Google Skills
Updated
Agent Skills for Google products and technologies — maintained by Google. The repo ships 13 skills: 7 foundational (Gemini API, AlloyDB, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, Firebase, GKE basics), 3 recipes (Google Cloud onboarding, auth, network observability), and 3 Well-Architected Framework skills (security, reliability, cost optimization), so Claude Code pulls in Google Cloud guidance automatically when those topics come up.
npx skills add google/skills Official Agent Skills bundle from the
google/skillsrepo, maintained by Google.
What it does
Google Cloud’s surface area is wide — databases (AlloyDB, BigQuery, Cloud SQL), runtimes (Cloud Run, GKE), backend services (Firebase), AI APIs (Gemini), plus networking and security policies — and best practices, CLIs, and SDKs move fast. A vanilla Claude Code session relies on training-cutoff knowledge and fragmented documentation, which leads to stale commands, outdated API patterns, and recommendations that miss the platform’s current guidance.
Google Skills bundles those domain guidelines as Agent Skills that Claude Code auto-loads when relevant work shows up. Each skill is a markdown playbook for a specific service or scenario, written and maintained by Google itself, so the guidance stays in sync with current GA features and recommended patterns.
What’s included — 13 skills
The repo’s skills/cloud/* directory organises 13 skills into three groups.
Foundational (per-service basics)
| Skill | Target service |
|---|---|
gemini-api | Gemini API in Agent Platform |
alloydb-basics | AlloyDB |
bigquery-basics | BigQuery |
cloud-run-basics | Cloud Run |
cloud-sql-basics | Cloud SQL |
firebase-basics | Firebase |
gke-basics | Google Kubernetes Engine |
Recipe (multi-service scenarios)
| Skill | Scenario |
|---|---|
google-cloud-recipe-onboarding | Getting started on Google Cloud |
google-cloud-recipe-auth | Google Cloud auth flow (gcloud auth, service accounts, etc.) |
google-cloud-networking-observability | Network observability setup |
Well-Architected Framework
| Skill | Lens |
|---|---|
google-cloud-waf-security | Security |
google-cloud-waf-reliability | Reliability |
google-cloud-waf-cost-optimization | Cost optimization |
Installation
npx skills add google/skillsOne line installs all 13 skills. Run the same command and use the interactive selector to install only a subset.
The bundle is not listed on claude.com/plugins (as of 2026-05-13). Installation goes through NPX Skills, not the
/plugin installflow.
Notes
- Maintained by Google — the repo lives in the
googleGitHub organisation, distinct from community wrappers. - Apache-2.0 license — free for commercial and personal use.
- Not on claude.com/plugins — the ⬇ install count of 31.4k on this page comes from the skills.sh
npx skillstelemetry, captured 2026-05-13. It does not represent claude.com/plugins installs. - Multi-client compatibility — the skills.sh page lists Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Gemini, Cline, AMP, Antigravity, and ClawdBot as compatible clients, so any environment that supports the Agent Skills spec uses the same install command.
- Google Cloud usage billed separately — the skills are free, but the underlying resources (AlloyDB, BigQuery, GKE, etc.) follow Google Cloud’s standard pricing.
- Pick what you need — installing all 13 broadens the surface that can auto-load into context. For context efficiency, install only the skills covering services you actually touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Skills?
The README tagline: "Agent Skills for Google products and technologies." It's the official `google/skills` repo, maintained by Google, that bundles 13 skills covering Google Cloud databases, runtimes, infrastructure, and security guidance.
Where does it run?
The skills.sh page for the repo lists compatible clients as Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, Gemini, Cline, AMP, Antigravity, and ClawdBot. Any client that supports the Agent Skills spec installs with the same NPX command.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add google/skills` in your terminal to add the whole bundle, or pick individual skills from the interactive selector that the same command exposes.
Which skills are included?
Seven foundational (Gemini API, AlloyDB, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, Firebase, GKE basics), three recipes (Google Cloud onboarding, authentication, network observability), and three Well-Architected Framework skills (security, reliability, cost optimization) — 13 total.
Is it free?
The skills themselves are released under Apache-2.0 and free to use commercially. Actual Google Cloud usage (AlloyDB, BigQuery, GKE, etc.) is billed under Google Cloud's own pricing.
Are there any prerequisites?
No prerequisites are listed for the skills themselves. Working with real Google Cloud resources requires a Google Cloud account and authentication (e.g. `gcloud auth login`); that flow is covered by the `google-cloud-recipe-auth` skill.