Sealos Database

Use this skill to give a project a real Sealos Cloud database during development. The default outcome is: identify the app's database need, create or reuse a Sealos database with sealos-cli, fetch connection details, wire only the needed local env vars, and verify the app can connect.

Safety Rules

1. Never print database passwords or full connection strings in the final answer.
2. Do not overwrite an existing env value without confirming or preserving the old value.
3. Do not commit .env, .env.local, connection strings, passwords, kubeconfig, or Sealos auth files.
4. Ask before enabling public database access. Prefer private connections when the app runs inside Sealos/Devbox.
5. Ask before destructive operations: database delete, backup-delete, restoring over a name that may collide, or disabling access that an active app depends on.
6. Use JSON output from sealos-cli by default and parse it instead of scraping table output.

Workflow

1. Resolve the target project

Confirm the working directory with pwd or git rev-parse --show-toplevel.

Run the analyzer when a project directory is available:

node <SKILL_DIR>/scripts/analyze-project-database.mjs <project-dir>

Use the analyzer result as a starting point, then inspect the real files it cites before editing anything. It intentionally avoids printing secret values.

2. Check sealos-cli

Prefer an existing sealos-cli binary:

sealos-cli --version
sealos-cli database --help
sealos-cli whoami

If it is not installed, use npx -y sealos-cli@latest ... for one-off commands. Ask before installing it globally.

If auth is missing or expired, run:

sealos-cli login <region>
sealos-cli workspace list
sealos-cli workspace current

Use the workspace the user expects. If multiple workspaces exist and the target is ambiguous, ask before provisioning.

3. Choose create or reuse

List existing databases first:

sealos-cli database list -o json

Reuse an existing database when the name, type, and purpose match. Create a new one when the project has no suitable database or the user asks for a fresh dev database.

Use conservative development defaults unless the project clearly needs more:

sealos-cli database create postgresql --name <app-dev-db> --cpu 1 --memory 1 --storage 3 --replicas 1 -o json

Before creating, check supported versions if version choice matters:

sealos-cli database versions --type postgresql -o json

Supported CLI database types include postgresql, mongodb, mysql, apecloud-mysql, redis, kafka, qdrant, nebula, weaviate, milvus, pulsar, and clickhouse. Use the type detected from the project; default to postgresql only when the project has no database-specific signals.

4. Wait for readiness and fetch connection data

Poll details until the database is running or connection data is present:

sealos-cli database get <name> -o json
sealos-cli database connection <name> -o json

Read references/sealos-cli-database.md for the current command contract and response handling.

5. Wire the development environment

Map the connection into the env var the project already uses:

Use the existing local env convention:

1. Prefer .env.local for Next.js and frontend-adjacent projects.
2. Prefer .env only when the repo already uses it for local development and it is gitignored.
3. Treat .env.example as documentation only; never write real secrets there.
4. Preserve comments and unrelated keys.

If a connection string is not directly returned in the desired form, compose it from host, port, username, and password fields from sealos-cli database connection.

6. Verify application connectivity

Run the project's normal verification path, not just the CLI command:

1. Run migrations or introspection if the project has a clear command (prisma migrate, drizzle-kit migrate, db:migrate, db:push).
2. Start the app or run the smallest test that opens a DB connection.
3. If the app runs outside Sealos and cannot reach the private endpoint, ask before enabling public access:

sealos-cli database enable-public <name> -o json
sealos-cli database connection <name> -o json

Disable public access after testing if it is no longer needed:

sealos-cli database disable-public <name> -o json

7. Report the result

Summarize:

1. Database name, type, region/workspace, and status.
2. Env file and key updated, without revealing the secret value.
3. Verification command and outcome.
4. Any public access state and follow-up action.

Common Tasks

Connect an existing project to a Sealos database

1. Run the analyzer.
2. Inspect the env/config files it cites.
3. List existing Sealos databases.
4. Create or reuse the matching database.
5. Fetch connection details.
6. Write the expected env key.
7. Run the app's DB verification.

Replace a local Compose database for development

1. Identify the app service env vars that point at postgres, mysql, mongo, or redis compose services.
2. Provision the equivalent Sealos database.
3. Update only the app's local env file, not the compose file, unless the user asks to remove the local service.
4. Keep local Compose rollback simple: the original compose service remains available.

Add a database to a Devbox workflow

1. Use private database connection details when the Devbox runs in the same Sealos workspace.
2. Write env vars into the Devbox/app environment expected by the repo.
3. Restart or reload the Devbox process only after env vars are in place.

References

• scripts/analyze-project-database.mjs - read-only project database intent analyzer.
• references/sealos-cli-database.md - sealos-cli database command contract.
• references/env-integration.md - safe env-file editing and connection-string mapping.