google-agents-cli-scaffold

# Project Scaffolding Guide > **Requires:** `agents-cli` (`uv tool install google-agents-cli`) — [install uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/index.md) first if needed. Use the `agents-cli` CLI to create new agent projects or enhance existing ones with deployment, CI/CD, and infrastructure scaffolding. --- ## Prerequisite: Clarify Requirements (MANDATORY for new projects) **Before scaffolding a new project, load `/google-agents-cli-workflow` and complete Phase 0** — clarify the user's requirements before running any `scaffold create` command. Ask what the agent should do, what tools/APIs it needs, and whether they want a prototype or full deployment. --- ## Step 1: Choose Architecture **Mapping user choices to CLI flags:** | Choice | CLI flag | |--------|----------| | Retrieval/RAG, sandboxed execution, cross-session memory, OAuth consent, guardrails, scheduled runs | **No flag** — these come from clone-and-study recipes. **ADK Python:** see the topic index in `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` → `references/samples.md`; on other frameworks, see the sample index the framework template ships | | A2A protocol | built into the scaffolded app — scaffold normally (**ADK Python:** `--agent adk`, the default; **ADK Go:** `--agent adk_go`) | | Prototype (no deployment) | `--prototype` | | Deployment target | `--deployment-target <agent_runtime\|cloud_run\|gke>` | | CI/CD runner | `--cicd-runner <github_actions\|google_cloud_build>` | | Session storage | `--session-type <in_memory\|cloud_sql\|agent_platform_sessions>` | ### Product name mapping Older names → CLI values (`vertexai` SDK package name unchanged): - Agent Engine / Vertex AI Agent Engine → `--deployment-target agent_runtime` - Agent Engine sessions / Agent Platform Sessions → `--session-type agent_platform_sessions` - Vertex AI Search / Vertex AI Vector Search / RAG → clone-and-study recipe, not a flag > **Removed flags.** `--datastore`, the `agentic_rag` template, and `agents-cli infra datastore` / > `agents-cli data-ingestion` no longer exist. If you reach for one, you want a recipe instead. --- ## Step 2: Create or Enhance the Project ### Create a New Project ```bash agents-cli scaffold create <project-name> \ --agent <template> \ --deployment-target <target> \ --region <region> \ --prototype ``` **Constraints:** - Project name must be **26 characters or less**, lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only. - Do NOT `mkdir` the project directory before running `create` — the CLI creates it automatically. If you mkdir first, `create` will fail or behave unexpectedly. - Auto-detect the guidance filename based on the IDE you are running in and pass `--agent-guidance-filename` accordingly (`GEMINI.md` for Antigravity CLI, `CLAUDE.md` for Claude Code, `AGENTS.md` for OpenAI Codex/other). - When enhancing an existing project, check where the agent code lives. If it's not in `app/`, pass `--agent-directory <dir>` (e.g. `--agent-directory agent`). Getting this wrong causes enhance to miss or misplace files. ### Reference Files | File | Contents | |------|----------| | `references/flags.md` | Full flag reference for `create` and `enhance` commands | ### Enhance an Existing Project ```bash agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target <target> agents-cli scaffold enhance . --cicd-runner <runner> ``` Run this from inside the project directory (or pass the path instead of `.`). ### Upgrade a Project Upgrade an existing project to a newer agents-cli version, intelligently applying updates while preserving your customizations: ```bash agents-cli scaffold upgrade # Upgrade current directory agents-cli scaffold upgrade <project-path> # Upgrade specific project agents-cli scaffold upgrade --dry-run # Preview changes without applying agents-cli scaffold upgrade --auto-approve # Auto-apply non-conflicting changes agents-cli scaffold upgrade --force # Overwrite scaffolding files when smart-merge fails agents-cli scaffold upgrade --force --dry-run # List what --force would overwrite ``` `--force` is a fallback for when smart-merge fails. It overwrites scaffolding files with the new template and keeps agent code, config files, `README.md`, the agent guidance file and eval datasets and config. It never removes dependencies or files the new template dropped (for example, a removed CI workflow), so remove unused ones by hand. Afterwards, check your imports and run your tests. Use `--dry-run` first to see which files change. ### Execution Modes The CLI defaults to **strict programmatic mode** — all required params must be supplied as CLI flags or a `UsageError` is raised. No approval flags needed. Pass all required params explicitly. ### Common Workflows **Always ask the user before running these commands.** Present the options (CI/CD runner, deployment target, etc.) and confirm before executing. ```bash # Add deployment to an existing prototype (strict programmatic) agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target agent_runtime # Add CI/CD pipeline (ask: GitHub Actions or Cloud Build?) agents-cli scaffold enhance . --cicd-runner github_actions ``` --- ## Template Options | Template | Language | Deployment | Description | |----------|----------|------------|-------------| | `adk` | Python | Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, GKE | Standard ADK agent (default); A2A protocol built in | | `adk_go` | Go | Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, GKE | Standard ADK Go agent; A2A protocol built in | > **`adk` and `adk_go` are the only built-in templates.** `adk` is the default, so a Go project > needs `--agent adk_go` explicitly. > Other frameworks ship as template repos you scaffold > from directly: `--agent google/agents-cli/extensions/langchain/template@v1.9.0`, with nothing installed. The first-party LangChain > template is `extensions/langchain/template/` in the agents-cli repo; see > `/google-agents-cli-workflow` → `references/extension.md` to publish your own. Capabilities > beyond the template — retrieval, sandboxed execution, memory, OAuth, guardrails — are > clone-and-study recipes, not templates. **ADK Python:** see the topic index in > `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` → `references/samples.md`. > **Live and voice agents:** no template. Scaffold `adk`, then follow the conversion checklist > in `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` (`references/adk-python-live.md`, "Converting a scaffolded > project to Live"). The model swap is one of five edits. --- ## Deployment Options | Target | Description | |--------|-------------| | `agent_runtime` | Managed by Google (Vertex AI Agent Runtime). Container-based — Agent Engine builds the project Dockerfile. Sessions handled automatically. | | `cloud_run` | Container-based deployment. More control; you build and deploy the Dockerfile. | | `gke` | Container-based on GKE Autopilot. Full Kubernetes control. | | `none` | No deployment scaffolding. Code only (still includes a Dockerfile). | ### "Prototype First" Pattern (Recommended) Start with `--prototype` to skip CI/CD and Terraform. Focus on getting the agent working first, then add deployment later with `scaffold enhance`: ```bash # Step 1: Create a prototype agents-cli scaffold create my-agent --agent adk --prototype # Step 2: Iterate on the agent code... # Step 3: Add deployment when ready agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target agent_runtime ``` ### Agent Runtime and session_type When using `agent_runtime` as the deployment target, Agent Runtime manages sessions internally. If your code sets a `session_type`, clear it — Agent Runtime overrides it. --- ## Step 3: Load Dev Workflow After scaffolding, immediately load `/google-agents-cli-workflow` — it contains the development workflow, coding guidelines, and operational rules you must follow when implementing the agent. What you edit differs by language; `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` has the annotated tree for each, in `references/adk-python.md` and `references/adk-go.md`. - **ADK Python (`--agent adk`)** — customize `app/agent.py` and `app/tools.py`. - **ADK Go (`--agent adk_go`)** — customize `app/agent.go`. `.env` is yours. Preserve everything else the template generated — it wires up serving, sessions and the built-in A2A surface. **Adapting a recipe:** copy its `app/`, `infra/terraform/`, and any ingestion or provisioning into your scaffolded project, then run provisioning from the recipe's own `Makefile` (e.g. `make setup-infra`). Start from its `AGENTS.md`. **Verifying your agent works:** Use `agents-cli run "test prompt"` for quick smoke tests, then `agents-cli eval run` for systematic validation. Do NOT write pytest tests that assert on LLM response content, that belongs in eval. --- ## Scaffold as Reference When you need specific files (Terraform, CI/CD workflows, Dockerfile) but don't want to scaffold the current project directly, create a temporary reference project in `/tmp/`: ```bash agents-cli scaffold create ref-project --output-dir /tmp \ --agent adk \ --deployment-target cloud_run ``` Inspect the generated files, adapt what you need, and copy into the actual project. Delete the reference project when done. This is useful for: - Non-standard project structures that `enhance` can't handle - Cherry-picking specific infrastructure files - Understanding what the CLI generates before committing to it --- ## Critical Rules - **NEVER skip requirements clarification** — load `/google-agents-cli-workflow` Phase 0 and clarify the user's intent before running `scaffold create` - **NEVER change the model** in existing code unless explicitly asked - **NEVER `mkdir` before `create`** — the CLI creates the directory; pre-creating it causes enhance mode instead of create mode - **NEVER create a Git repo or push to remote without asking** — confirm repo name, public vs private, and whether the user wants it created at all - **Always ask before choosing CI/CD runner** — present GitHub Actions and Cloud Build as options, don't default silently - **Agent Runtime clears session_type** — if deploying to `agent_runtime`, remove any `session_type` setting from your code - **Start with `--prototype`** for quick iteration — add deployment later with `enhance` - **Project names** must be ≤26 characters, lowercase, letters/numbers/hyphens only - **NEVER write A2A code from scratch** — A2A is built into the scaffolded app (the `adk` and `adk_go` templates and framework templates alike); each language's A2A surface (import paths, `AgentCard` schema etc.) is non-trivial and changes across versions. Scaffold normally; never hand-write the A2A surface. (The only sanctioned A2A hand-edit is *removing* the generated wiring for a **Live** agent, which can't be served over A2A — see `/google-agents-cli-adk-code`, `references/adk-python-live.md`.) --- # Examples Using scaffold as reference: User says: "I need a Dockerfile for my non-standard project" Actions: 1. Create temp project: `agents-cli scaffold create ref --output-dir /tmp --agent adk --deployment-target cloud_run` 2. Copy relevant files (Dockerfile, etc.) from /tmp/ref 3. Delete temp project Result: Infrastructure files adapted to the actual project --- A2A project: User says: "Build me a Python agent that exposes A2A and deploys to Cloud Run" Actions: 1. Follow the standard flow (understand requirements, choose architecture, scaffold) 2. `agents-cli scaffold create my-a2a-agent --agent adk --deployment-target cloud_run --prototype` Result: Valid A2A imports and Dockerfile — no manual A2A code written. --- Go project: User says: "Build me a Go agent that deploys to Cloud Run" Actions: 1. Follow the standard flow (understand requirements, choose architecture, scaffold) 2. `agents-cli scaffold create my-go-agent --agent adk_go --deployment-target cloud_run --prototype` Result: Go project with `app/agent.go`, the launcher in `main.go`, and the A2A card at the root. --- ## Troubleshooting ### `agents-cli` command not found See `/google-agents-cli-workflow` → **Setup** section. --- ## Related Skills - `/google-agents-cli-workflow` — Development workflow, coding guidelines, and the build-evaluate-deploy lifecycle - `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` — ADK API quick reference for writing agent code, including the graph Workflow API - `/google-agents-cli-deploy` — Deployment targets, CI/CD pipelines, and production workflows - `/google-agents-cli-eval` — Evaluation methodology, dataset schema, and the eval-fix loop