Skip to content
Get packs

Connectivity Triage

Localize macOS network failures into LAN, DNS, upstream, or service fault domains using read-only probes.

Source Download skill
Repository
wshobson/agents
Stars
42,095
Licence
MIT
Files
2 files

What it does

When a Mac has a network problem, such as an API timing out, DNS lookups failing, or video calls stuttering, the agent follows a fixed sequence of read-only checks (ping, DNS queries, traceroute, curl timing, and similar tools). It then labels what it actually observed, what it infers, and what remains unknown, and names the most likely cause category without changing any settings.

Great for

  • Developers debugging an API, website, or MCP service that times out or disconnects on a macOS machine
  • IT or support staff triaging a user's intermittent DNS or video-call quality problem
  • People who want a structured, cautious diagnosis rather than trying random fixes

Skip it if

  • Making changes to network settings, DNS, VPN or firewall rules: the skill explicitly forbids remediation during diagnosis, so it will not fix the problem itself
  • Non-macOS systems: the commands (scutil, nettop, networkQuality) are macOS-specific
  • Confirmed outages needing a definitive root cause: the skill often returns 'inconclusive' when probes conflict, since ping and traceroute can be filtered by routers

Try asking

  • “My API calls to api.example.com keep timing out on my Mac. Help me work out whether it's my network, DNS, or the service.”
  • “DNS lookups for our internal hostname are inconsistent since I connected to the VPN. Triage it.”
  • “Zoom calls show packet loss and latency while the web is fine. Which fault domain is most likely?”
  • “The MCP server at https://mcp.example.com disconnects every few minutes. Run a connectivity triage.”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Connectivity TriageInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 2 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    connectivity-triage.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip connectivity-triage.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip connectivity-triage.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Give the exact hostname or URL the failing application uses, since testing an unrelated public site does not prove the affected service is healthy.
  • Ask for the 'next safest check' output and run it yourself before changing any configuration, as the skill recommends.
  • Share the outputs of the probes when asking for a second opinion, so the evidence labels can be reviewed.

What's inside

  • references/details.md
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from wshobson/agents under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.