vmware-aiops

# VMware AIops

> **Disclaimer**: This is a community-maintained open-source project and is **not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by VMware, Inc. or Broadcom Inc.** "VMware" and "vSphere" are trademarks of Broadcom. Source code is publicly auditable at [github.com/zw008/VMware-AIops](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-AIops) under the MIT license.

VMware family entry point — AI-powered VM lifecycle, deployment, and alarm management — 43 MCP tools.

> **Start here**: install vmware-aiops first, then add modules as needed.
> Run `vmware-aiops hub status` to see which family members are installed.
> **Family**: [vmware-monitor](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Monitor) (inventory/health), [vmware-storage](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Storage) (iSCSI/vSAN), [vmware-vks](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-VKS) (Tanzu Kubernetes), [vmware-nsx](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-NSX) (NSX networking), [vmware-nsx-security](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-NSX-Security) (DFW/firewall), [vmware-aria](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Aria) (metrics/alerts/capacity), [vmware-avi](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-AVI) (AVI/ALB/AKO), [vmware-harden](https://github.com/zw008/VMware-Harden) (compliance baselines).
> | [vmware-pilot](../vmware-pilot/SKILL.md) (workflow orchestration) | [vmware-policy](../vmware-policy/SKILL.md) (audit/policy)

## What This Skill Does

| Category | Tools | Count |
|----------|-------|:-----:|
| **VM Lifecycle** | power on/off, create, reconfigure, clone, migrate, delete, snapshot CRUD, TTL auto-delete, clean slate | 15 |
| **Deployment** | OVA, template, linked clone, batch clone/deploy | 8 |
| **Guest Ops** | exec commands, upload/download files, provision | 5 |
| **Plan/Apply** | multi-step planning with rollback | 4 |
| **Cluster** | create, delete, HA/DRS config, add/remove hosts | 6 |
| **Datastore** | browse files, scan for images | 2 |
| **Alarm Management** | list alarms, acknowledge, reset | 3 |

## Quick Install

```bash
uv tool install vmware-aiops
vmware-aiops doctor
vmware-aiops hub status   # see which family members are installed
```

## VMware Family — Install What You Need

vmware-aiops is the entry point. Add modules for additional capabilities:

| Module | Install | Adds |
|--------|---------|------|
| **vmware-monitor** | `uv tool install vmware-monitor` | Read-only inventory, alarms, events |
| **vmware-storage** | `uv tool install vmware-storage` | iSCSI, vSAN, datastore management |
| **vmware-vks** | `uv tool install vmware-vks` | Tanzu Kubernetes (vSphere 8.x+) |
| **vmware-nsx** | `uv tool install vmware-nsx-mgmt` | NSX networking: segments, gateways, NAT |
| **vmware-nsx-security** | `uv tool install vmware-nsx-security` | DFW microsegmentation, security groups |
| **vmware-aria** | `uv tool install vmware-aria` | Aria Ops metrics, alerts, capacity |
| **vmware-avi** | `uv tool install vmware-avi` | AVI load balancer, ALB, AKO, Ingress |

> Each module stays independent — small tool count keeps local models (Ollama, Qwen) accurate.

## When to Use This Skill

- Power on/off, create, delete, snapshot, clone, or migrate VMs
- Deploy VMs from OVA, templates, linked clones, or batch specs
- Run commands or transfer files inside a VM (Guest Operations)
- Create/configure clusters (HA/DRS)
- Browse datastores for deployable images
- Plan and execute multi-step operations with rollback
- List, acknowledge, and clear vCenter triggered alarms (clear matches by entity type + status — see MCP Tools section)

**Use companion skills for**:
- Inventory, health, alarms, VM info → `vmware-monitor`
- iSCSI, vSAN, datastore management → `vmware-storage`
- Tanzu Kubernetes (Supervisor, Namespace, TKC) → `vmware-vks`
- Load balancing, AVI/ALB, AKO, Ingress → `vmware-avi`

## Related Skills — Skill Routing

| User Intent | Recommended Skill |
|-------------|------------------|
| Read-only monitoring, zero risk | **vmware-monitor** (`uv tool install vmware-monitor`) |
| Storage: iSCSI, vSAN, datastores | **vmware-storage** (`uv tool install vmware-storage`) |
| VM lifecycle, deployment, guest ops | **vmware-aiops** ← this skill |
| Tanzu Kubernetes (vSphere 8.x+) | **vmware-vks** (`uv tool install vmware-vks`) |
| NSX networking: segments, gateways, NAT | **vmware-nsx** (`uv tool install vmware-nsx-mgmt`) |
| NSX security: DFW rules, security groups | **vmware-nsx-security** (`uv tool install vmware-nsx-security`) |
| Aria Ops: metrics, alerts, capacity | **vmware-aria** (`uv tool install vmware-aria`) |
| Multi-step workflows with approval | **vmware-pilot** |
| Compliance baselines (CIS / 等保 / PCI-DSS), drift detection, LLM remediation advisor | **vmware-harden** (`uv tool install vmware-harden`) |
| Load balancer, AVI, ALB, AKO, Ingress | **vmware-avi** (`uv tool install vmware-avi`) |
| Audit log query | **vmware-policy** (`vmware-audit` CLI) |

## Common Workflows

> **Diagnostic investigations**: Before remediating any "why is X slow / failing / down" issue, follow [`references/investigation-protocol.md`](references/investigation-protocol.md). It enforces the four root-cause completeness criteria (falsifiability / sufficiency / necessity / mechanism) and the up-to-three-rounds deepening loop. Only invoke L3+ write tools after the four criteria are satisfied AND the user has approved a remediation plan.

### Deploy a Lab Environment

**Pre-flight (judgment, not blind sequence)**:
- Free space: target datastore must have ≥ OVA size × 2 (delta files + thin-provision overhead). If multiple datastores qualify, prefer one with lowest current IOPS pressure (cross-check `vmware-aria` if available).
- Name hygiene: prefix with date or owner (`lab-2026-04-30-alice`) so the TTL cleanup audit trail is meaningful.
- TTL: always set. 480 min for a single test session, 7200 min for a week-long sandbox. **Never deploy a "lab" VM without a TTL** — that is how datastores fill up at 3 AM.
- Snapshot timing: take the baseline **after** provisioning succeeds, not before — a pre