Diagnosing CockroachDB Helm Deployments

Diagnoses CockroachDB Helm install, upgrade, and readiness failures for operator-managed clusters. Keep the flow customer-facing: collect read-only evidence, classify the failure, and propose the smallest safe remediation. If the issue needs TSC escalation or deep operator forensics, use collecting-cockroachdb-operator-escalation-packet.

When to Use This Skill

• helm install or helm upgrade fails
• CrdbCluster.status.observedGeneration is behind metadata.generation
• CrdbCluster.status.reconciled is false or missing
• CockroachDB pods are Pending, Init, CrashLoopBackOff, Running but not Ready, or stuck on an old image
• The operator Deployment is unavailable, silent, or not reconciling
• Errors mention RBAC, CRDs, TLS, certificates, webhooks, node locality, PVCs, DNS, upgrades, scale operations, decommissioning, or multi-region networking

Related Skills

• Use collecting-cockroachdb-operator-escalation-packet when the customer needs to escalate or when TSC asks for a complete data bundle.
• Use debugging-cockroachdb-operator-migrations for Helm StatefulSet or public operator migration problems.
• Use configuring-cockroachdb-helm-tls for TLS provider selection and certificate validation.
• Use validating-cockroachdb-helm-multiregion for cross-region DNS, networking, and certificate checks.

Inputs

• Exact failed command and stderr
• Operator namespace, operator Helm release name, and operator chart version
• CockroachDB namespace, CockroachDB Helm release name, and CockroachDB chart version
• Values file or --set values used
• Kubernetes context and Kubernetes version
• CockroachDB image/version and operator image/version
• Whether this is install, upgrade, scale up/down, certificate rotation, migration, maintenance, or recovery
• What the customer already tried, in order

Safety Considerations

• Collect evidence before retrying. Repeated Helm or kubectl attempts can obscure the original failure.
• Do not delete PVCs, Secrets, CrdbCluster, or CrdbNode resources unless the user explicitly asks for teardown and understands data impact.
• Do not manually edit CrdbCluster.status; the operator owns status.
• Do not run cockroach init on an existing cluster.
• Do not change service settings such as publishNotReadyAddresses without operator-team guidance.
• Do not delete version checker jobs or pods during an upgrade until their status and logs are collected.
• Do not restart or scale down the operator during an active rollout, decommission, or migration unless basic evidence has already been collected.
• Do not uninstall the operator before checking whether it manages other namespaces or clusters.

Execution Discipline

• Execute one step at a time and inspect the output before moving on. Do not run whole sections, unrelated command groups, or later diagnostic branches in parallel; earlier output determines which later checks are relevant.
• Treat commands as templates. Substitute namespaces, release names, chart names, and pod names deliberately before running anything.
• Do not run any mutating command unless the user explicitly approves it for the target cluster. This includes kubectl patch, kubectl annotate, kubectl delete, kubectl scale, kubectl rollout restart, helm upgrade, drain/decommission commands, and interactive kubectl exec or kubectl debug shells.
• In production or whenever the impact is unclear, stop and escalate to TSE or the operator team before pprof/metrics collection, debug containers, timestamp-based rolling restarts, mode changes, operator restarts, scale changes, or decommission actions.

Step 1: Collect Baseline State

# Helm release state
helm -n <operator-namespace> status <operator-release> || true
helm -n <cockroachdb-namespace> status <cockroachdb-release> || true
helm -n <operator-namespace> history <operator-release> || true
helm -n <cockroachdb-namespace> history <cockroachdb-release> || true

# Operator state
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get deploy,pod,svc -o wide | grep -E 'cockroach-operator|NAME'
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> logs -l app=cockroach-operator --tail=200 || true

# CRD and CockroachDB resources
kubectl get crd crdbclusters.crdb.cockroachlabs.com crdbnodes.crdb.cockroachlabs.com
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbcluster,crdbnode,pod,svc,endpoints,pvc,pdb -o wide
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> describe crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> || true
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get events --sort-by=.lastTimestamp | tail -50

For a stuck pod or node:

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> describe pod <crdb-pod>
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> logs <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb --tail=200
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> logs <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb --previous
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> describe crdbnode <crdbnode-name>

Step 2: Classify the Failure

CRD and Operator Readiness

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> rollout status deploy/cockroach-operator --timeout=5m
kubectl get crd crdbclusters.crdb.cockroachlabs.com -o jsonpath='{.spec.versions[*].name}{"\n"}'
kubectl get crd crdbnodes.crdb.cockroachlabs.com -o jsonpath='{.spec.versions[*].name}{"\n"}'
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get deploy cockroach-operator -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}{"\n"}'

Remediation:

• Install or upgrade the operator chart first.
• Wait for the operator Deployment before installing the CockroachDB chart.
• For split charts, upgrade the operator chart before the CockroachDB chart.
• Check the Helm chart changelog for version-specific operator fixes before deep debugging older releases.

Operator Health

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get pods -l app=cockroach-operator -o wide
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> describe pod <operator-pod>
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> logs -l app=cockroach-operator --tail=100
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get deploy cockroach-operator -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].env}{"\n"}'

Interpretation:

• CrashLoopBackOff: collect previous logs and check for panics.
• OOMKilled: inspect limits and consider increasing operator memory.
• Empty or unset WATCH_NAMESPACE: global mode.
• Non-empty WATCH_NAMESPACE: the operator watches only listed namespaces.
• If the CockroachDB namespace is not watched, deploy an operator for it or add it to the watch scope.

Check recent logs to see whether reconciliation is active:

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> logs -l app=cockroach-operator --tail=100 | grep -i reconcil || true

Do not add ad hoc annotations to trigger reconciliation. If a user-approved reconcile-triggering change is required, use the chart-supported timestamp path through helm upgrade --reuse-values; this updates helm.sh/restartedAt and may roll CockroachDB pods, so treat it as a mutating operation:

helm -n <cockroachdb-namespace> upgrade <cockroachdb-release> <cockroachdb-chart> \
  --reuse-values \
  --set-string cockroachdb.crdbCluster.timestamp="$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"

If the operator is healthy but silent and no user-approved mutation is appropriate, use collecting-cockroachdb-operator-escalation-packet to gather pprof and metrics before restarting it.

RBAC and Node-Reader Failures

Common error:

attempt to grant extra privileges

Cause:

• The installing principal cannot create cluster-scoped RBAC.
• CockroachDB pods need node read access to derive locality.

Checks:

kubectl auth can-i create clusterroles.rbac.authorization.k8s.io
kubectl auth can-i create clusterrolebindings.rbac.authorization.k8s.io
kubectl auth can-i get nodes

Remediation options:

• Platform team installs the operator chart with nodeReader.enabled=true and subjects matching the CockroachDB ServiceAccount.
• Tenant chart sets cockroachdb.crdbCluster.rbac.nodeReader.create=false only after the platform-owned binding exists.
• If the customer accepts cluster-admin install privileges, rerun the Helm operation with an identity that can create the required ClusterRole and ClusterRoleBinding.

Do not set nodeReader.create=false before replacement RBAC exists.

Webhook Checks

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get svc cockroach-webhook-service
kubectl -n <operator-namespace> get endpoints cockroach-webhook-service
kubectl get validatingwebhookconfigurations | grep cockroach

If webhook validation fails, verify the CA bundle:

kubectl get validatingwebhookconfiguration cockroach-webhook-config \
  -o jsonpath='{.webhooks[0].clientConfig.caBundle}' | base64 -d | openssl x509 -noout -dates -subject -issuer

For scoped operators, webhook configurations may be namespace-suffixed, such as cockroach-webhook-config-<namespace>.

Reconciliation Not Progressing

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> -o json | jq '{
  mode: .spec.mode,
  image: .spec.image,
  generation: .metadata.generation,
  observedGeneration: .status.observedGeneration,
  statusImage: .status.image,
  actions: .status.actions,
  conditions: .status.conditions
}'

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbnodes \
  -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,GENERATION:.metadata.generation,OBSERVED:.status.observedGeneration,PHASE:.status.phase,HASH:.metadata.annotations["crdb.cockroachlabs.com/hash-revision"],NODE_ID:.status.nodeID

Checklist:

1. Confirm the operator is running and watching the CockroachDB namespace.
2. Confirm spec.mode is not Disabled.
3. Check whether initialization conditions look correct for an existing cluster.
4. Check operator logs for reconcile start/end pairs and errors.
5. If no progress is visible, collect the escalation packet before restarting the operator.

Pod Readiness and CRDB Issues

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=cockroachdb -o wide
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> describe pod <crdb-pod>
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> logs <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb --tail=200
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> logs <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb --previous
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get pod <crdb-pod> -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[0].readinessProbe}{"\n"}'
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=cockroachdb \
  -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,IMAGE:.spec.containers[0].image,PHASE:.status.phase,READY:.status.containerStatuses[0].ready,NODE:.spec.nodeName

Common pod issues:

• Pending during upgrade: old pods may still carry pre-upgrade scheduling or affinity constraints.
• CrashLoopBackOff: inspect storage errors, TLS errors, join address failures, and previous logs.
• Running but not Ready: check the readiness probe, CRDB health endpoint, certificate trust, join service, and whether the node is recovering.

Upgrade and Version Validation

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> -o json | jq '{
  specImage: .spec.image,
  statusImage: .status.image,
  actions: .status.actions,
  conditions: [.status.conditions[]? | select(.type | test("Upgrade|Version|Validate"))]
}'

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> -o jsonpath='{.metadata.annotations}{"\n"}' | jq .
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get jobs
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> describe job <version-checker-job>
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> logs -l job-name=<version-checker-job>
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=cockroachdb \
  -o custom-columns=NAME:.metadata.name,IMAGE:.spec.containers[0].image,REVISION:.metadata.annotations["crdb\.cockroachlabs\.com/hash-revision"],PHASE:.status.phase

Interpretation:

• If spec.image differs from status.image, an upgrade is in progress or stuck.
• If a rejected-image annotation exists, inspect its value; the operator rejected the target version.
• If the version checker job exists but the pod is gone, use job status and operator logs for validation messages.
• Do not delete version checker jobs or pods until their status and logs are captured.

DNS, Service, and Network Issues

The operator creates separate service paths for pod DNS and join traffic. Do not change service settings without operator-team guidance.

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get service <cockroachdb-release> -o yaml
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get service <cockroachdb-release>-join -o yaml
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get endpoints <cockroachdb-release>
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get endpoints <cockroachdb-release>-join

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> exec <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb -- \
  nslookup <cockroachdb-release>.<cockroachdb-namespace>.svc.cluster.local 2>&1 || true

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> exec <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb -- \
  nslookup <cockroachdb-release>-join.<cockroachdb-namespace>.svc.cluster.local 2>&1 || true

For multi-region checks, use validating-cockroachdb-helm-multiregion.

TLS and Certificate Failures

Use configuring-cockroachdb-helm-tls for TLS mode selection and detailed certificate checks.

Quick checks:

helm template <release> <chart> -n <namespace> -f values.yaml >/tmp/rendered.yaml
kubectl -n <namespace> get secret,configmap | grep -E 'cockroach|crdb|cert|ca|tls'
kubectl -n <namespace> get crdbcluster <release> -o yaml | grep -A20 certificates
kubectl -n <namespace> get pod <crdb-pod> -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[*].name}{"\n"}'
kubectl -n <namespace> logs <crdb-pod> -c cert-reloader --tail=100

Remediation:

• Ensure exactly one TLS provider is enabled.
• Ensure self-signer caProvided=true has a valid caSecret.
• Ensure cert-manager Issuer or ClusterIssuer exists and Certificate resources become Ready.
• Ensure external certificate Secrets and CA ConfigMap have expected keys and share a trust root.
• Collect expiry, subject, issuer, and SANs, but do not print private key contents.

Pod Scheduling and Storage Failures

kubectl -n <namespace> describe pod <pod-name>
kubectl -n <namespace> get pvc -o wide
kubectl get storageclass
kubectl get nodes -L topology.kubernetes.io/region,topology.kubernetes.io/zone
kubectl -n <namespace> exec <crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb -- df -h /cockroach/cockroach-data

Common causes:

• PVCs cannot bind because no default StorageClass exists or storageClassName is wrong.
• Topology spread constraints cannot be satisfied because node zone labels are missing or insufficient.
• Node resources are too small for requested CPU/memory.
• Image pull failures from registry policy or air-gapped environments.
• Migrated PVCs may be missing ownerReferences; use the migration debugging skill before deleting anything.

Scale Down and Decommission

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> exec <ready-crdb-pod> -c cockroachdb -- \
  /cockroach/cockroach node status --decommission

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> get crdbnodes -o json | jq '[.items[] | select(.status.phase=="Decommissioning")] | {count: length, nodes: [.[].metadata.name]}'

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> logs -l app=cockroach-operator --tail=300 | grep -Ei 'decommission|drain|scale|blocking_ranges' || true

Questions to answer:

• What was the original and target node count?
• Were multiple nodes scaled down at the same time?
• Were manual decommission or drain commands issued?
• Did any pods or PVCs get deleted manually?

Temporary Mitigations

Only use these after collecting evidence and confirming the risk with the customer or operator team.

Disable reconciliation for one cluster:

kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> patch crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> --type=merge -p '{"spec":{"mode":"Disabled"}}'

# Resume reconciliation:
kubectl -n <cockroachdb-namespace> patch crdbcluster <cockroachdb-release> --type=merge -p '{"spec":{"mode":"MutableOnly"}}'

Restart the operator after evidence is collected:

kubectl -n <operator-namespace> rollout restart deploy/cockroach-operator

User-approved timestamp rolling restart:

helm -n <cockroachdb-namespace> upgrade <cockroachdb-release> <cockroachdb-chart> \
  --reuse-values \
  --set-string cockroachdb.crdbCluster.timestamp="$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"

Output Format

Return findings in this order:

1. Failure class
2. Evidence: exact command output or Kubernetes status field
3. Root cause or most likely cause
4. Minimal remediation
5. Verification command
6. Data/availability risk, if any
7. Whether escalation packet collection is needed

References

• CockroachDB Helm Chart Versioning
• Operator Helm Chart README
• CockroachDB Helm Chart README
• v1alpha1 to v1beta1 Migration Guide
• CockroachDB Docs: Kubernetes troubleshooting