---

name: upgrade-cluster description: Upgrade Talos Linux, Kubernetes version, or cluster components safely

Upgrade Cluster Skill

Safely upgrade Talos Linux, Kubernetes, and cluster components.

When to Use

• User wants to upgrade Kubernetes version
• User wants to upgrade Talos Linux
• User wants to upgrade Cilium or other core components
• Security patches needed

Pre-Upgrade Checklist

1. Check current versions:

   Copytalosctl -n 172.16.1.50 version
   kubectl version
   cilium version
   flux version
   

2. Verify cluster health:

   Copykubectl get nodes
   talosctl -n 172.16.1.50 health
   flux get ks -A | grep -v "Applied"
   

3. Check for pending HelmReleases:

   Copyflux get hr -A | grep -v "Release"
   

Talos Upgrade Process

1. Update Talos version pin in talos/talenv.yaml
2. Generate new configs:

   Copytask talos:generate-config
   

3. Upgrade control plane nodes one at a time:

   Copytask talos:upgrade-node IP=172.16.1.50
   # Wait for node to rejoin
   kubectl get nodes -w
   task talos:upgrade-node IP=172.16.1.51
   task talos:upgrade-node IP=172.16.1.52
   

4. Upgrade worker nodes:

   Copytask talos:upgrade-node IP=172.16.1.53
   

Kubernetes Upgrade Process

1. Update Kubernetes version pin in talos/talenv.yaml
2. Regenerate configs:

   Copytask talos:generate-config
   

3. Apply to control plane:

   Copytask talos:upgrade-k8s
   

Component Upgrades (GitOps)

Components upgrade automatically via Renovate PRs:

• Review Renovate PR for the component
• Check release notes for breaking changes
• Merge PR - Flux will reconcile

Manual Component Upgrade

1. Update version in relevant HelmRelease
2. Commit and push
3. Monitor: flux get hr <name> -n <namespace> -w

Rollback Procedures

Talos Rollback

Copytalosctl -n <node-ip> rollback

Flux HelmRelease Rollback

Copyflux suspend hr <name> -n <namespace>
# Revert git commit
git revert HEAD
git push
flux resume hr <name> -n <namespace>

Post-Upgrade Verification

Copykubectl get nodes -o wide
flux get ks -A
flux get hr -A
cilium status