querying-yaml

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Extracts specific fields from YAML files efficiently using yq instead of reading entire files, saving 80-95% context. Use this skill when querying YAML files, filtering/transforming configuration data, or getting specific field(s) from large YAML files like docker-compose.yml or GitHub Actions workflows

2installs

Sourceiota9star/my-skills

Added on2026-02-08

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add iota9star/my-skills querying-yaml

SKILL.md Content

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yq: YAML Query and Extraction Tool

Always invoke yq skill to extract YAML fields - do not execute bash commands directly.

Use yq to extract specific fields from YAML files without reading entire file contents, saving 80-95% context usage.

When to Use yq

Use yq when:

Need specific field(s) from structured YAML file
File is large (>50 lines) and only need subset of data
Querying nested structures in YAML
Filtering/transforming YAML data
Working with docker-compose.yml, GitHub Actions workflows, K8s configs

Just use Read when:

File is small (<50 lines)
Need to understand overall structure
Making edits (need full context anyway)

Tool Selection

JSON files → Use

jq

Common: package.json, tsconfig.json, lock files, API responses

YAML files → Use

yq

Common: docker-compose.yml, GitHub Actions, CI/CD configs

Both tools extract exactly what you need in one command - massive context savings.

Default Strategy

Invoke yq skill for extracting specific fields from YAML files efficiently. Use instead of reading entire files to save 80-95% context.

Common workflow: fd skill → yq skill → other skills (fzf, sd, bat) for extraction and transformation.

Pipeline Combinations

yq | fzf: Interactive selection from YAML data
yq | sd: Transform YAML to other formats
yq | bat: View extracted YAML with syntax highlighting

Skill Combinations

For Discovery Phase

fd → yq: Find YAML config files and extract specific fields
ripgrep → yq: Find YAML usage patterns and extract values
extracting-code-structure → yq: Understand API structures before extraction

For Analysis Phase

yq → fzf: Interactive selection from structured data
yq → bat: View extracted data with syntax highlighting
yq → tokei: Extract statistics from YAML output

For Refactoring Phase

yq → sd: Transform YAML data to other formats
yq → jq: Convert YAML to JSON for different tools
yq → xargs: Use extracted values as command arguments

Multi-Skill Workflows

yq → jq → sd → bat: YAML to JSON transformation with preview
yq → fzf → xargs: Interactive selection and execution based on YAML data
fd → yq → ripgrep: Find config files, extract values, search usage
docker-compose workflow: yq → fzf → nc (extract ports, test connectivity)

Common Integration Examples

bash

# Get service ports and test connectivity
yq '.services.*.ports' docker-compose.yml | sd - '[^0-9]' '' | fzf | xargs -I {} nc -zv localhost {}

# Extract and filter environment variables
yq '.services.*.environment' docker-compose.yml | sd '\s*-\s*' '' | fzf

Note: Choosing Between jq and yq

JSON files (package.json, tsconfig.json): Use
```
jq
```
YAML files (docker-compose.yml, GitHub Actions): Use
```
yq
```

Quick Examples