gcloud

name

gcloud

description

Use when Codex needs to inspect, manage, troubleshoot, or optimize Google Cloud resources with the Google Cloud CLI (`gcloud`). Apply it for Google Cloud tasks involving Compute Engine, Cloud SQL, GKE, Dataproc, Cloud DNS, Cloud Run, App Engine, authentication, configuration, or other project-scoped resource operations, especially when the work requires choosing between product-specific tools and raw `gcloud`, clarifying project or location identifiers, and using local gcloud defaults safely.

Google Cloud CLI

Use this skill to operate on Google Cloud resources through gcloud without guessing scope or reaching for generic shell wrappers too early.

Workflow

1. Check whether gcloud is the right interface.
   • Prefer a more specific product tool or MCP integration when it can satisfy the request with safer behavior or more structured data.
   • Use gcloud when the request is explicitly about gcloud or when it is the native practical interface for the task.
2. Verify local prerequisites only when relevant.
   • Confirm gcloud is available if the environment is unknown.
   • Confirm the active account or project before relying on local defaults for anything state-changing.
3. Establish scope before execution.
   • Determine the product, project_id, resource name, and any required location fields such as region or zone.
   • If any required identifier is missing or ambiguous, ask instead of guessing.
   • If project_id is omitted, use the configured default and state that assumption once in the summary.
4. Prefer inspection before mutation.
   • Use list or describe commands to confirm the target resource when the action is destructive or high impact.
   • Echo the exact resource, project, and location back in the plan or summary for risky changes.
5. Discover exact command syntax on demand.
   • Use gcloud <group> <command> --help for current flags and examples.
   • Use the online reference when local help is insufficient or when you need to navigate unfamiliar command groups.
6. Keep output structured.
   • Prefer --format=json, --format=value(...), or a targeted --format='table(...)' over wide unstructured output when the result will be parsed or summarized.
   • Use explicit gcloud flags instead of brittle shell post-processing when the CLI already supports the selection or formatting you need.
7. Execute narrowly.
   • Pass explicit --project, --region, or --zone flags whenever default drift could target the wrong resource.
   • Use --quiet only when the command is clearly safe to run non-interactively and scope is already confirmed.
8. Summarize assumptions and residual risk.
   • Record which project, location, account, configuration, and defaults were used.
   • Call out when results depend on local auth, active configuration, or enabled APIs.

Command Selection Rules

• Prefer product-specific native tools over generic shell wrappers.
• Prefer gcloud over hand-written API calls when the CLI already covers the operation.
• Prefer dedicated tools over kubectl or arbitrary shell commands when they expose the same action more safely.
• Do not invent cluster names, service names, regions, zones, instance names, or project ids.
• Treat the active gcloud configuration as a default, not proof that it is the intended target.
• For destructive operations, require exact scope before execution.

Useful Checks

• Inspect configuration: gcloud config list
• Inspect active project: gcloud config get-value project
• Inspect active account: gcloud auth list
• Inspect available configurations: gcloud config configurations list
• Inspect command help: gcloud <group> <command> --help
• Inspect command reference: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference

Good Triggers

Use this skill for requests like:

• list Compute Engine instances in the current project
• describe this Cloud Run service with gcloud
• find the right gcloud command to update a Cloud SQL instance
• check which project my gcloud session is using
• troubleshoot why this GKE or Dataproc gcloud command fails
• deploy or inspect an App Engine service from the CLI

Scope Notes

• Keep this skill focused on operational guidance, not a full command catalog.
• Load online reference pages only when exact command details are needed.
• If the environment lacks gcloud, lacks credentials, or points at the wrong project, say so directly before suggesting or running commands.