Object Manager

Skill: infrahub-managing-objects

The Object Manager produces and updates YAML data files for Infrahub infrastructure objects (devices, locations, organizations, interfaces, modules, and any custom node type). It applies the correct file structure, value mappings, and load order so files are ready to load into a running Infrahub instance.

When to use

• Creating initial data files for a new Infrahub instance
• Populating objects from a spreadsheet, CSV, or description
• Creating a batch of devices, interfaces, or IP addresses with consistent structure
• Generating test or demo data for a schema
• Adding new infrastructure objects to an existing instance
• Updating attributes or relationships on objects already defined in a data file, or working out why a file fails to load

What it produces

• YAML files with apiVersion, kind: Object, and a spec block
• Each file covers one or more objects of the same node type
• Supports multi-document YAML files (multiple objects in one file separated by ---)
• Supports expand_range: true for sequential interface/object generation (e.g., eth0 through eth47)
• Output respects load order: schemas must be loaded before objects

Example prompts

• "Create object files for 3 spine switches and 6 leaf switches with loopback interfaces"
• "Populate 5 locations: 2 regions, 2 sites within each region, and a rack in each site"
• "Generate 48 interfaces on a device named spine-01 using expand_range"
• "Create organization objects for Cisco, Juniper, and Arista as manufacturers"
• "Change the rack assignment on leaf-03 through leaf-06 and fix whatever is breaking the load"

Key rules enforced

• File structure: apiVersion, kind: Object, spec with nodes list; missing any of these causes load failure
• Value mapping: Text values wrapped in value: key; Dropdown fields use the choice name not the label; relationship references use the node's human_friendly_id value
• Children and hierarchy: child objects (e.g., interfaces on a device) use the correct nesting structure with kind: specified
• Load order: objects referencing other objects (e.g., interfaces referencing a device) must be in the right file or the right order within a multi-document file
• Numeric file prefixes: files are named with numeric prefixes (e.g., 01_organizations.yml, 02_locations.yml) to enforce load order
• Profiles and templates: assigns shared defaults via a profiles: list (explicit values override), creates objects from a template via object_template, and authors template objects under the generated Template<Kind> kind, with the referenced profile or template loaded first

Common mistakes it catches

Mistake	What the skill does instead
Missing value: wrapper on text attributes	Wraps all text values in value:
Using Dropdown label instead of name	Uses the choice name (e.g., "active" not "Active")
Relationship references that don't match human_friendly_id	Uses the correct identifier value
Incorrect nesting for child objects	Applies the correct children structure with kind:
Load order violations	Orders files and documents so dependencies are satisfied

Loading it

Load object files into a running Infrahub instance:

infrahubctl object load <file>

warning

Load schemas before objects. Objects that reference node types not yet in the schema will fail to load.