building-ai-apps-with-genkit-java

name	building-ai-apps-with-genkit-java
description	Guide for building AI-powered Java applications using the Genkit Java framework. Use this skill when the user wants to create a new AI app, add AI features to an existing Java project, define flows, call models, use tools, build RAG pipelines, manage prompts, handle structured output, set up multi-turn chat, create agents, run evaluations, or deploy with Genkit Java. Covers all supported providers (OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Ollama, AWS Bedrock, Azure, and more).
argument-hint	Describe what you want to build (e.g., "a chatbot with RAG", "a Spring Boot app with Gemini", "structured output with OpenAI")

Building AI Applications with Genkit Java

You are helping a developer build AI-powered applications using Genkit Java, the open-source Java AI framework by Google. This skill covers everything an end user needs: setup, configuration, all APIs, providers, patterns, and deployment.

---

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Java 21+
• Maven
• API key for your chosen provider (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, etc.)
• Genkit CLI (optional, for Dev UI): npm install -g genkit

Minimal pom.xml

<project>
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>my-ai-app</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>21</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>21</maven.compiler.target>
        <genkit.version>1.0.0-SNAPSHOT</genkit.version>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <!-- Genkit core -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
            <artifactId>genkit</artifactId>
            <version>${genkit.version}</version>
        </dependency>

        <!-- Pick a model provider (see Provider Setup below) -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
            <artifactId>genkit-plugin-openai</artifactId>
            <version>${genkit.version}</version>
        </dependency>

        <!-- HTTP server (pick one) -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
            <artifactId>genkit-plugin-jetty</artifactId>
            <version>${genkit.version}</version>
        </dependency>

        <!-- Logging -->
        <dependency>
            <groupId>ch.qos.logback</groupId>
            <artifactId>logback-classic</artifactId>
            <version>1.5.32</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>

    <build>
        <plugins>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
                <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.5.0</version>
                <configuration>
                    <mainClass>com.example.MyApp</mainClass>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>
    </build>
</project>

Minimal Application

package com.example;

import com.google.genkit.Genkit;
import com.google.genkit.core.GenkitOptions;
import com.google.genkit.ai.GenerateOptions;
import com.google.genkit.ai.GenerationConfig;
import com.google.genkit.ai.model.ModelResponse;
import com.google.genkit.core.flow.Flow;
import com.google.genkit.plugins.openai.OpenAIPlugin;
import com.google.genkit.plugins.jetty.JettyPlugin;
import com.google.genkit.plugins.jetty.JettyPluginOptions;

public class MyApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        JettyPlugin jetty = new JettyPlugin(
            JettyPluginOptions.builder().port(8080).build());

        Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
            .options(GenkitOptions.builder()
                .devMode(true)
                .reflectionPort(3100)
                .build())
            .plugin(OpenAIPlugin.create())
            .plugin(jetty)
            .build();

        genkit.defineFlow("ask", String.class, String.class,
            (ctx, question) -> genkit.generate(
                GenerateOptions.builder()
                    .model("openai/gpt-4o-mini")
                    .prompt(question)
                    .build()).getText());

        jetty.start();
    }
}

Run It

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
mvn compile exec:java

# Or with Dev UI (recommended)
genkit start -- mvn compile exec:java

Test It

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/ask \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '"What is the capital of France?"'

---

Provider Setup

Maven Artifacts (all com.google.genkit, version 1.0.0-SNAPSHOT)

Provider	Artifact	Env Var	Plugin Init
OpenAI	genkit-plugin-openai	OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAIPlugin.create()
Google Gemini	genkit-plugin-google-genai	GOOGLE_GENAI_API_KEY	GoogleGenAIPlugin.create()
Anthropic	genkit-plugin-anthropic	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	AnthropicPlugin.create()
Ollama	genkit-plugin-ollama	none (local)	OllamaPlugin.create("gemma3n:e4b")
AWS Bedrock	genkit-plugin-aws-bedrock	AWS credentials	AwsBedrockPlugin.create("us-east-1")
Azure Foundry	genkit-plugin-azure-foundry	Azure credentials	AzureFoundryPlugin.create()
DeepSeek	genkit-plugin-deepseek	DEEPSEEK_API_KEY	DeepSeekPlugin.create()
Mistral	genkit-plugin-mistral	MISTRAL_API_KEY	MistralPlugin.create()
Groq	genkit-plugin-groq	GROQ_API_KEY	GroqPlugin.create()
Cohere	genkit-plugin-cohere	COHERE_API_KEY	CoherePlugin.create()
xAI	genkit-plugin-xai	XAI_API_KEY	XAIPlugin.create()
Any OpenAI-compatible	genkit-plugin-compat-oai	varies	CompatOAIPlugin.create(options)

Model Names by Provider

# OpenAI
openai/gpt-4o, openai/gpt-4o-mini, openai/gpt-4-turbo, openai/gpt-3.5-turbo
openai/o1-preview, openai/o1-mini
openai/text-embedding-3-small, openai/text-embedding-3-large
openai/dall-e-3, openai/dall-e-2, openai/gpt-image-1

# Google Gemini
googleai/gemini-2.5-flash, googleai/gemini-1.5-pro, googleai/gemini-1.5-flash
googleai/gemini-embedding-001, googleai/imagen-3.0-generate-002

# Anthropic
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929, anthropic/claude-opus-4-5-20251101
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
anthropic/claude-opus-4-1, anthropic/claude-sonnet-4

# Ollama (any model you have pulled)
ollama/gemma3n:e4b, ollama/llama3, ollama/mistral

# AWS Bedrock
aws-bedrock/amazon.nova-lite-v1:0, aws-bedrock/amazon.nova-pro-v1:0
aws-bedrock/anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929-v1:0
aws-bedrock/meta.llama3-2-90b-instruct-v1:0

Passing API Keys Programmatically

// Instead of environment variables
OpenAIPlugin.create("sk-your-key-here")
AnthropicPlugin.create("sk-ant-your-key-here")
GoogleGenAIPlugin.create("AIza...")

---

Server Options

Jetty (Lightweight)

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
    <artifactId>genkit-plugin-jetty</artifactId>
    <version>${genkit.version}</version>
</dependency>

JettyPlugin jetty = new JettyPlugin(
    JettyPluginOptions.builder().port(8080).build());

// Flows are exposed at: POST http://localhost:8080/{flowName}

Spring Boot

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
    <artifactId>genkit-plugin-spring</artifactId>
    <version>${genkit.version}</version>
</dependency>

// Flows exposed at: POST http://localhost:8080/api/flows/{flowName}
// Health check: GET http://localhost:8080/health
// List flows: GET http://localhost:8080/api/flows

---

Defining Flows

Flows are observable, HTTP-callable functions that form the backbone of your app.

Simple Flow (no AI context needed)

genkit.defineFlow("greet", String.class, String.class,
    (name) -> "Hello, " + name + "!");

Flow with AI Generation

genkit.defineFlow("summarize", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, text) -> genkit.generate(
        GenerateOptions.builder()
            .model("openai/gpt-4o-mini")
            .prompt("Summarize this: " + text)
            .build()).getText());

Flow with Custom Input/Output Types

public record TranslateInput(String text, String targetLanguage) {}
public record TranslateOutput(String translation, String detectedLanguage) {}

genkit.defineFlow("translate", TranslateInput.class, TranslateOutput.class,
    (ctx, input) -> {
        ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
            GenerateOptions.<TranslateOutput>builder()
                .model("openai/gpt-4o")
                .prompt("Translate to " + input.targetLanguage() + ": " + input.text())
                .outputClass(TranslateOutput.class)
                .build());
        return response.getOutput();
    });

Flow with Middleware

genkit.defineFlow("secured", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, input) -> processInput(input),
    List.of(loggingMiddleware, authMiddleware));

---

Generation API

Basic Text Generation

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("Explain quantum computing in simple terms")
        .build());

String text = response.getText();

With Configuration

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("Write a creative poem")
        .config(GenerationConfig.builder()
            .temperature(0.9)
            .maxOutputTokens(2048)
            .topP(0.95)
            .topK(40)
            .stopSequences(List.of("\n\n\n"))
            .build())
        .build());

System Prompt

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .system("You are a pirate. Respond in pirate speak.")
        .prompt("How do I cook pasta?")
        .build());

Multi-Turn Conversation

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .messages(List.of(
            Message.system("You are a helpful math tutor."),
            Message.user("What is 2+2?"),
            Message.model("2+2 equals 4."),
            Message.user("What about 2+2+2?")))
        .build());

Streaming

ModelResponse response = genkit.generateStream(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("Write a long story about a dragon")
        .build(),
    chunk -> System.out.print(chunk.getText()));  // Print as it arrives

Structured Output (JSON)

Use @JsonProperty and @JsonPropertyDescription for schema generation:

public class Recipe {
    @JsonProperty(required = true)
    @JsonPropertyDescription("Name of the recipe")
    private String title;

    @JsonProperty(required = true)
    @JsonPropertyDescription("List of ingredients with quantities")
    private List<Ingredient> ingredients;

    @JsonProperty(required = true)
    @JsonPropertyDescription("Step-by-step instructions")
    private List<String> steps;

    @JsonPropertyDescription("Preparation time in minutes")
    private int prepTime;

    // getters and setters
}

Recipe recipe = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.<Recipe>builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("Create a pasta carbonara recipe")
        .outputClass(Recipe.class)
        .build());

Token Usage

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(...);
Usage usage = response.getUsage();
System.out.println("Input tokens: " + usage.getInputTokens());
System.out.println("Output tokens: " + usage.getOutputTokens());

---

Tools (Function Calling)

Let models call your Java functions:

public record WeatherInput(String location) {}
public record WeatherOutput(String temperature, String conditions) {}

Tool<WeatherInput, WeatherOutput> weatherTool = genkit.defineTool(
    "getWeather",
    "Get current weather for a location",
    (ctx, input) -> new WeatherOutput("72°F", "Sunny in " + input.location()),
    WeatherInput.class, WeatherOutput.class);

// The model will call the tool automatically when needed
ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("What's the weather in London and Tokyo?")
        .tools(List.of(weatherTool))
        .build());

Multiple Tools

Tool<SearchInput, SearchOutput> searchTool = genkit.defineTool(
    "search", "Search the web", searchHandler, SearchInput.class, SearchOutput.class);

Tool<CalcInput, CalcOutput> calcTool = genkit.defineTool(
    "calculate", "Perform math", calcHandler, CalcInput.class, CalcOutput.class);

ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("Search for the population of France and calculate its density")
        .tools(List.of(searchTool, calcTool))
        .build());

---

DotPrompt — Prompt Files

Manage prompts as files with YAML frontmatter + Handlebars templates.

Create a Prompt File

Place in src/main/resources/prompts/recipe.prompt:

---
model: openai/gpt-4o-mini
config:
  temperature: 0.9
  maxOutputTokens: 500
input:
  schema:
    food: string
    ingredients?(array): string
output:
  format: json
  schema:
    title: string, recipe title
    ingredients(array):
      name: string
      quantity: string
    steps(array): string
    prepTime: string
    cookTime: string
    servings: integer
---

You are a chef famous for creative recipes prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Generate a detailed recipe for {{food}}.

{{#if ingredients}}
Make sure to include:
{{#each ingredients}}
- {{this}}
{{/each}}
{{/if}}

Provide the recipe in the exact JSON format specified in the output schema.

Use It in Code

public record RecipeInput(String food, List<String> ingredients) {}

ExecutablePrompt<RecipeInput> recipePrompt = genkit.prompt("recipe", RecipeInput.class);
ModelResponse response = recipePrompt.generate(new RecipeInput("pasta", List.of("tomatoes", "basil")));

Prompt Variants

Create alternate versions of the same prompt:

• recipe.prompt — default
• recipe.robot.prompt — robot variant

ExecutablePrompt<RecipeInput> robotRecipe = genkit.prompt("recipe", RecipeInput.class, "robot");

Partials (Reusable Fragments)

Create src/main/resources/prompts/_style.prompt:

You always respond with enthusiasm and use exclamation marks!

Reference in other prompts:

{{> _style}}
Now generate a recipe for {{food}}.

---

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)

Local Development with LocalVec

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
    <artifactId>genkit-plugin-localvec</artifactId>
    <version>${genkit.version}</version>
</dependency>

Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
    .plugin(OpenAIPlugin.create())
    .plugin(LocalVecPlugin.builder()
        .addStore(LocalVecConfig.builder()
            .indexName("my-docs")
            .embedderName("openai/text-embedding-3-small")
            .directory("/tmp/genkit-vectors")
            .build())
        .build())
    .plugin(jetty)
    .build();

// Index documents
genkit.defineFlow("indexDocs", Void.class, String.class,
    (ctx, input) -> {
        List<Document> docs = List.of(
            Document.fromText("Paris is the capital of France."),
            Document.fromText("Berlin is the capital of Germany."),
            Document.fromText("Tokyo is the capital of Japan."));
        genkit.index("devLocalVectorStore/my-docs", docs);
        return "Indexed " + docs.size() + " documents";
    });

// RAG query
genkit.defineFlow("ragQuery", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, query) -> {
        List<Document> context = genkit.retrieve("devLocalVectorStore/my-docs", query);
        return genkit.generate(
            GenerateOptions.builder()
                .model("openai/gpt-4o-mini")
                .prompt(query)
                .docs(context)
                .build()).getText();
    });

Production Vector Stores

<!-- Choose one -->
<artifactId>genkit-plugin-firebase</artifactId>    <!-- Firestore Vector Search -->
<artifactId>genkit-plugin-pinecone</artifactId>     <!-- Pinecone -->
<artifactId>genkit-plugin-postgresql</artifactId>   <!-- pgvector -->
<artifactId>genkit-plugin-weaviate</artifactId>     <!-- Weaviate -->

Embeddings Directly

EmbedResponse embeddings = genkit.embed(
    "openai/text-embedding-3-small",
    List.of(Document.fromText("Hello world")));

---

Sessions & Multi-Turn Chat

Session<MyState> session = genkit.createSession();

Chat<MyState> chat = genkit.chat(ChatOptions.<MyState>builder()
    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
    .session(session)
    .system("You are a helpful assistant.")
    .build());

// Each call maintains conversation history
ModelResponse r1 = chat.send("What is the capital of France?");
ModelResponse r2 = chat.send("What about Germany?");  // Remembers context

---

Agents

Create specialized AI agents that can use tools and delegate to each other:

Tool<ReservationInput, ReservationOutput> reserveTool = genkit.defineTool(
    "makeReservation", "Book a restaurant reservation",
    reserveHandler, ReservationInput.class, ReservationOutput.class);

Tool<MenuInput, MenuOutput> menuTool = genkit.defineTool(
    "getMenu", "Get restaurant menu",
    menuHandler, MenuInput.class, MenuOutput.class);

Agent reservationAgent = genkit.defineAgent(AgentConfig.builder()
    .name("reservationAgent")
    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
    .description("Handles restaurant reservations")
    .tools(List.of(reserveTool))
    .build());

Agent menuAgent = genkit.defineAgent(AgentConfig.builder()
    .name("menuAgent")
    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
    .description("Answers menu questions")
    .tools(List.of(menuTool))
    .build());

// Triage agent routes to specialists
Agent triageAgent = genkit.defineAgent(AgentConfig.builder()
    .name("triageAgent")
    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
    .description("Routes requests to the appropriate specialist")
    .tools(List.of(
        genkit.getAllToolsForAgent(reservationAgent),
        genkit.getAllToolsForAgent(menuAgent)))
    .build());

---

Interrupts (Human-in-the-Loop)

Pause execution and wait for user confirmation:

Tool<ConfirmInput, ConfirmOutput> confirmTool = genkit.defineInterrupt(
    InterruptConfig.<ConfirmInput, ConfirmOutput>builder()
        .name("confirmTransfer")
        .inputClass(ConfirmInput.class)
        .outputClass(ConfirmOutput.class)
        .build());

// In a flow, use ctx.interrupt() to pause
genkit.defineFlow("transfer", TransferRequest.class, String.class,
    (ctx, input) -> {
        if (input.amount() > 1000) {
            ctx.interrupt(InterruptRequest.builder()
                .type("CONFIRMATION")
                .data(Map.of("action", "TRANSFER", "amount", input.amount()))
                .build());
        }
        return performTransfer(input);
    });

// Resume with user response
genkit.generate(GenerateOptions.builder()
    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
    .resume(ResumeOptions.builder()
        .sessionId(sessionId)
        .response(userConfirmation)
        .build())
    .build());

---

Middleware

Add cross-cutting concerns to flows:

// Logging middleware
Middleware<String, String> logger = (input, ctx, next) -> {
    System.out.println("Input: " + input);
    String result = next.handle(input, ctx);
    System.out.println("Output: " + result);
    return result;
};

// Apply to flow
genkit.defineFlow("myFlow", String.class, String.class,
    handler, List.of(logger));

---

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Connect to MCP tool servers:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
    <artifactId>genkit-plugin-mcp</artifactId>
    <version>${genkit.version}</version>
</dependency>

MCPPlugin mcpPlugin = MCPPlugin.create(MCPPluginOptions.builder()
    .addServer(MCPServerConfig.stdio(
        "npx", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/tmp"))
    .build());

Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
    .plugin(mcpPlugin)
    .plugin(OpenAIPlugin.create())
    .build();

// MCP tools are auto-registered and available for generation
ModelResponse response = genkit.generate(
    GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o")
        .prompt("List files in /tmp")
        .tools(mcpPlugin.getTools())
        .build());

// Access MCP resources
List<MCPResource> resources = mcpPlugin.getResources();
MCPResourceContent content = mcpPlugin.readResource("file:///tmp/data.txt");

---

Evaluations

Built-in RAGAS Evaluators

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.google.genkit</groupId>
    <artifactId>genkit-plugin-evaluators</artifactId>
    <version>${genkit.version}</version>
</dependency>

Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
    .plugin(OpenAIPlugin.create())
    .plugin(EvaluatorsPlugin.create(
        EvaluatorsPluginOptions.builder()
            .judge("openai/gpt-4o-mini")
            .metrics(List.of(
                GenkitMetric.FAITHFULNESS,
                GenkitMetric.ANSWER_RELEVANCY,
                GenkitMetric.ANSWER_ACCURACY,
                GenkitMetric.MALICIOUSNESS))
            .build()))
    .build();

Available metrics: FAITHFULNESS, ANSWER_RELEVANCY, ANSWER_ACCURACY, MALICIOUSNESS, REGEX, DEEP_EQUAL, JSONATA

Custom Evaluators

Evaluator<Void> lengthEval = genkit.defineEvaluator(
    "custom/length", "Length Check", "Checks if output meets minimum length",
    (dataPoint, options) -> {
        int len = dataPoint.getOutput().length();
        boolean pass = len >= 100;
        return EvalResponse.builder()
            .score(pass ? 1.0 : 0.0)
            .rationale(pass ? "Adequate length" : "Too short: " + len + " chars")
            .build();
    });

Run Evaluations via Dev UI

Start with genkit start -- ./run.sh, open http://localhost:4000, and use the Evaluations tab to create datasets and run evaluations interactively.

---

Firebase Deployment

Firestore Vector Search (RAG)

Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
    .plugin(GoogleGenAIPlugin.create())
    .plugin(FirebasePlugin.builder()
        .projectId("my-project")
        .addRetriever(FirestoreRetrieverConfig.builder()
            .name("my-docs")
            .collection("documents")
            .embedderName("googleai/gemini-embedding-001")
            .vectorField("embedding")
            .contentField("text")
            .build())
        .enableTelemetry(true)  // Cloud Trace + Monitoring + Logging
        .build())
    .build();

List<Document> docs = genkit.retrieve("firebase/my-docs", "search query");

Cloud Functions

public class MyFunction implements HttpFunction {
    private final OnCallGenkit genkitFunction;

    public MyFunction() {
        Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
            .plugin(GoogleGenAIPlugin.create(System.getenv("GEMINI_API_KEY")))
            .plugin(FirebasePlugin.builder().build())
            .build();

        genkit.defineFlow("myFlow", String.class, String.class,
            (ctx, input) -> genkit.generate(
                GenerateOptions.builder()
                    .model("googleai/gemini-2.5-flash")
                    .prompt(input)
                    .build()).getText());

        this.genkitFunction = OnCallGenkit.fromFlow(genkit, "myFlow");
    }

    @Override
    public void service(HttpRequest request, HttpResponse response) throws IOException {
        genkitFunction.service(request, response);
    }
}

---

Observability

Built-in Tracing (OpenTelemetry)

Every flow and generation call is automatically traced. In dev mode, traces are visible in the Dev UI at http://localhost:4000.

Token Metrics

Automatic metrics exported via OpenTelemetry:

• genkit/ai/generate/requests — generation call count
• genkit/ai/generate/latency — generation latency
• genkit/ai/generate/input/tokens — input token count
• genkit/ai/generate/output/tokens — output token count
• genkit/feature/requests — flow call count
• genkit/feature/latency — flow latency

Production Telemetry (Firebase)

FirebasePlugin.builder()
    .projectId("my-project")
    .enableTelemetry(true)  // Exports to Cloud Trace, Monitoring, Logging
    .build()

---

Dev Workflow

Development Mode

GenkitOptions.builder()
    .devMode(true)            // Enable reflection server
    .reflectionPort(3100)     // Default port for dev tools
    .build()

Dev UI

# Install CLI
npm install -g genkit

# Start app with Dev UI
genkit start -- mvn compile exec:java

# Open http://localhost:4000

The Dev UI lets you:

• List and test all flows, models, tools, prompts, retrievers, evaluators
• Send test inputs and see outputs
• View full traces with timing and token counts
• Create evaluation datasets and run evaluations
• Inspect registered actions and their schemas

HTTP Endpoints

# Jetty
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/{flowName} \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '"your input"'

# With complex input
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/translate \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"text": "Hello", "targetLanguage": "Spanish"}'

# Spring Boot
curl http://localhost:8080/health
curl http://localhost:8080/api/flows
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/flows/{flowName} \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '"input"'

---

Common Patterns

Error Handling

import com.google.genkit.core.GenkitException;

genkit.defineFlow("safe", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, input) -> {
        try {
            return genkit.generate(
                GenerateOptions.builder()
                    .model("openai/gpt-4o")
                    .prompt(input)
                    .build()).getText();
        } catch (GenkitException e) {
            // e.getErrorCode(), e.getDetails(), e.getTraceId()
            return "Error: " + e.getMessage();
        }
    });

Switching Providers

Genkit is provider-agnostic. Change the model string and plugin:

// Switch from OpenAI to Gemini — just change plugin + model name
.plugin(GoogleGenAIPlugin.create())
// ...
.model("googleai/gemini-2.5-flash")

// Switch to Anthropic
.plugin(AnthropicPlugin.create())
// ...
.model("anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929")

// Switch to local Ollama
.plugin(OllamaPlugin.create("gemma3n:e4b"))
// ...
.model("ollama/gemma3n:e4b")

Multiple Providers in One App

Genkit genkit = Genkit.builder()
    .plugin(OpenAIPlugin.create())
    .plugin(GoogleGenAIPlugin.create())
    .plugin(AnthropicPlugin.create())
    .build();

// Use different models for different tasks
genkit.defineFlow("quickAnswer", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, q) -> genkit.generate(GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("openai/gpt-4o-mini").prompt(q).build()).getText());

genkit.defineFlow("deepAnalysis", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, q) -> genkit.generate(GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929").prompt(q).build()).getText());

genkit.defineFlow("creative", String.class, String.class,
    (ctx, q) -> genkit.generate(GenerateOptions.builder()
        .model("googleai/gemini-2.5-flash").prompt(q).build()).getText());

Custom OpenAI-Compatible Endpoint

.plugin(CompatOAIPlugin.create(CompatOAIPluginOptions.builder()
    .baseUrl("https://my-custom-endpoint.com/v1")
    .apiKey("my-key")
    .models(List.of("my-model"))
    .build()))

---

Project Structure Recommendation

my-ai-app/
├── pom.xml
├── run.sh
├── src/main/
│   ├── java/com/example/
│   │   ├── MyApp.java              # Genkit init + flow definitions
│   │   ├── flows/                   # Complex flows in separate classes
│   │   │   ├── RagFlow.java
│   │   │   └── ChatFlow.java
│   │   └── tools/                   # Tool implementations
│   │       ├── SearchTool.java
│   │       └── CalcTool.java
│   └── resources/
│       ├── prompts/                 # .prompt files
│       │   ├── recipe.prompt
│       │   └── recipe.robot.prompt
│       ├── data/                    # RAG source data
│       │   └── knowledge-base.txt
│       └── logback.xml              # Logging config
└── src/test/java/com/example/      # Tests

run.sh

#!/bin/bash
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
mvn compile exec:java