home-network-admin_skill

Overview

This skill manages and troubleshoots Tim's home network, including SSH access to devices, Synology NAS administration, Tailscale tailnet checks, and Caddy reverse proxy management on dobro. It is designed to run commands, transfer files, inspect device health, and resolve connectivity or DNS issues quickly. Use it when you need safe, practical administration of home servers and network services.

How this skill works

I connect to devices using predefined SSH aliases (synology, dobro) with keys managed via the 1Password agent. For NAS tasks I run Synology DSM and Docker commands over SSH, inspect disks, and manage packages. For networking I use the Tailscale CLI and DNS checks, and for HTTP routing I edit/reload Caddy on dobro. Destructive actions require explicit confirmation before proceeding.

When to use it

• SSH into synology or dobro to run commands or check services
• Manage Synology: containers, backups, shared folders, disk health
• Troubleshoot connectivity, Tailscale status, MagicDNS, or DERP fallbacks
• Transfer files between machines with rsync or scp
• Manage or reload Caddy reverse proxy for *.hopperhosted.com
• Check device health, disk usage, and package/service status

Best practices

• Read the network inventory and SSH config before connecting to confirm hosts and ports
• Ensure 1Password is unlocked and the SSH agent is running if authentication fails
• Prefer rsync with --progress for large transfers and scp for small files
• Confirm with the user before deleting files, stopping services, or modifying critical configs
• Use tailscale status and tailscale ping to verify reachability before troubleshooting DNS or services
• When editing Caddyfile, test and reload instead of restarting blindly to minimize downtime

Example use cases

• SSH into synology to check Docker container logs and restart a failing container
• Run df -h and synodisk --enum on the NAS to diagnose full disks and plan cleanup
• Use tailscale status and ping to trace a device that lost connectivity and check if it’s using DERP
• Transfer a backup folder from a Mac to Synology using rsync -avz --progress
• SSH into dobro, edit ~/Caddyfile, then reload Caddy to add a new subdomain proxy