Cisco IOS and IOS-XE review patterns for show commands, config hierarchy, wildcard masks, ACL placement, interface hygiene, and safe change-window verification. Use when reading, writing, or reviewing Cisco IOS / IOS-XE configuration or planning a change window.

Cisco IOS Patterns Use this skill when reviewing Cisco IOS or IOS XE snippets, building a change window checklist, or explaining how to collect evidence from a router or switch without making the incident worse. When to Use Reviewing IOS or IOS XE configuration before a planned change. Choosing read only show commands for troubleshooting. Checking ACL wildcard masks and interface direction. Explaining global, interface, routing process, and line configuration modes. Verifying that a change landed in running config and was saved intentionally. Operating Rules Treat IOS examples as patterns, not paste ready production changes. Confirm the platform, interface names, current config, rollback path, and out of band access before making changes on a real device. Prefer this workflow: 1. Capture current state with read only commands. 2. Review the exact candidate config. 3. Confirm management access cannot be locked out. 4. Apply the smallest change in a maintenance window. 5. Re read state, compare to the baseline, then save only after validation. Mode Reference running config is active memory. startup config is what survives reload. Do not save a change just because a command was accepted; validate behavior first, then use copy running config startup config if the change is approved. Read Only Collection Collect the specific section you need instead of dumping full config into a ticket when the config may contain secrets, customer names, or private topology. Wildcard Masks IOS ACL and many routing statements use wildcard masks, not subnet masks. Review wildcard masks before deployment. A subnet mask accidentally used as a wildcard can match far more traffic than intended. Every ACL has an implicit deny at the end. Add an explicit logged deny when the operational goal includes observing misses, and confirm logging volume is safe. ACL Placement Review Before applying an ACL to an interface, answer these questions: Which traffic direction is being filtered, in or out ? Is management traffic sourced from a known jump host or management subnet? Is there an explicit permit for required routing, DNS, NTP, monitoring, or application traffic? Are hit counters available from a safe test source? Is there a rollback command and an active console or out of band path? Do not test reachability by removing firewall or ACL protections. Read counters, logs, and route state first. Interface Hygiene Use clear descriptions, explicit switchport mode, and documented native VLANs. On routed interfaces, confirm the mask, peer addressing, and routing process before assuming link state means forwarding is correct. Change Window Verification Use before/after checks that match the actual change. For routing changes, also capture neighbor state and route tables before and after the change. For ACL changes, compare hit counters from a planned test source rather than relying on a generic ping. Anti Patterns Applying a generated config without a device specific diff. Saving configuration before post change checks pass. Using a subnet mask where IOS expects a wildcard mask. Applying an ACL to the wrong interface direction. Troubleshooting by disabling ACLs, route policies, or authentication. Pasting full configs into public tools without sanitizing secrets and topology. See Also Agent: network config reviewer Agent: network troubleshooter Skill: network config validation Skill: network interface health

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