Google Agents CLI Onboarding

From the author

Onboarding entrypoint for agents-cli in Agent Platform. It should be used when the user wants to "create a new agent", "develop an agent", "build an agent using ADK", "run the agent locally", "debug agent code", "test an agent", "evaluate an agent", "deploy an agent", "publish an agent", "monitor an agent", or needs the ADK (Agent Development Kit) development lifecycle.

— the description by Google

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill acts as the central onboarding hub for the Google Agents CLI, providing the necessary setup commands and a roadmap for building, testing, and deploying AI agents on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. It guides users through the agent development lifecycle, from initial project scaffolding to production deployment and monitoring, while ensuring proper usage attribution for Google Cloud operations.

What it does

Provides setup commands to install the CLI and enable specialized development skills.
Maps the agent development lifecycle to specific, modular skills.
Defines mandatory usage attribution protocols for CLI and API interactions.
Offers a central reference for core CLI commands like scaffolding, evaluation, and deployment.
Facilitates the transition from project requirements to implementation.

When to use it

When starting a new AI agent project on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.
When you need to identify which specialized skill to load for a specific development phase.
When setting up your environment for agent development, testing, or deployment.
When you need to verify your current project configuration and installation status.

Advantages

Streamlines the onboarding process for complex agent development workflows.
Ensures consistent usage tracking for Google Cloud services.
Provides a clear, structured path through the entire agent lifecycle.
Reduces friction by linking directly to specialized tools for each phase of development.

Usage examples

“I want to start building a new agent. How do I get started?”: The agent will guide you through the setup command to install the CLI and then help you initialize your project using the scaffold command.
“Which skill should I use to test my agent's performance?”: The agent will identify the evaluation phase and load the appropriate specialized skill for running systematic evaluations.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/google/google-agents-cli-onboarding/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip google-agents-cli-onboarding.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Google

[!TIP] One-Time Setup: To install the CLI and enable all 7 specialized development skills in your coding agent, run the setup command:
uvx google-agents-cli setup
Alternatively, to install only the expert skills and let the agent handle execution:
npx skills add google/agents-cli

Attribution

MUST READ: Before executing any gcloud, REST API, or MCP command, you MUST read Usage Attribution. For commands executed directly in the terminal (never in generated scripts, Terraform, or user code), prefix gcloud with CLOUDSDK_METRICS_REQUEST_ATTRIBUTION="agent-skills/1.0 (skill:google-agents-cli-onboarding)" and append agent-skills/1.0 (skill:google-agents-cli-onboarding) to User-Agent headers.

Overview

This skill serves as the entrypoint for agents-cli — Google's toolkit for building, evaluating, and deploying AI agents on the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.

Use this skill to perform the initial setup and identify the correct specialized workflows for your task.

The Agent Development Lifecycle

After running the setup, the following specialized skills become available and will activate automatically based on your requests. Use this table to identify which skill to load for your current phase:

Phase	Specialized Skill	Purpose / When to Load
0 — Understand	`google-agents-cli-workflow`	Clarify intent. Define the agent spec in `.agents-cli-spec.md` before coding.
1 — Study	`google-agents-cli-workflow`	Leverage samples. Study existing agent samples (e.g., `ambient-expense`) before scaffolding.
2 — Scaffold	`google-agents-cli-scaffold`	Create/Enhance. Initialize the project structure, CI/CD, and infrastructure templates.
3 — Build	`google-agents-cli-adk-code`	Implement. Write agent logic, tools, callbacks, and manage state using ADK APIs.
4 — Evaluate	`google-agents-cli-eval`	Validate Quality. Run systematic evaluations (LLM-as-judge).
5 — Deploy	`google-agents-cli-deploy`	Go Production. Deploy to Agent Runtime (Vertex AI), Cloud Run, or GKE.
6 — Publish	`google-agents-cli-publish`	Register. Make your agent available as a tool in Gemini Enterprise.
7 — Observe	`google-agents-cli-observability`	Monitor. Set up Cloud Trace, prompt-response logging, and BigQuery analytics.

Key CLI Commands

Below are the primary commands you will use throughout the development lifecycle:

Command	Description
`agents-cli setup`	Install the CLI and configure skills in your coding agent.
`agents-cli scaffold <name>`	Create a new agent project from a template.
`agents-cli eval run`	Run the agent and grade the traces in a single step (generate + grade).
`agents-cli deploy`	Deploy your agent to Google Cloud (Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, GKE).
`agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise`	Register your deployed agent with Gemini Enterprise.

For the full list of available commands and global options, run agents-cli --help.

Next Steps

Follow this sequence to initiate the development workflow:

Execute Setup: Run the uvx or npx command in the [!TIP] box above to install the CLI and enable the specialized skills in your environment.
Verify Installation: Run agents-cli info to confirm the installation and view the active project configuration.
Initiate Phase 0: Ask the user for their core requirements (agent purpose, external tools, deployment target) and document them in .agents-cli-spec.md before writing any code.

Reporting Issues

Report bugs or improvements at Google Agents CLI Issues.

Supporting Links

Google Agents CLI Documentation

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer874 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
SKILL.md4.4 KiB
references/attribution.md1.9 KiB

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download google-agents-cli-onboarding.zip