Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Google Developer Knowledge agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The retrieving-developer-knowledge skill lets an AI agent look up official Google developer documentation before it answers a technical question about Google products such as Google Cloud, Firebase, Android, Flutter, Go and Gemini. This guide is for developers who have never installed an agent skill and want current gcloud flags, API syntax or IAM permission names. By the end you will know how to install the skill, set up the credential it needs, and phrase requests so the agent actually checks the docs.
Google Developer Knowledge Lookupgoogle/skills · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into .claude/skills/ inside one project.
- 2Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP.
- 3Set up a credential. Sign in with gcloud so gcloud auth print-access-token works, or create an API key through the Developer Knowledge quickstart and export it as DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY.
- 4Ask a specific question. Name the Google product and the exact thing you need, such as a gcloud flag, an API parameter or an IAM permission.
- 5Check that the lookup succeeded. Confirm the agent reports retrieved documentation. If it says it could not reach Developer Knowledge, fix the credential and ask again.
What the skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent loads when a request matches it. With this skill installed, a technical question about a Google product triggers a lookup against Google's public developer documentation, through the Developer Knowledge service, instead of an answer from the model's memory.
The skill can search for exact gcloud commands, API syntax and IAM permissions, or fetch a full documentation page. The agent is instructed to give you a complete, runnable answer from the retrieved text. If the lookup fails, it is instructed to tell you plainly that it could not reach the documentation.
Install the skill from the ZIP or the Claude apps
Download the ZIP of the skill from this page. Unzip it so the skill folder sits in one of two places: the personal skills folder ~/.claude/skills/, or the .claude/skills/ folder inside a specific project if you want the skill only for that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Personal, all projects: ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Set up a Google credential for the lookup
The skill reaches the Developer Knowledge service in one of two ways. The first option is an authenticated gcloud CLI. The skill passes a bearer token and your quota project with each request, so nothing else needs to be installed or configured for this path.
The second option is an API key. Enable the API and create a key by following the Developer Knowledge quickstart linked from the skill, then export it as DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY in your environment. The skill also needs curl for REST requests.
- Option A: gcloud is installed and you are signed in, so gcloud auth print-access-token works
- Option B: DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY is set in your environment, created through the Developer Knowledge quickstart
- Both options need curl available on your machine
export DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEYTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not call the skill by name. Ask a question that names a Google product and a concrete need, such as a CLI flag, an API parameter, a permission name or a comparison. The skill's description lists the kinds of requests it covers: gcloud CLI commands, API syntax, IAM permissions, official documentation, architectural comparisons and product choice overviews.
Ask in plain sentences. The agent will turn the question into short keyword searches on its own, so you do not need to write keyword queries yourself.
- How do I configure public read access on Cloud Storage?
- What gcloud command creates a Cloud Logging log-based metric?
- Which IAM permission does a service account need to deploy to Cloud Run?
- Compare Firebase Authentication with a custom sign-in backend for a small web app.
Check the answer for a successful lookup
The skill tells the agent that a response is not automatically an answer. Errors such as PERMISSION_DENIED, UNAUTHENTICATED, HTTP 401 or 403, an empty result set, or any error payload count as a failed lookup. In that case the agent should either try the other transport once or tell you it could not reach Developer Knowledge and is answering without it.
When the agent answers without a lookup, treat that answer as unverified and check it against the official documentation yourself.
- Look for the agent saying it retrieved documentation before you rely on exact flags
- A reply that says it could not reach Developer Knowledge is a signal to fix the credential, not a finished answer
Safety notes: scripts and network access
The skill runs no scripts. It does use the network: each lookup sends a request to the Developer Knowledge service at developerknowledge.googleapis.com. The skill searches only Google's public documentation, so questions about your own local files or code are outside its scope.
The skill's REST examples pass DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY as a key query parameter in the request URL. Avoid pasting the key into shared logs, screenshots or chat transcripts that may be stored.
- No scripts are run by the skill
- Network access is used for requests to the Developer Knowledge service only
- Do not use the skill for filesystem or non-Google documentation questions
What people use it for
- Finding the exact gcloud flags for a command before running it against a project
- Checking the IAM permission name a service account needs for a Google Cloud task
- Getting the request syntax for a Google API before writing client code
- Comparing two Google developer products before choosing one for a project
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the retrieving-developer-knowledge skill?
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all your projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead go to Settings, Capabilities, Skills and upload the ZIP.
What do I need to use the Google Developer Knowledge skill?
You need either the Developer Knowledge MCP server or the Developer Knowledge REST API, plus one credential. That credential is either an authenticated gcloud CLI with a bearer token and quota project, or a DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY created through the Developer Knowledge quickstart. The REST path also needs curl.
Is the Developer Knowledge skill free to use?
The skill is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. This page does not state pricing or quota limits for the Developer Knowledge service, so check the quickstart for current terms before relying on it.
Why does the agent say it could not reach Developer Knowledge?
The skill treats errors such as HTTP 401 or 403, UNAUTHENTICATED, PERMISSION_DENIED or an empty result as a failed lookup. Check that gcloud is signed in or that DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY is set, then ask again. If the gcloud token is rejected, the skill's guidance is to try the application-default credential.
What does it do when I hit a 429 out of quota error?
The answer query endpoint has limited quota. When it returns HTTP 429, the skill is instructed to retry with the search endpoint using two to five focused keywords from your question instead of falling back to memory.
Does this skill work for non-Google technologies or my own code?
No. The skill searches only official public Google developer documentation across listed domains, and it explicitly excludes non-Google documentation and local filesystem lookups. For those questions, use a different tool.
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Our verdict
This skill is a good fit for developers building on Google Cloud, Firebase, Android or Flutter who need current CLI flags, API syntax or IAM permission names tied to official docs. It is not suited to questions about your own project files, non-Google technologies, or setups where you cannot provide a Google credential or API key, since the lookup will fail.
Download the skill