helm package: Usage, Options & Common CI Errors

Bundle a chart into a versioned archive for publishing.

helm package compresses a chart directory into a chart-version.tgz archive - the artifact you push to a chart repository or OCI registry. It is the build step in a chart-release pipeline.

What it does

helm package CHART produces NAME-VERSION.tgz using the version from Chart.yaml. --version and --app-version override those at package time (useful for CI-stamped versions); --dependency-update refreshes the charts/ directory first; --sign with a key produces a provenance file. The archive is what helm repo index and helm push consume.

Common usage

Terminal

helm package ./charts/web
helm package ./charts/web --version 1.4.${BUILD_NUMBER}
helm package ./charts/web --dependency-update
helm package ./charts/web --destination ./dist

Common errors in CI

"Error: found in Chart.yaml, but missing in charts/ directory" means dependencies are declared but not vendored. Run helm dependency update (or package with --dependency-update) first. "Error: chart Chart.yaml version is required" / an invalid version means the version field is missing or not SemVer-2 compliant; helm requires strict SemVer, so a tag like v1.0 or 1.0 (without patch) can be rejected. Stamp a full x.y.z. If Chart.lock is out of date relative to Chart.yaml dependencies, packaging warns/fails; regenerate the lock with helm dependency update.

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