When should I use admin-unix?

admin-unix is useful in the following scenarios: • Automated System Setup: Quickly install, update, and manage system packages using Homebrew on macOS or apt on Linux based on predefined user preferences. • Service Lifecycle Management: Monitor, start, stop, and restart system services or background daemons using platform-specific tools like systemctl or brew services. • Environment Consistency: Maintain host-specific settings for Python (uv, pip, conda) and Node.js (npm, pnpm, yarn) managers to ensure development environments match local requirements. • Streamlined Remote Access: Simplify SSH connections to multiple servers by automatically retrieving host, user, and key information from local JSON profiles. • System Health & Auditing: Check system capabilities and update local profiles with current tool versions and configurations for better environment tracking.

admin-unix

from evolv3-ai

Native macOS and Linux administration (non-WSL). Profile-aware - reads preferencesfrom ~/.admin/profiles/{hostname}.json.Use when: macOS/Linux system admin, Homebrew (macOS), apt (Linux), services.NOT for WSL - use admin-wsl instead.

⭐0stars🔀0forks📁View on GitHub🕐Updated Dec 20, 2025

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Unix Administration skill is a powerful tool designed for native macOS and Linux system management. It enables Claude to perform profile-aware administrative tasks, including package management via Homebrew and apt, service control through systemd, and streamlined SSH connectivity. By leveraging host-specific configurations, it ensures precise environment setup and maintenance, making it an essential utility for developers and system administrators looking to automate routine OS-level operations.

Use Cases

Automated System Setup: Quickly install, update, and manage system packages using Homebrew on macOS or apt on Linux based on predefined user preferences.
Service Lifecycle Management: Monitor, start, stop, and restart system services or background daemons using platform-specific tools like systemctl or brew services.
Environment Consistency: Maintain host-specific settings for Python (uv, pip, conda) and Node.js (npm, pnpm, yarn) managers to ensure development environments match local requirements.
Streamlined Remote Access: Simplify SSH connections to multiple servers by automatically retrieving host, user, and key information from local JSON profiles.
System Health & Auditing: Check system capabilities and update local profiles with current tool versions and configurations for better environment tracking.

name	admin-unix
description	\|
Use when	macOS/Linux system admin, Homebrew (macOS), apt (Linux), services.
license	MIT

name

admin-unix

description

Use when

macOS/Linux system admin, Homebrew (macOS), apt (Linux), services.

license

MIT

Unix Administration (macOS + Linux)

Requires: macOS or native Linux (NOT WSL)

Profile-First Approach

Profile location:

ADMIN_ROOT="${HOME}/.admin"
PROFILE_PATH="${ADMIN_ROOT}/profiles/$(hostname).json"

Load profile:

source /path/to/admin/scripts/load-profile.sh
load_admin_profile
show_admin_summary

Platform Detection

OS=$(uname -s)
case "$OS" in
    Darwin) echo "macOS" ;;
    Linux)  
        if grep -qi microsoft /proc/version 2>/dev/null; then
            echo "WSL - use admin-wsl instead"
        else
            echo "Native Linux"
        fi
        ;;
esac

Package Management (Profile-Aware)

Check Preference

PKG_MGR=$(jq -r '.preferences.packages.manager' "$PROFILE_PATH")

macOS (Homebrew)

# Install
brew install $package

# Update
brew upgrade $package

# List
brew list

# Search
brew search $package

Linux (apt)

# Update index
sudo apt update

# Install
sudo apt install -y $package

# Upgrade all
sudo apt upgrade -y

# Search
apt search $package

Python Commands (Profile-Aware)

PY_MGR=$(get_preferred_manager python)

case "$PY_MGR" in
    uv)     uv pip install "$package" ;;
    pip)    pip3 install "$package" ;;
    conda)  conda install "$package" ;;
esac

Node Commands (Profile-Aware)

NODE_MGR=$(get_preferred_manager node)

case "$NODE_MGR" in
    npm)    npm install "$package" ;;
    pnpm)   pnpm add "$package" ;;
    yarn)   yarn add "$package" ;;
    bun)    bun add "$package" ;;
esac

Services

Linux (systemd)

# Status
sudo systemctl status $service

# Start/Stop/Restart
sudo systemctl start $service
sudo systemctl stop $service
sudo systemctl restart $service

# Enable/Disable on boot
sudo systemctl enable $service
sudo systemctl disable $service

# View logs
journalctl -u $service -f

macOS (Homebrew services)

# List
brew services list

# Start/Stop
brew services start $service
brew services stop $service
brew services restart $service

SSH to Servers

Use profile server data:

ssh_to_server "cool-two"  # Helper from load-profile.sh

Or manually:

SERVER=$(jq '.servers[] | select(.id == "cool-two")' "$PROFILE_PATH")
HOST=$(echo "$SERVER" | jq -r '.host')
USER=$(echo "$SERVER" | jq -r '.username')
KEY=$(echo "$SERVER" | jq -r '.keyPath')

ssh -i "$KEY" "$USER@$HOST"

Update Profile

After installing a tool:

PROFILE=$(cat "$PROFILE_PATH")
PROFILE=$(echo "$PROFILE" | jq --arg ver "$(python3 --version | cut -d' ' -f2)" \
    '.tools.python.version = $ver | .tools.python.present = true')
echo "$PROFILE" | jq . > "$PROFILE_PATH"

Capabilities Check

has_capability "hasDocker" && docker info
has_capability "hasGit" && git --version

Scope Boundaries

Task	Handle Here	Route To
Homebrew (macOS)	✅	-
apt (Linux)	✅	-
systemd services	✅	-
Python/Node	✅	-
WSL operations	❌	admin-wsl
Windows operations	❌	admin-windows
Server provisioning	❌	admin-devops

References

references/OPERATIONS.md - Common operations, troubleshooting