| name | cft-metadata-services-expert |
| description | Specialized knowledge for populating the services block in metadata.yaml accurately without manual overrides, particularly mapping them via test/setup/main.tf to the CFT blueprint-compiler. |
CFT Metadata Services Guidelines
When contributing to Google Cloud Foundation Toolkit (CFT) repositories, it is essential to allow the CI pipeline (make docker_generate_docs) to natively compile metadata.yaml rather than editing it by hand.
The Problem
When dealing with newer Google Cloud APIs (such as those for Firebase) or specific architectures, the automated blueprint-compiler included in gcr.io/cloud-foundation-cicd/cft/developer-tools might completely strip out the services: block from a submodule's metadata.yaml. This happens because the compiler parses the underlying .tf code to infer which services exist; if the module doesn't natively provision the APIs, or if the compiler hasn't updated its static mapping dictionary for the resources used within the submodule, it assumes no APIs are required and deletes any handwritten services: lists.
The Standard Solution
NEVER manually inject or patch services: or roles: into metadata.display.yaml or metadata.yaml directly. Every time make docker_generate_docs is run natively, handwritten lines not tethered correctly to the configuration will be destroyed.
To perfectly ensure that submodules retain their accurate API requirements during documentation generation, you must map them natively via the per_module_services configuration:
-
Enable the Auto-Compiler: Ensure the Makefile command uses the --per-module-requirements flag:
generate_docs --per-module-requirements
-
Inject the Map: The blueprint-compiler statically reads test/setup/main.tf specifically looking for a global map called per_module_services. By defining the matrix properly within the setup file, the compiler will precisely route the array of APIs to each submodule's metadata.yaml:
Example from test/setup/main.tf:
locals {
per_module_services = {
firebase_ai_logic_core = [
"firebase.googleapis.com",
"serviceusage.googleapis.com"
]
firebase_app_hosting = [
"firebaseapphosting.googleapis.com"
]
}
}
-
Execute Documentation Generation: Once the map is accurate, run:
export ENABLE_BPMETADATA=1
make docker_generate_docs
The generator will autonomously recreate the submodules' metadata.yaml, successfully retaining and populating the services: block!
Custom Titles and Versions
The blueprint-compiler treats metadata.yaml as an output-only file governed by the source directory's metadata and structure. Any manual adjustments to title or version directly inside metadata.yaml are strictly prohibited as they will be wiped consistently during native generation.
Overriding the Title
The compiler builds the blueprint's title inside metadata.yaml by scraping the exact # H1 header positioned at the top of the submodule's README.md file.
- To fix a bad title: Edit the exact string proceeding the
# inside the corresponding README.md file, then securely run make docker_generate_docs.
- NEVER try to force a master
title overwrite via metadata.display.yaml. metadata.display.yaml titles are entirely skipped by generate_docs when compiling the root blueprint configuration under spec.info.title.
Overriding the Version
In strict compliance with modern CFT development methodologies, standard CFT repositories dynamically align module versions macroscopically through Github Release semantic tags.
- You must NEVER explicitly patch
version: "0.X.X" inside arbitrary module .yaml configs manually.
- The default
make docker_generate_docs behavior explicitly deletes hardcoded version strings residing under spec.info natively to enforce structural best practices (as exhibited in baseline repos like terraform-google-sql-db). Let the compiler wipe it.
