Tutorials & How-Tos
The 10 Best Free DevOps Automation Workflows
Ranked guide to the 10 best free DevOps automation workflows in 2026, with install commands, real use cases, and a clear methodology.
Ranked guide to the 10 best free DevOps automation workflows in 2026, with install commands, real use cases, and a clear methodology.
DevOps in 2026 is less about tools and more about discipline. The teams that ship reliably are the ones that automate the boring, repeatable, easy-to-forget tasks before they bite. Claude Code workflows are uniquely good at this — they live next to your code, read your existing configs, and produce structured output that fits into CI, cron, or launchd. After running an evaluation across solo developers and small platform teams, we narrowed the list to ten free workflows that consistently prevent the worst kind of incident: the one nobody saw coming. Each entry below is a single command to install, costs nothing, and delivers real value from day one.
DevOps workflows must clear a higher bar than ordinary automation. Our rubric:
Link: /skills/check-security
Fast security pass over your repo. Secrets, exposed env files, weak configs.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install check-security
Why it made the list: Catches the dumb mistakes that cause the worst incidents.
Link: /skills/check-dependencies
Audits package manifests for outdated and vulnerable deps. Suggests safe upgrades.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install check-dependencies
Why it made the list: Dependency rot is the slow-motion incident every team underestimates.
Link: /skills/clean-docker
Reclaims disk space by safely pruning dangling images, stopped containers, unused volumes.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install clean-docker
Why it made the list: Disk-full incidents are 100% preventable and this workflow prevents them.
Link: /skills/build-changelog
Customer-facing release notes from commit history.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install build-changelog
Why it made the list: It removes the worst part of a release without losing the value.
Link: /skills/build-standup
Auto-generated standup posts from git, calendar, and issues.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install build-standup
Why it made the list: It is as useful for on-call handoffs as it is for daily standups.
Link: /skills/build-nightly-project
Scheduled improvement passes — refactors, doc updates, dead code removal.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install build-nightly-project
Why it made the list: It compounds quietly, which is the best kind of automation.
Link: /skills/backup-important-files
Configurable file backup with versioning and offsite copy.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install backup-important-files
Why it made the list: The cheapest insurance you will ever buy is a good backup.
Link: /skills/activate-morning-mode
Day kickoff. For DevOps engineers it surfaces overnight alerts, deploys, and incidents.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install activate-morning-mode
Why it made the list: It is the workflow we run first every single day.
Link: /skills/activate-sleep-mode
End-of-day shutdown. Closes loops, drafts handoff notes.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install activate-sleep-mode
Why it made the list: Clean handoffs prevent the worst incidents.
Link: /skills/audit-subscriptions
Reviews recurring SaaS spend and surfaces unused services.
Key use cases:
Install: npx claw install audit-subscriptions
Why it made the list: Cloud and SaaS spend is the silent killer of platform budgets.
| Name | Category | Best For | Install Command |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check Security | Security | Pre-deploy gate | npx claw install check-security |
| Check Dependencies | Security | Dep hygiene | npx claw install check-dependencies |
| Clean Docker | Maintenance | Disk recovery | npx claw install clean-docker |
| Build Changelog | Release | Release notes | npx claw install build-changelog |
| Build Standup | Reporting | Handoffs | npx claw install build-standup |
| Build Nightly Project | Maintenance | Codebase upkeep | npx claw install build-nightly-project |
| Backup Important Files | Backup | DR readiness | npx claw install backup-important-files |
| Activate Morning Mode | Daily | Day kickoff | npx claw install activate-morning-mode |
| Activate Sleep Mode | Daily | Day shutdown | npx claw install activate-sleep-mode |
| Audit Subscriptions | Finance | Spend audits | npx claw install audit-subscriptions |
If you only install three, make them Check Security, Check Dependencies, and Clean Docker — they prevent the most common incidents. Add Build Changelog if you cut releases regularly. Add Backup Important Files if anything in your stack is irreplaceable. On-call teams should add Morning Mode and Sleep Mode for clean handoffs. Avoid trying to schedule all ten at once — start with three running on a real cron and expand from there.
How do I run these on a schedule? Cron, launchd, or GitHub Actions. Each README has examples.
Can I run them in CI? Yes — most are designed to be wrapped in a CI step.
Are they free? Yes, all ten are free and open source.
Do they require credentials? Some do for cloud APIs. Use environment variables and secrets management.
Where do I find more? See /workflows.
These ten workflows are the highest-leverage free additions to a modern DevOps stack. Install three, schedule them, and feel the difference next sprint. Browse /workflows, pair them with /agents, or contribute one of your own at /submit.
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