Build only (no deploy)

Build images and export artifact metadata to file

skaffold build --file-output=artifacts.json

More skaffold commands

Deploy pre-built artifacts

skaffold deploy --build-artifacts=artifacts.json

Deploy using previously built image digests from CI
Render manifests only

skaffold render --output=manifests.yaml

Produce final Kubernetes YAML without applying it
Use a specific profile

skaffold dev -p staging

Activate a named profile from skaffold.yaml
Diagnose config issues

skaffold diagnose

Validate skaffold.yaml and print resolved configuration
Clean up deployed resources

skaffold delete

Delete all Kubernetes resources created by skaffold run