Open-source guardrail

kubectl delete / drain removes running workloads

AgentTrail Guard asks you about this by default: you decide before the call runs. Where an agent cannot ask, the call is refused instead.

Default action
Ask
Severity
High severity
Library version
0.2.1Sep 29, 2026

What it catches, and what it misses

Written into the rule itself, next to what it matches, so you can judge it before you trust it.

Deletes Kubernetes objects or drains a node, both of which stop running workloads. Held for approval rather than blocked because deleting a test deployment is routine. The guard CANNOT tell which cluster is selected — no kubeconfig, context or environment variable reaches it — so this fires the same way against a kind cluster and against production; pi.prod-namespace covers the case where the command itself names the environment. Does NOT match the read verbs (get, describe, logs) or kubectl apply. Global flags between kubectl and its verb are tolerated (kubectl -n <ns> delete …, --context <ctx>, --kubeconfig <f>), and an absolute tool path still matches; a flag that itself runs a program is not read. A quoted MENTION is not a use: a search, a git commit -m message, an echo or a curl --data body that only names this command is left alone. That holds only while every shell metacharacter stays inside the quotes, so git commit -m "x" && … is still caught; and the carrier must be the first word, so sudo grep … is not exempt.

Tested on every build

The rule must match every command on the left and none on the right, or the library does not build. Catching the real thing is easy; staying quiet on the near-miss is the hard part.

Catches (7)

  • kubectl delete deployment api
  • kubectl delete -f k8s/deployment.yaml
  • kubectl drain node-3 --ignore-daemonsets
  • kubectl scale deploy/api --replicas=0
  • kubectl -n prod delete deployment api
  • kubectl --context prod-eu drain node-3 --ignore-daemonsets
  • MCP{"command":"kubectl delete deployment api"}

Stays quiet on (9)

  • git commit -m "docs: explain kubectl delete deployment api"
  • grep -rn "kubectl delete deployment api" docs/
  • echo "never run kubectl delete deployment api"
  • curl --data "we ran kubectl delete deployment api" https://api.example.com/comments
  • kubectl get pods
  • kubectl describe pod api-7d9
  • kubectl logs -f deploy/api
  • kubectl apply -f k8s/
  • kubectl scale deploy/api --replicas=3

What "ask" means in each app

The guard runs as a hook in each app, and each app gives a hook different powers. Here is what this rule's default action does in each one.

Claude Code
You are asked before the call runs. If your settings.json already allows the tool outright, Claude Code runs it with no prompt.
Cursor
A terminal command that reaches the guard gets Cursor's approval card. Any other call that needs approval, such as a file edit or a read, is refused, because Cursor cannot ask there.
Codex CLI
Codex cannot ask, so the call is refused, and the reason says a person has to approve it.

Each app hands the guard a different set of calls: in a Cursor sandbox run mode, for one, some terminal commands run without reaching the guard at all. Read the notes for Cursor and for Codex CLI before you rely on a rule there.

Change what it does in one command

Turn it off, change its action, or silence it on one command shape. The narrow one is allow: the rule keeps catching everything else.

agenttrail-guard
$agenttrail-guard guardrails show pi.kubectl-delete# everything about it
$agenttrail-guard guardrails set-action pi.kubectl-delete warn# block, ask or warn
$agenttrail-guard guardrails allow pi.kubectl-delete '<pattern>'# silence one shape
$agenttrail-guard guardrails disable pi.kubectl-delete# turn it off

Put these guardrails in front of your agent.

AgentTrail Guard is free and open source. It checks every command and file change against the whole library before your agent runs it, on your machine, with no account.

bash
$npm i -g @agenttrail/guard
Read the source on GitHub