google/skills Licensing Terms: Complete Apache 2.0 Guide

The google/skills repository is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0, a permissive open-source license that allows free commercial and non-commercial use with patent protection and attribution requirements.

Understanding the licensing terms for google/skills is essential before integrating its code into your projects. This repository, maintained by Google, provides reusable skill implementations and automation scripts that follow standard Google open-source licensing practices.

What License Does google/skills Use?

The google/skills repository uses Apache License, Version 2.0. You can verify this in two primary locations:

• The root LICENSE file contains the complete Apache 2.0 license text (source)
• The README.md explicitly states the project is "Apache 2.0 license" (source)

Individual source files throughout the repository also include Apache 2.0 headers. For example, files in skills/cloud/agent-platform-alert-configuration/scripts/ such as scan_duplicates.py contain standard license comments confirming the governing terms.

Apache 2.0 Rights and Obligations for google/skills

The Apache 2.0 license governing google/skills grants you specific permissions while requiring certain obligations:

Feature	What It Means
Free use, modification, and distribution	Use the code in any project—commercial or non-commercial—and modify it freely
Patent grant	Contributors provide a worldwide, royalty-free patent license for patents necessarily infringed by your use
Notice and attribution	Retain original copyright notices and disclaimers in all copies, including modified versions
No warranty	Software provided "as is" without warranties
License compatibility	Can be combined with many other open-source licenses

How to Properly Attribute google/skills

When redistributing google/skills code or creating derivative works, follow these requirements:

1. Include the full Apache 2.0 license text or reference the LICENSE file
2. Preserve all copyright notices from the original files
3. State any significant changes made to the original code
4. You may add your own licensing terms for your modifications, provided the original Apache 2.0 notice remains intact

Code Examples for License Compliance

Adding Apache 2.0 Header to New Source Files

When contributing to or forking google/skills, use this standard header format:

# Copyright 2024 Google LLC

#

# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");

# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.

# You may obtain a copy of the License at

#

#     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

#

# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software

# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,

# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.

# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and

# limitations under the License.

def hello_world():
    print("Hello, world!")

Verifying the License Programmatically

Use the SPDX license list to retrieve the canonical Apache 2.0 text for compliance checks:

pip install spdx-license-list
python - <<'PY'
from spdx_license_list import get_license_text
print(get_license_text("Apache-2.0"))
PY

Declaring Apache 2.0 in package.json

For Node.js projects incorporating google/skills components:

{
  "name": "my-awesome-project",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "https://github.com/my-org/my-awesome-project.git"
  }
}

CI License Verification Workflow

Automate license checking in your GitHub Actions pipeline:

name: License Check
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  license:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Verify Apache-2.0 license
        run: |
          grep -q "Apache License, Version 2.0" LICENSE && echo "License OK"

Key Files Defining google/skills Licensing Terms

File	Purpose	Location
LICENSE	Complete Apache 2.0 license text	Root directory
README.md	Licensing summary and reference	Root directory
Source file headers	Individual file license notices	Throughout skills/ subdirectories (e.g., skills/cloud/agent-platform-alert-configuration/scripts/scan_duplicates.py)

Summary

• The google/skills repository is Apache License, Version 2.0
• Permissive terms allow commercial use, modification, and distribution with patent protection
• Attribution required: Preserve copyright notices and include license text in redistributions
• Verify compliance using the root LICENSE file and source code headers
• Derivative works permitted with proper attribution to the original google/skills project

Frequently Asked Questions

Is google/skills free for commercial use?

Yes. The Apache 2.0 license explicitly permits commercial use without fees or royalties. You can incorporate google/skills code into proprietary products, provided you maintain the required attribution and license notices.

Do I need to open-source my modifications to google/skills?

No. Apache 2.0 does not impose copyleft requirements. You can keep your modifications proprietary, though providing attribution and preserving the original license notice remains mandatory.

How do I check if a specific google/skills file has proper licensing?

Examine the file header for the standard Apache 2.0 license comment block. Files in skills/cloud/agent-platform-alert-configuration/scripts/ and other directories consistently include these headers. The top-level LICENSE file governs all files without individual headers.

Can I combine google/skills code with GPL-licensed projects?

Yes. Apache 2.0 is compatible with GPL v3.0, allowing combination in that direction. However, combining with GPL v2.0 requires additional consideration due to patent clause differences—consult the Free Software Foundation compatibility matrix for specific guidance.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}