skaffold run Command Reference

Build images and deploy them to Kubernetes in one pass.

skaffold run executes the full build-then-deploy pipeline once: it builds and tags your images and applies the deploy manifests to the active cluster. It is the one-shot CI counterpart to skaffold dev.

What it does

skaffold run builds the artifacts in skaffold.yaml, tags them, and deploys via the configured deployer (kubectl, Helm, or kustomize). Unlike skaffold dev it runs once and exits, which is exactly what a pipeline needs.

Common flags and usage

-p / --profile NAME: activate an environment profile
--tag TAG: pin an explicit image tag
--default-repo REPO: push images to a specific registry
--namespace NS: deploy into a namespace
--status-check: wait for deployed resources to become ready

Example

shell

- name: Skaffold run
  run: |
    skaffold run --profile prod \
      --default-repo "${REGISTRY}" \
      --tag "${{ github.sha }}" \
      --status-check=true

In CI

Pin --tag (often the commit SHA) and --default-repo so the build is reproducible and lands in the right registry. Use --profile to select environment-specific config and --status-check so the job waits for rollout health rather than returning before pods are ready.

Key takeaways

skaffold run builds, tags, and deploys in a single one-shot pass.
Pin --tag and --default-repo for reproducible, registry-correct builds.
Use --status-check so the job waits for the rollout to become healthy.