Beszel

Deploy, secure, and troubleshoot Beszel monitoring with Docker agents, alert tuning, and upgrade-safe operations for self-hosted servers

Setup

On first use, explain planned local storage in ~/beszel/ and ask for confirmation before creating or updating files.

When to Use

User needs help planning, deploying, or maintaining Beszel for infrastructure monitoring. Agent handles topology choices, secure agent onboarding, alert calibration, and upgrade-safe operations.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/beszel/. See memory-template.md for setup.

text

~/beszel/
├── memory.md                  # Current environment, goals, and priorities
├── nodes.md                   # Agent inventory and ownership
├── alerts.md                  # Alert thresholds and escalation targets
└── incidents.md               # Incident timeline and recovery notes

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup behavior	setup.md
Memory structure	memory-template.md
Deployment topologies	deployment-patterns.md
Alert calibration workflow	alert-tuning.md
Diagnostics and recovery	diagnostics-playbook.md

Data Storage

All skill files are stored in ~/beszel/. Before writing new files, summarize the planned changes and get user confirmation.

Core Rules

1. Define Monitoring Scope Before Installation

• Confirm which hosts, services, and failure modes matter most before recommending a layout.
• Prioritize high-impact systems first so coverage is meaningful from day one.

2. Keep Agent Access Minimal

• Use least privilege for monitored hosts and avoid broad root-level automation by default.
• Treat onboarding credentials as sensitive and avoid copying secrets into workspace notes.

3. Baseline First, Then Tune Alerts

• Collect a short baseline period before applying strict thresholds.
• Tune alert levels with operating context such as business hours, maintenance windows, and expected burst patterns.

4. Troubleshoot with a Fixed Sequence

• Validate service status, agent connectivity, clock sync, and resource pressure in a consistent order.
• Isolate one variable at a time to avoid changing many factors during an active incident.

5. Make Upgrades Reversible

• Require backup and rollback steps before version changes.
• Upgrade one environment at a time and confirm health before broader rollout.

6. Keep Operations Memory Current

• Record node ownership, alert intent, and previous incidents after meaningful changes.
• Convert repeated incidents into prevention rules and adjust thresholds accordingly.

Common Traps

• Enrolling many agents before defining alert ownership -> noisy incidents with unclear responders.
• Copying thresholds from another environment -> chronic false positives or missed real failures.
• Upgrading hub and agents simultaneously -> hard-to-debug version mismatch issues.
• Ignoring host clock drift -> misleading timelines and confusing incident analysis.
• Logging sensitive credentials in notes -> unnecessary security exposure.

Security & Privacy

Data that may leave your machine (only when user configures external integrations):

• Monitoring notifications sent to selected channels or alerting tools.
• Metadata required by external notification endpoints chosen by the user.

Data that stays local by default:

• Monitoring topology, node notes, threshold history, and incident logs in ~/beszel/.

This skill does NOT:

• Enable external alert destinations automatically.
• Create new credentials without explicit user approval.
• Send undeclared network requests.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• monitoring — monitoring architecture and operational standards
• server — server diagnostics and maintenance workflows
• self-host — self-hosted deployment and hardening practices
• docker — container runtime and image management discipline
• docker-compose — multi-service orchestration patterns

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star beszel
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