Agent skill · data analytics · affaan-m
cisco-ios-patterns
Cisco IOS and IOS-XE review patterns for show commands, config hierarchy, wildcard masks, ACL placement, interface hygiene, and safe change-window verification. Use when reading, writing, or reviewing Cisco IOS / IOS-XE configuration or planning a change window.
Why this skill is useful
Provides detailed patterns and best practices for Cisco IOS and IOS-XE configurations that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 238,342 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Cisco IOS Patterns Use this skill when reviewing Cisco IOS or IOS-XE snippets, building a change-window checklist, or explaining how to collect evidence from a router or switch without making the incident worse. When to Use Reviewing IOS or IOS-XE configuration before a planned change. Choosing read-only show commands for troubleshooting. Checking ACL wildcard masks and interface direction. Explaining global, interface, routing process, and line configuration modes. Verifying that a change landed in running config and was saved intentionally. Operating Rules Treat IOS examples as patterns, not paste-ready production changes. Confirm the platform, interface names, current config, rollback path, and out-of-band access before making changes on a real device. Prefer this workflow: 1. Capture current state with read-only commands. 2. Review the exact candidate config. 3. Confirm management access cannot be locked out. 4. Apply the smallest change in a maintenance window. 5. Re-read state, compare to the baseline, then save only after validation. Mode Reference running-config is active memory. startup-config is what survives reload. Do not save a change just because a command was accepted; validate behavior first, then use copy running-config startup-config if the change is approved. Read-Only Collection Collect the specific section you need instead of dumping full config into a ticket when the config may contain secrets, customer names, or private topology. Wildcard Masks IOS ACL and many routing statements use wildcard masks, not subnet masks. Review wildcard masks before deployment. A subnet mask accidentally used as a wildcard can match far more traffic than intended. Every ACL has an implicit deny at the end. Add an explicit logged deny when the operational goal includes observing misses, and confirm logging volume is safe. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills affaan-m/cisco-ios-patterns--2bc761