managing-google-cloud-dns

name	managing-google-cloud-dns
description	Use when working with Google Cloud Dns — google Cloud DNS management covering managed zones, record sets, DNSSEC configuration, DNS policies, and peering. Use when managing GCP Cloud DNS zones, configuring DNS records, enabling DNSSEC, setting up DNS forwarding or peering, or troubleshooting DNS resolution within Google Cloud.
connection_type	gcp
preload	false

Google Cloud DNS Skill

Manage Google Cloud DNS zones, record sets, DNSSEC, policies, and DNS peering.

Core Helper Functions

#!/bin/bash

# List managed zones
gcp_dns_zones() {
    gcloud dns managed-zones list --format=json 2>/dev/null
}

# List record sets
gcp_dns_records() {
    local zone="$1"
    gcloud dns record-sets list --zone="$zone" --format=json 2>/dev/null
}

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Managed Zones ==="
gcloud dns managed-zones list \
    --format="table(name,dnsName,visibility,dnssecConfig.state)" 2>/dev/null | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== DNS Policies ==="
gcloud dns policies list \
    --format="table(name,enableInboundForwarding,enableLogging,networks.len())" 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Record Set Summary ==="
for ZONE in $(gcloud dns managed-zones list --format="value(name)" 2>/dev/null); do
    COUNT=$(gcloud dns record-sets list --zone="$ZONE" --format="value(type)" 2>/dev/null | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -5 | tr '\n' '  ')
    echo "$ZONE: $COUNT"
done | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== DNSSEC Status ==="
gcloud dns managed-zones list --format=json 2>/dev/null | jq -r '
    .[] | "\(.name)\t\(.dnssecConfig.state // "off")\t\(.dnsName)"
' | column -t | head -15

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
ZONE="${1:?Zone name required}"

echo "=== Zone Configuration ==="
gcloud dns managed-zones describe "$ZONE" --format=json 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    name, dnsName, visibility,
    dnssec: .dnssecConfig.state,
    nameServers, description,
    peeringConfig: .peeringConfig,
    forwardingConfig: .forwardingConfig
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Record Sets ==="
gcloud dns record-sets list --zone="$ZONE" \
    --format="table(name,type,ttl,rrdatas.list())" 2>/dev/null | head -30

echo ""
echo "=== DNSSEC Key Info ==="
gcloud dns dns-keys list --zone="$ZONE" \
    --format="table(id,keyTag,type,algorithm,isActive)" 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Pending Changes ==="
gcloud dns record-sets changes list --zone="$ZONE" --sort-order=descending --limit=5 \
    --format="table(id,startTime,status)" 2>/dev/null

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Target <=50 lines per output
• Use gcloud CLI with --format=json and jq for structured data
• Use --format=table(...) for quick summaries

Safety Rules

• Read-only by default: Use list/describe for inspection
• Never delete record sets without explicit confirmation -- causes outages
• DNSSEC disabling can break resolution if DS records exist at registrar
• Policy changes affect all networks attached to the policy

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Managing Google Cloud Dns Report
════════════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Zone names vs DNS names: Zone name is a resource identifier, DNS name is the domain
• Private vs public zones: Private zones only resolve within specified VPC networks
• DNSSEC key rotation: Managed automatically by Cloud DNS but DS records at registrar need updating
• Forwarding zones: Forward queries to on-prem DNS; requires VPN/Interconnect connectivity
• Response policy: Can override DNS responses for specific names -- useful for split-horizon