name: gcloud user-invocable: false skill_api_version: 1 hexagonal_role: supporting metadata: tier: execution description: >- Google Cloud Platform CLI - manage GCP resources. Use when working with Compute Engine, Cloud Run, GKE, Cloud Functions, Storage, BigQuery, or other GCP services. practices:
- pragmatic-programmer
GCloud CLI
Core Capability: Manage Google Cloud Platform resources and services from the command line.
Quick Start
# Install
curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
exec -l $SHELL
# Verify
gcloud version
# Check auth
gcloud auth list
# Set project
gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID
# Show current config
gcloud config list
THE EXACT PROMPT — Auth & Config
# Login interactively
gcloud auth login
# Service account auth
gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=key.json
# Application default credentials
gcloud auth application-default login
# Set project
gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID
# Set region/zone
gcloud config set compute/region us-central1
gcloud config set compute/zone us-central1-a
# Named configurations
gcloud config configurations create my-config
gcloud config configurations activate my-config
THE EXACT PROMPT — Compute Engine
# List VMs
gcloud compute instances list
# Create VM
gcloud compute instances create my-vm \
--zone=us-central1-a \
--machine-type=e2-medium \
--image-family=debian-12 \
--image-project=debian-cloud
# SSH to VM
gcloud compute ssh my-vm --zone=us-central1-a
# Stop/start
gcloud compute instances stop my-vm --zone=us-central1-a
gcloud compute instances start my-vm --zone=us-central1-a
THE EXACT PROMPT — Cloud Run
# List services
gcloud run services list
# Deploy from source
gcloud run deploy my-service --source . --region=us-central1
# Deploy container
gcloud run deploy my-service \
--image=gcr.io/PROJECT/IMAGE \
--region=us-central1 \
--allow-unauthenticated
# View logs
gcloud run services logs read my-service --region=us-central1
THE EXACT PROMPT — Cloud Storage
# List buckets
gcloud storage buckets list
# Create bucket
gcloud storage buckets create gs://my-bucket --location=us-central1
# Upload/download
gcloud storage cp local-file.txt gs://my-bucket/
gcloud storage cp gs://my-bucket/file.txt ./
# Sync directory
gcloud storage rsync -r ./local-dir gs://my-bucket/remote-dir
Essential Commands
| Service | List | Create | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute | gcloud compute instances list |
gcloud compute instances create |
gcloud compute instances delete |
| Cloud Run | gcloud run services list |
gcloud run deploy |
gcloud run services delete |
| Functions | gcloud functions list |
gcloud functions deploy |
gcloud functions delete |
| GKE | gcloud container clusters list |
gcloud container clusters create |
gcloud container clusters delete |
| Storage | gcloud storage buckets list |
gcloud storage buckets create |
gcloud storage rm |
Output Formatting
# JSON output
gcloud compute instances list --format=json
# Table with specific columns
gcloud compute instances list --format="table(name,zone,status)"
# Filter results
gcloud compute instances list --filter="status=RUNNING"
# Quiet mode (no prompts)
gcloud compute instances delete my-vm --quiet
Quick Reference
gcloud cheat-sheet # Built-in cheat sheet
gcloud interactive # Interactive shell
gcloud --help # General help
gcloud compute --help # Service-specific help
AGENTS.md Blurb
Copy this to your project's AGENTS.md:
### Google Cloud CLI (gcloud)
`gcloud` is installed and authenticated.
Auth:
\`\`\`bash
gcloud auth login
gcloud auth application-default login # For API libraries
\`\`\`
Project:
\`\`\`bash
gcloud config set project <PROJECT_ID>
\`\`\`
Enable APIs:
\`\`\`bash
gcloud services enable aiplatform.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable analyticsdata.googleapis.com
\`\`\`
Useful commands:
\`\`\`bash
gcloud projects list
gcloud services list --enabled
gcloud beta billing accounts list
\`\`\`
When to Use
- Enabling APIs for Gemini, Vertex AI, or other Google services
- Managing billing and cost alerts
- Creating service accounts for CI/CD
- Deploying containers to Cloud Run
- Managing GKE clusters
References
| Topic | Reference |
|---|---|
| All services | SERVICES.md |
| IAM & Security | IAM.md |