Where to Find Operational Commands and gcloud Invocations for Skills

All operational commands and gcloud invocations for the Google Skills repository are stored in dedicated reference Markdown files under each skill's references/ directory, with the core CLI patterns documented in skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md.

The google/skills repository organizes cloud operational knowledge into discrete skills, each containing executable command references for Google Cloud Platform services. Developers needing precise gcloud syntax for authentication, service management, or service-specific operations can locate authoritative examples directly in the source code rather than external documentation.

Core gcloud Reference Structure

The repository maintains a centralized gcloud skill at skills/cloud/gcloud that serves as the foundation for all Google Cloud CLI operations. This skill contains the primary reference file skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md, which documents the exact authentication and configuration patterns used across the entire repository.

Individual service-specific skills—such as Spanner, Workload Manager, and Composer—extend these core patterns in their own references/ subdirectories. This modular structure ensures that each skill encapsulates both its conceptual logic and its executable command interface.

Standard Operational Workflow

Every cloud-facing skill in the repository follows a consistent four-step operational pattern for gcloud interactions.

Authentication

Most skills rely on a user-authenticated gcloud session or an application-default token obtained through standard CLI commands.

# User authentication flow

ACCESS_TOKEN=$(gcloud auth print-access-token)

# Application default credentials

ACCESS_TOKEN=$(gcloud auth application-default print-access-token)

According to the source code in skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md, these token retrieval patterns are the standard prerequisite for all subsequent API calls.

Project Configuration

Before executing service commands, skills enforce explicit project selection to ensure operations target the correct GCP resource container.

# Set active project

gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID

# Export for use in scripts

export PROJECT_ID="$(gcloud config get-value project)"

This pattern appears in the core gcloud reference and is replicated across all cloud service skills to maintain environment consistency.

Service Enablement

Each skill declares its required Google Cloud APIs and enables them programmatically using the services enable command.

gcloud services enable workloadmanager.googleapis.com --quiet

The --quiet flag suppresses interactive prompts, making this pattern suitable for automated scripts and CI/CD pipelines as implemented in the Workload Manager skill.

Skill-Specific Command References

While authentication and project setup remain consistent, operational commands vary by service and are documented in skill-specific reference files.

Spanner Operations

The Spanner skill at skills/cloud/spanner-basics/references/cli-usage.md contains the complete command reference for database lifecycle management.

# Create instance and database infrastructure

gcloud spanner instances create my-instance
gcloud spanner databases create my-database --instance=my-instance

# Execute SQL queries

gcloud spanner databases execute-sql my-database \
    --instance=my-instance \
    --sql="SELECT 1"

These commands cover instance provisioning, database creation, and direct SQL execution against Spanner resources.

Workload Manager IAM Configuration

Unlike Spanner, Workload Manager does not expose a dedicated gcloud workload-manager command group. Instead, the skill at skills/cloud/workload-manager-basics/references/public-cli-status.md documents IAM and authentication setup using standard project-level commands.

gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding PROJECT_ID \
    --member="serviceAccount:..." \
    --role="roles/workloadmanager.admin"

This approach uses gcloud strictly for identity management while relying on API clients for actual Workload Manager operations.

Composer Environment Management

The managed Airflow skill documents environment inspection and DAG manipulation in skills/cloud/managed-airflow-migrations/references/environment-inspection.md.

# List and inspect environments

gcloud composer environments list
gcloud composer environments describe ENV_NAME

# Access DAG storage

gcloud storage cp gs://BUCKET/dags/… .

# Execute Airflow CLI commands

gcloud composer environments run ENV_NAME -- <airflow command>

These commands enable operators to migrate workflows by extracting DAG files and executing Airflow metadata commands against Cloud Composer environments.

Key Reference Files

Skill	File Path	Contents
Core gcloud	skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md	Authentication patterns, project configuration, service enablement
Spanner	skills/cloud/spanner-basics/references/cli-usage.md	Instance creation, database management, SQL execution, backup operations
Workload Manager	skills/cloud/workload-manager-basics/references/public-cli-status.md	IAM bindings and authentication requirements
Composer	skills/cloud/managed-airflow-migrations/references/environment-inspection.md	Environment listing, DAG retrieval, Airflow CLI execution
Developer Knowledge	skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge/references/api-fallback.md	Fallback authentication examples using gcloud auth print-access-token

Summary

• The skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md file serves as the authoritative source for base gcloud authentication and configuration commands used across the repository.
• Service-specific commands reside in each skill's references/ subdirectory, with exact syntax for Spanner, Workload Manager IAM, and Composer operations.
• The standard workflow requires authentication via gcloud auth print-access-token, explicit project selection with gcloud config set project, and proactive service enablement using gcloud services enable.
• Reference files contain executable bash snippets that can be copied directly into operational scripts or automation pipelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the primary location for gcloud authentication commands in the skills repository?

The primary location is skills/cloud/gcloud/references/cli-usage.md. This file contains the canonical patterns for retrieving access tokens via both user authentication and application-default credentials, serving as the foundation for all cloud service interactions in the repository.

How do I find the specific gcloud commands for managing Spanner resources?

Navigate to skills/cloud/spanner-basics/references/cli-usage.md in the repository. This reference file contains the exact commands for creating instances, provisioning databases, executing SQL queries, and managing backups using the gcloud spanner command group.

Why doesn't the Workload Manager skill have dedicated gcloud commands?

According to skills/cloud/workload-manager-basics/references/public-cli-status.md, Workload Manager does not expose a public gcloud CLI surface for data operations. The skill uses gcloud exclusively for authentication and IAM management (such as gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding), while actual workload operations require direct API calls or client libraries.

What is the command pattern for accessing Cloud Composer DAGs in the skills repository?

As documented in skills/cloud/managed-airflow-migrations/references/environment-inspection.md, use gcloud composer environments describe to identify the environment's Cloud Storage bucket, then gcloud storage cp to transfer DAG files locally. For Airflow metadata operations, use gcloud composer environments run ENV_NAME -- <command>.

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