Agent skill
snowtower-admin
Advanced skill for SnowTower infrastructure administrators. Use for SnowDDL operations, user provisioning, role management, CI/CD deployments, troubleshooting, and Snowflake administration. Triggers on mentions of snowddl, deploy, user creation, role grants, infrastructure changes, or admin operations.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/aiskillstore/marketplace/tree/main/skills/database-tycoon/snowtower-admin
SKILL.md
SnowTower Administrator Guide
A comprehensive skill for administrators managing Snowflake infrastructure through SnowTower.
Who This Skill Is For
- Infrastructure administrators managing SnowDDL deployments
- Security admins handling user provisioning and roles
- DevOps engineers managing CI/CD pipelines
- On-call engineers troubleshooting production issues
Quick Command Reference
# Essential commands
uv run snowddl-plan # Preview changes (ALWAYS run first)
uv run deploy-safe # Apply changes safely
uv run manage-users # User lifecycle management
uv run manage-warehouses # Warehouse operations
uv run manage-costs # Cost analysis
Core Operations
SnowDDL Deployment Workflow
CRITICAL: Always use deploy-safe, never raw snowddl-apply
# 1. Make changes to YAML files in snowddl/
vim snowddl/user.yaml
# 2. ALWAYS preview first
uv run snowddl-plan
# 3. Review the plan output carefully
# Look for: CREATE, ALTER, DROP, GRANT, REVOKE statements
# 4. Apply using safe deployment (preserves schema grants)
uv run deploy-safe
Why deploy-safe?
SnowDDL excludes SCHEMA objects from management, which can cause it to revoke schema-level grants. The deploy-safe wrapper automatically restores these grants after every deployment, preventing dbt and other tools from losing permissions.
Understanding Plan Output
[APPLY] CREATE USER "NEW_USER" ← New object will be created
[APPLY] ALTER USER "EXISTING_USER" ← Object will be modified
[APPLY] DROP USER "OLD_USER" ← Object will be deleted (CAREFUL!)
[APPLY] GRANT ROLE "X" TO USER "Y" ← Permission will be added
[APPLY] REVOKE ROLE "X" FROM USER "Y" ← Permission will be removed
Red flags to watch for:
- Unexpected
DROPstatements - Mass
REVOKEstatements (might be schema drift) - Changes to admin roles (ACCOUNTADMIN, SECURITYADMIN)
User Management
Creating a New User
Option 1: Interactive wizard (recommended)
uv run manage-users create
Option 2: Edit YAML directly
# snowddl/user.yaml
NEW_USER:
comment: "Data Analyst - Analytics Team"
type: PERSON
default_role: ANALYST_ROLE__B_ROLE
default_warehouse: MAIN_WAREHOUSE
email: user@company.com
authentication:
password: !decrypt |
gAAAAABl...encrypted...
rsa_public_key: |
-----BEGIN PUBLIC KEY-----
MIIBIjAN...
-----END PUBLIC KEY-----
Option 3: Non-interactive
uv run manage-users create \
--first-name Jane \
--last-name Smith \
--email jane@company.com \
--role ANALYST_ROLE
User Types
| Type | Use For | MFA Required | Network Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
PERSON |
Human users | Yes (by 2026) | Applied |
SERVICE |
Service accounts | No | Not applied |
Encrypting Passwords
# Generate Fernet key (one-time setup)
uv run util-generate-key
# Encrypt a password
uv run snowddl-encrypt "MySecurePassword123!"
# Output: gAAAAABl...
# Use in YAML with !decrypt tag
authentication:
password: !decrypt |
gAAAAABl...encrypted_output...
RSA Key Setup for Users
# Generate keys for a user
uv run generate-rsa-batch --users NEW_USER
# Or manually:
openssl genrsa 2048 | openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -inform PEM -nocrypt -out user_key.p8
openssl rsa -in user_key.p8 -pubout -out user_key.pub
# Add public key to user.yaml
cat user_key.pub
Role Hierarchy
SnowDDL Role Naming Convention
ROLE_NAME__B_ROLE → Business role (assigned to users)
ROLE_NAME__T_ROLE → Technical role (assigned to business roles)
DB__SCHEMA__S_ROLE → Schema role (auto-created by SnowDDL)
Role Assignment Flow
User → Business Role (__B_ROLE) → Technical Roles (__T_ROLE) → Permissions
Creating Roles
Business Role (snowddl/business_role.yaml):
ANALYST_ROLE:
comment: "Business analysts with read access"
tech_roles:
- STRIPE_READER_ROLE
- ANALYTICS_READER_ROLE
warehouse_usage:
- MAIN_WAREHOUSE
schema_read:
- PROJ_STRIPE.ANALYTICS
Technical Role (snowddl/tech_role.yaml):
STRIPE_READER_ROLE:
grants:
DATABASE:USAGE:
- SOURCE_STRIPE
- PROJ_STRIPE
SCHEMA:USAGE:
- SOURCE_STRIPE.STRIPE_WHY
- PROJ_STRIPE.PROJ_STRIPE
TABLE:SELECT:
- SOURCE_STRIPE.STRIPE_WHY.*
Database & Schema Management
Creating a Database
# Create directory
mkdir snowddl/MY_NEW_DB
# Add params.yaml
cat > snowddl/MY_NEW_DB/params.yaml << 'EOF'
comment: "New database for analytics project"
is_transient: false
EOF
# Deploy
uv run snowddl-plan
uv run deploy-safe
Creating a Schema
# Create schema directory
mkdir snowddl/MY_DB/MY_SCHEMA
# Add params.yaml
cat > snowddl/MY_DB/MY_SCHEMA/params.yaml << 'EOF'
comment: "Schema for raw data ingestion"
is_transient: false
is_sandbox: false
EOF
Schema Types
| Parameter | Effect |
|---|---|
is_transient: true |
No Time Travel, no Fail-safe |
is_sandbox: true |
Creates as TRANSIENT schema |
CI/CD Operations
GitHub Actions Workflows
| Workflow | Trigger | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
ci.yml |
PRs, pushes | Lint + test validation |
release.yml |
Tags v* |
Create GitHub release |
labeler.yml |
PRs | Auto-label by file type |
changelog.yml |
Push to main | Update changelog |
Making Infrastructure Changes via PR
# 1. Create feature branch
git checkout v0.2
git checkout -b feature/add-new-user
# 2. Make YAML changes
vim snowddl/user.yaml
# 3. Validate locally
uv run pre-commit run --all-files
uv run pytest
# 4. Commit and push
git add .
git commit -m "feat: Add new user JANE_DOE"
git push -u origin feature/add-new-user
# 5. Create PR
gh pr create --base v0.2
# 6. CI runs automatically, merge after approval
Release Process
# After all PRs merged to v0.2
git checkout main
git pull
git merge v0.2
git tag v0.2.0
git push origin main --tags
# Release workflow creates GitHub release automatically
Troubleshooting
Schema Grant Drift
Symptom: Plan shows hundreds of REVOKE statements for schema grants
Cause: SnowDDL doesn't manage SCHEMA objects directly; grants from dbt or other tools appear as drift
Solution:
# Always use deploy-safe which auto-applies schema grants
uv run deploy-safe
# Or manually apply schema grants
uv run apply-schema-grants
Authentication Failures
# Diagnose authentication issues
uv run util-diagnose-auth
# Fix common auth problems
uv run util-fix-auth
# Check specific user
snow sql -q "DESCRIBE USER USERNAME"
User Locked Out
-- Check user status
SHOW USERS LIKE 'USERNAME';
-- Unlock user (as ACCOUNTADMIN)
ALTER USER USERNAME SET MINS_TO_UNLOCK = 0;
-- Check login history
SELECT * FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.LOGIN_HISTORY
WHERE USER_NAME = 'USERNAME'
ORDER BY EVENT_TIMESTAMP DESC
LIMIT 10;
SnowDDL Errors
"Object does not exist"
- Run with ACCOUNTADMIN:
uv run snowddl-planuses-r ACCOUNTADMIN - Check object was created in correct database/schema
"Insufficient privileges"
- Verify SNOWFLAKE_ROLE is set to ACCOUNTADMIN
- Check the service account has required permissions
Exit code 8
- Means "changes applied successfully"
- Not an error, SnowDDL uses this to indicate modifications were made
Security Operations
Network Policies
# snowddl/network_policy.yaml
corporate_network_policy:
allowed_ip_list:
- 192.0.2.0/24
- 10.0.0.0/8
comment: "Corporate network access only"
MFA Compliance
Deadline: March 2026 for all human users
# Check MFA status
uv run manage-security --check-mfa
# List users without MFA
snow sql -q "
SELECT name, has_mfa_registered
FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.USERS
WHERE type = 'PERSON' AND NOT has_mfa_registered
"
Emergency Access
The STEPHEN_RECOVERY account is configured without network policy for emergency access:
- Use only when primary access methods fail
- Requires password authentication
- Document all usage
Cost Management
# Analyze costs
uv run manage-costs --analyze
# Check warehouse usage
uv run manage-warehouses --status
# Suspend all warehouses (emergency)
uv run manage-warehouses --suspend-all
Warehouse Configuration
# snowddl/warehouse.yaml
MAIN_WAREHOUSE:
size: XSMALL
auto_suspend: 60 # seconds
auto_resume: true
min_cluster_count: 1
max_cluster_count: 1
resource_monitor: main_monitor
Key File Locations
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
snowddl/user.yaml |
User accounts |
snowddl/business_role.yaml |
Business roles |
snowddl/tech_role.yaml |
Technical roles with grants |
snowddl/warehouse.yaml |
Warehouse configuration |
snowddl/*_policy.yaml |
Security policies |
snowddl/{DB}/params.yaml |
Database configuration |
snowddl/{DB}/{SCHEMA}/params.yaml |
Schema configuration |
Environment Variables
Required in .env:
SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT=your_account
SNOWFLAKE_USER=SNOWDDL
SNOWFLAKE_ROLE=ACCOUNTADMIN
SNOWFLAKE_WAREHOUSE=ADMIN
SNOWFLAKE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH=~/.ssh/snowflake_rsa_key.p8
SNOWFLAKE_CONFIG_FERNET_KEYS=your_fernet_key
Emergency Procedures
Rollback Last Deployment
# Revert YAML changes
git checkout HEAD~1 -- snowddl/
# Re-apply
uv run deploy-safe
Complete Service Account Reset
# Regenerate RSA keys
uv run generate-rsa-batch --users SNOWDDL --force
# Update in Snowflake
snow sql -q "ALTER USER SNOWDDL SET RSA_PUBLIC_KEY='...'"
# Update GitHub secrets
gh secret set SNOWFLAKE_PRIVATE_KEY < new_key.p8
Health Check
# Quick health check
uv run monitor-health
# Full system audit
uv run manage-security --full-audit
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