helm list: Usage, Options & Common CI Errors

See every release, its revision, and its status.

helm list (alias ls) enumerates releases with their namespace, revision, status, and chart version. It is the first command to run when you are not sure what is deployed where.

What it does

helm list shows deployed releases in the current namespace; -A spans all namespaces. By default it hides failed/uninstalled releases - --all (-a) includes them, and --failed / --pending / --uninstalling filter by status. -o json or -o yaml gives machine-readable output for CI scripts.

Common usage

Terminal

helm list -A
helm list -n prod
helm list --all                  # include failed/pending/uninstalled
helm list -o json | jq '.[].name'
helm list --pending

Common errors in CI

The usual confusion is a release that "is not there": by default helm list hides releases that are not in deployed status, so a failed install or a pending-upgrade release is invisible until you add --all. A script that checks helm list for a name to decide install-vs-upgrade can therefore make the wrong call. Prefer helm status NAME (which errors clearly if absent) or just always use upgrade --install. Remember releases are namespaced; without -A or the right -n you simply will not see releases in other namespaces.

Related guides

kubectl Cheat Sheet: Commands for Everyday KubernetesA kubectl cheat sheet - get, describe, logs, apply, rollout, debug, and context commands for daily Kubernetes… helm status: Usage, Options & Common CI Errorshelm status shows a release's current state, resources, and notes. Reading FAILED and pending states, --show-… helm upgrade: Usage, Options & Common CI Errorshelm upgrade changes a release to a new chart or values. The --install idempotent pattern, --atomic auto-roll… helm history: Usage, Options & Common CI Errorshelm history lists a release's revisions with status and description. Picking a rollback target, --history-ma…