin-only access."
