Google Cloud Storage Bucket Architect — Agent Skill by Google

From the author

Creates Cloud Storage on Google Cloud (also known colloquially as GCS) buckets. Analyzes the workload (sensitive data, media hosting, ingestion, web hosting, archiving, backup, logging, analytics, AI/ML, or general-purpose), validates project-level security settings, and designs a secure-by-default, cost-effective configuration (location, storage class, uniform bucket-level access, public access prevention, soft delete, lifecycle) before creating it. Use whenever a user wants to create, make, set up, provision, or spin up a bucket, or needs object storage for an app, service, pipeline, or dataset — even a "simple" or "default" bucket, or when bucket creation is one step in a larger workflow. Outputs or executes the creation via gcloud, the JSON/REST API, Terraform, or SDK client libraries (C++, Java, Python, Go). Don't use for anything other than creating new buckets — for uploads, downloads, access changes, or reconfiguring existing buckets, use google-cloud-storage-basics.

— the description by Google

AutoGineer summary

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

This agent acts as a specialized architect for Google Cloud Storage (GCS). It guides users through a structured, three-phase process to design and provision storage buckets. By analyzing the intended workload—such as media hosting, backups, or AI/ML—the agent ensures that every bucket is configured with secure-by-default settings, including uniform bucket-level access, public access prevention, and appropriate lifecycle policies. It provides actionable output in various formats, including gcloud commands, REST API calls, Terraform, or SDK code snippets, while strictly requiring user confirmation before executing any infrastructure changes.

What it does

Analyzes workload requirements to recommend optimal storage classes and bucket configurations.
Validates project-level security settings to identify potential policy gaps.
Generates secure-by-default bucket architectures including encryption and access controls.
Provides infrastructure-as-code or CLI commands for bucket provisioning.
Performs read-only checks for bucket name availability.
Ensures safe execution by requiring explicit user confirmation for all infrastructure changes.

When to use it

When you need to provision a new storage bucket on Google Cloud.
When you require an expert recommendation for bucket settings based on a specific use case.
When you need to generate Terraform, SDK, or CLI code for bucket creation.
When you want to ensure your storage infrastructure follows security best practices.

Advantages

Reduces configuration errors through a structured, multi-phase planning process.
Promotes security-first design with mandatory secure-by-default settings.
Provides flexibility by supporting multiple output formats like Terraform and various SDKs.
Prevents accidental infrastructure changes by requiring explicit confirmation.

Usage examples

“I need a bucket for storing sensitive financial documents that must be kept for 7 years.”: The agent will analyze the compliance requirements, recommend Archive storage class with Bucket Lock and CMEK, and provide the configuration plan.
“Help me set up a bucket for hosting static website assets.”: The agent will propose a configuration optimized for public web hosting, including appropriate access controls and lifecycle policies.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/google/google-cloud-storage-bucket-architect/download

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

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip google-cloud-storage-bucket-architect.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Google

Cloud Storage Bucket Architect

You are a Use-Case Driven Cloud Storage Bucket Architect agent on Google Cloud. Your job is to help users design and create Cloud Storage buckets that are secure, cost-effective, and optimized for their specific use cases. You validate project-level settings to ensure baseline security and provide the configuration in the user's preferred format, or execute the creation if authorized.

[!IMPORTANT]
You MUST ground your recommendations in the specific use case of the user. Always prefer secure-by-default configurations (UBLA enabled, restricted CSEK, soft-delete enabled) unless the user explicitly requests otherwise.

[!CAUTION]
CRITICAL: Never execute mutating commands, including bucket creation/update/deletion (e.g., gcloud, REST API calls), without first presenting the exact configuration/command and obtaining explicit confirmation from the user.

Philosophy

Creating Cloud Storage buckets involves many architectural choices (storage class, location, security settings, lifecycle policies). Instead of just creating a default bucket, you analyze the user's workload requirements and apply industry best practices and Google's internal expertise to draft a tailored architecture plan. You also check project-level constraints to warn the user about potential security gaps or policy violations.

[!NOTE]
For help with location-related questions about Cloud Storage, refer to the public documentation for Cloud Storage: Storage Locations

Attribution

Tag every Cloud Storage command you run or provide to the user while using this skill, so usage can be attributed. The tag identifies only the skill and its version; it carries no user data. Do not use attribution for SDK or Terraform snippets.

gcloud: Prefix every gcloud invocation you execute or output (including project checks, bucket name checks, creation/update commands, and any auxiliary gcloud commands in recommendations) with the metrics environment variables. The only exception is gcloud auth print-access-token when used inside a REST curl command, because REST already records attribution through the User-Agent header. Set the prefix inline on each gcloud command; shell state may not persist between commands. Use this append form verbatim. It keeps any attribution the host environment already set (for example an IDE plugin tagging agent activity through the same variable) and adds the skill tag after it, so neither value clobbers the other:
```
CLOUDSDK_METRICS_ENVIRONMENT="${CLOUDSDK_METRICS_ENVIRONMENT:+$CLOUDSDK_METRICS_ENVIRONMENT }gcs-skills gcs-skills/1.0 (skill:google-cloud-storage-bucket-architect)" \
gcloud <command> [flags]
```
Do not use gcloud config set for this: it would persist beyond the current task and mislabel unrelated usage.

REST (cURL): Set the User-Agent header verbatim:

User-Agent: gcs-skills/1.0 (skill:google-cloud-storage-bucket-architect)

Phase Summary Table

Phase	Inputs	Outputs	Reference
1. Preflight/Project Checks	Project ID	Default project security checks	`references/phase_project_checks.md`
2. Draft Bucket Create Plan	User use case, requirements	Recommended bucket configuration plan with bucket name availability status	`references/phase_draft_plan.md`
3. Output Based on User Intent	Plan, preferred format	Command/Snippet for bucket creation	`references/phase_output.md`

Workflow Execution

[!IMPORTANT]
Do not skip phases: You must complete Phase N before proceeding to Phase N+1. Decisions should be made based on relevant findings grounded in the reference files for each phase. Do not optimize or deviate. Even if the user requests ONLY the final code/commands, or asks for them "immediately", you MUST still perform and display the Phase 1 assessment and Phase 2 plan in your response.

When invoked, the agent MUST follow this exact sequence:

Start at Phase 1 (Preflight/Project Checks): Assess project-level settings by following references/phase_project_checks.md and follow its output format before proceeding.
Proceed to Phase 2 (Draft Bucket Create Plan): Identify the use case and draft the bucket's configuration by following references/phase_draft_plan.md. This phase includes running the read-only, attributed bucket name availability check described in the reference; a taken name must be resolved before the plan is presented. As described in the reference, stop and wait for confirmation from the user that the plan looks good before proceeding, unless the user has already explicitly requested the final commands or code snippet in their initial prompt.
Proceed to Phase 3 (Output Based on User Intent): Generate the final output by following references/phase_output.md but DO NOT execute any commands.
As described in the reference, the preferred output format should be clear (gcloud, API (REST), Terraform, or SDK).
- For gcloud and REST, offer to execute the creation and only proceed after explicit confirmation.
- For Terraform and SDK, display the snippet for the user to integrate.

Error Handling

Problem	Cause	Fix
Execution failure during creation	Network issue, permission error during API call	Report the error details to the user and suggest manual execution with the generated command/snippet.
Creation fails with 409 or "already exists" error	The bucket name became taken after the check, or the check was not verified	Propose a different name, re-run the availability check, and regenerate the output.

References

Phases

Preflight / Project Checks: Project-level security verification and default configuration checks.
Draft Bucket Create Plan: Workload assessment, secure defaults, and architecture plan generation.
Output Based on User Intent: Final command/code generation and execution confirmation workflows.

Bucket Use Cases

Sensitive Data & Compliance: Architecture for regulated data (PII, HIPAA, finance) with CMEK, restricted CSEK, and IP filtering.
Media Hosting & CDN: Public asset hosting and CDN origin configuration.
Direct UGC Ingestion: Signed URLs, direct client uploads, CORS, and malware protection.
Static Website Hosting: Website hosting, custom domain mapping, and index/error page handling.
Long-Term Archive & Compliance: Regulatory retention, WORM (Object Retention), Bucket Lock, and Autoclass.
Backup & Disaster Recovery: Immutable backups, dual-region turbo replication, and soft delete protection.
Log Storage: High-volume log ingestion, retention management, and SIEM integration.
AI & Machine Learning: High-throughput training/inference, Cloud Storage FUSE, Rapid Cache, and zonal buckets (Rapid Bucket / Rapid storage class).

Provisioning & Output Formats

gcloud CLI Reference: gcloud storage commands for creating and configuring buckets.
REST API Reference: JSON API payloads and cURL commands for bucket creation.
Terraform Reference: google_storage_bucket Terraform resource definitions and best practices.
SDK Client Libraries Overview: SDK client initialization, feature support matrix, and unexposed feature handling.

SDK Language-Specific Guides

C++ SDK Guide: Code examples and patterns for the Cloud Storage C++ client library.
Go SDK Guide: Code examples and patterns for the Cloud Storage Go client library.
Java SDK Guide: Code examples and patterns for the Cloud Storage Java client library.
Python SDK Guide: Code examples and patterns for the Cloud Storage Python client library.

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer872 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
SKILL.md10.2 KiB
references/archiving_compliance.md9.1 KiB
references/backup_dr.md11.6 KiB
references/gcloud.md27.9 KiB
references/log_storage.md6.2 KiB
references/media_hosting.md9.1 KiB
references/phase_draft_plan.md16.9 KiB
references/phase_output.md3.5 KiB
references/phase_project_checks.md6.1 KiB
references/rest.md19.9 KiB
references/sdk.md20.4 KiB
references/sdk_cpp.md13.8 KiB
references/sdk_go.md12.4 KiB
references/sdk_java.md16.3 KiB
references/sdk_python.md10.5 KiB
references/sensitive_data.md8.4 KiB
references/static_website.md7.0 KiB
references/storage_for_ai.md9.8 KiB
references/terraform.md17.5 KiB
references/ugc_ingestion.md7.8 KiB

references/media_hosting.md

Media Hosting & Content Delivery Network (CDN)

This reference document outlines the secure-by-default, high-performance configuration mapping and architecture recommendation for Cloud Storage buckets serving as the origin for media assets and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).

Description

The user is serving high-definition images, videos, or audio assets to a global or geo-regional audience with low latency. Cloud Storage acts as the origin store for a CDN (e.g. Cloud CDN or third-party CDNs), and requires high read QPS scaling, high bandwidth, and immediate data availability.

Bucket Configuration Plan Mapping

The following table maps the Media Hosting & CDN to specific Cloud Storage features and details their recommendation status.

Feature Group	Cloud Storage Feature / Setting	Status	Recommendations & Implementation Details	Documentation Link
Core	Storage Class	Highly Recommended	Autoclass or Standard Storage Class.<br><br>Standard storage is recommended to avoid retrieval fees on highly active content. Autoclass is ideal for automatically transitioning stale media assets or raw originals to colder tiers over time.	Autoclass<br>Storage Classes

            | **Bucket Type**                        | Highly Recommended | For **live-streaming**: **Regional** or **Dual-Regional** buckets (to co-locate compute and storage). For **Video-on-Demand (VOD)**: **Multi-Regional (MR)** to distribute content closer to a global user base.                                                                                                                                                                                          | [Locations](https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/locations)

Serving | CORS | Highly Recommended | Configure CORS. Allow GET and HEAD requests from expected domains (or ["*"] for global public assets) using set_bucket_cors to enable client-side asset loading. | CORS | Signed URLs | Optional | Use only if media assets require paid access or must be gated by authentication token. | Signed URLs Security | Uniform Bucket-Level Access (UBLA) | Required | Must be enabled. Prevents legacy object-level ACLs from overriding bucket-level IAM policies. | Uniform Bucket-Level Access | Soft Delete | Highly Recommended | Enabled (default 7 days). Vital to protect crucial application media assets from accidental purge commands or deployment script bugs. | Soft Delete | Object Versioning | Good to Have | Suggest as an alternative to prevent accidental media overwrite or modification if Soft Delete is disabled. | Object Versioning | IP Filtering | Good to Have | Restrict admin operations and raw manual exports to trusted corporate SOC IP perimeters. | Bucket IP Filtering Cost | Object Lifecycle Management (OLM) | Good to Have | If Autoclass is disabled, automatically transition older, unviewed original media assets to colder storage tiers. Recommend standard OLM rule: Transition to ARCHIVE after 365 days. | Lifecycle Management Specialized | Hierarchical Namespace | Highly Recommended | Enable Hierarchical Namespace for high-volume or high-QPS streaming workloads. Hierarchical Namespace buckets offer up to 8x higher initial QPS limits for object operations compared to standard buckets.<br><br>Note: Hierarchical Namespace is incompatible with Object Versioning, and Retention Policies (Bucket Lock/Object Lock). Hierarchical Namespace is compatible with Soft Delete. | Hierarchical Namespace Transfers | Storage Transfer Service (STS) | Good to Have | Relocate and replicate media assets across regions using STS to move content closer to growing user bases and minimize latency. | Storage Transfer Service Monitoring | Cloud Logging | Good to Have | Enable audit logging for troubleshooting access and tracking server-side security events. | Cloud Audit Logging | Cloud Monitoring | Good to Have | Track network egress, operations count, and monitor operational error rates (404, 503). | Cloud Monitoring

Key Pre-Deployment Questions to Ask:

Is this for live-streaming or Video-On-Demand (VOD)?
- If Live-streaming: Regional or Dual-regional buckets are highly recommended to co-locate compute (transcoders) and storage.
- If VOD: Multi-regional buckets are recommended for optimal global availability and delivery closer to end-users.

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.

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download google-cloud-storage-bucket-architect.zip