google-agents-cli-scaffold

| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| `references/flags.md` | Full flag reference for `create` and `enhance` commands |

### Enhance an Existing Project

```bash
agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target <target>
agents-cli scaffold enhance . --cicd-runner <runner>
```

Run this from inside the project directory (or pass the path instead of `.`).

### Upgrade a Project

Upgrade an existing project to a newer agents-cli version, intelligently applying updates while preserving your customizations:

```bash
agents-cli scaffold upgrade                # Upgrade current directory
agents-cli scaffold upgrade <project-path> # Upgrade specific project
agents-cli scaffold upgrade --dry-run      # Preview changes without applying
agents-cli scaffold upgrade --auto-approve  # Auto-apply non-conflicting changes
```

### Execution Modes

The CLI defaults to **strict programmatic mode** — all required params must be supplied as CLI flags or a `UsageError` is raised. No approval flags needed. Pass all required params explicitly.

### Common Workflows

**Always ask the user before running these commands.** Present the options (CI/CD runner, deployment target, etc.) and confirm before executing.

```bash
# Add deployment to an existing prototype (strict programmatic)
agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target agent_runtime

# Add CI/CD pipeline (ask: GitHub Actions or Cloud Build?)
agents-cli scaffold enhance . --cicd-runner github_actions
```

---

## Template Options

| Template | Language | Deployment | Description |
|----------|----------|------------|-------------|
| `adk` | Python | Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, GKE | Standard ADK agent (default); A2A protocol built in |
| `adk_go` | Go | Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, GKE | Standard ADK Go agent; A2A protocol built in |

> **`adk` and `adk_go` are the only built-in templates.** `adk` is the default, so a Go project
> needs `--agent adk_go` explicitly.
> Other frameworks ship as template repos you scaffold
> from directly: `--agent google/agents-cli/extensions/langchain/template@v1.6.1`, with nothing installed. The first-party LangChain
> template is `extensions/langchain/template/` in the agents-cli repo; see
> `/google-agents-cli-workflow` → `references/extension.md` to publish your own. Capabilities
> beyond the template — retrieval, sandboxed execution, memory, OAuth, guardrails — are
> clone-and-study recipes, not templates. **ADK Python:** see the topic index in
> `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` → `references/samples.md`.

---

## Deployment Options

| Target | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `agent_runtime` | Managed by Google (Vertex AI Agent Runtime). Container-based — Agent Engine builds the project Dockerfile. Sessions handled automatically. |
| `cloud_run` | Container-based deployment. More control; you build and deploy the Dockerfile. |
| `gke` | Container-based on GKE Autopilot. Full Kubernetes control. |
| `none` | No deployment scaffolding. Code only (still includes a Dockerfile). |

### "Prototype First" Pattern (Recommended)

Start with `--prototype` to skip CI/CD and Terraform. Focus on getting the agent working first, then add deployment later with `scaffold enhance`:

```bash
# Step 1: Create a prototype
agents-cli scaffold create my-agent --agent adk --prototype

# Step 2: Iterate on the agent code...

# Step 3: Add deployment when ready
agents-cli scaffold enhance . --deployment-target agent_runtime
```

### Agent Runtime and session_type

When using `agent_runtime` as the deployment target, Agent Runtime manages sessions internally. If your code sets a `session_type`, clear it — Agent Runtime overrides it.

---

## Step 3: Load Dev Workflow

After scaffolding, immediately load `/google-agents-cli-workflow` — it contains the development workflow, coding guidelines, and operational rules you must follow when implementing the agent.

What you edit differs by language; `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` has the annotated tree for each,
in `references/adk-python.md` and `references/adk-go.md`.

- **ADK Python (`--agent adk`)** — customize `app/agent.py` and `app/tools.py`.
- **ADK Go (`--agent adk_go`)** — customize `app/agent.go`.

`.env` is yours. Preserve everything else the template generated — it wires up serving, sessions
and the built-in A2A surface.

**Adapting a recipe:** copy its `app/`, `infra/terraform/`, and any ingestion or provisioning into
your scaffolded project, then run provisioning from the recipe's own `Makefile` (e.g.
`make setup-infra`). Start from its `AGENTS.md`.

**Verifying your agent works:** Use `agents-cli run "test prompt"` for quick smoke tests, then `agents-cli eval run` for systematic validation. Do NOT write pytest tests that assert on LLM response content, that belongs in eval.

---

## Scaffold as Reference

When you need specific files (Terraform, CI/CD workflows, Dockerfile) but don't want to scaffold the current project directly, create a temporary reference project in `/tmp/`:

```bash
agents-cli scaffold create ref-project --output-dir /tmp \
  --agent adk \
  --deployment-target cloud_run
```

Inspect the generated files, adapt what you need, and copy into the actual project. Delete the reference project when done.

This is useful for:
- Non-standard project structures that `enhance` can't handle
- Cherry-picking specific infrastructure files
- Understanding what the CLI generates before committing to it

---

## Critical Rules

- **NEVER skip requirements clarification** — load `/google-agents-cli-workflow` Phase 0 and clarify the user's intent before running `scaffold create`
- **NEVER change the model** in existing code unless explicitly asked
- **NEVER `mkdir` before `create`** — the CLI creates the directory; pre-creating it causes enhance mode instead of create mode
- **NEVER create a Git repo or push to remote without asking** — confirm repo name, public vs private, and whether the user wants it created at all
- **Always ask before choosing CI/CD runner** — present GitHub Actions and Cloud Build as options, don't default silently
- **Agent Runtime clears session_type** — if deploying to `agent_runtime`, remove any `session_type` setting from your code
- **Start with `--prototype`** for quick iteration — add deployment later with `enhance`
- **Project names** must be ≤26 characters, lowercase, letters/numbers/hyphens only
- **NEVER write A2A code from scratch** — A2A is built into the scaffolded app (the `adk` and `adk_go` templates and framework templates alike); each language's A2A surface (import paths, `AgentCard` schema etc.) is non-trivial and changes across versions. Scaffold normally; never hand-write the A2A surface.

---

# Examples

Using scaffold as reference:
User says: "I need a Dockerfile for my non-standard project"
Actions:
1. Create temp project: `agents-cli scaffold create ref --output-dir /tmp --agent adk --deployment-target cloud_run`
2. Copy relevant files (Dockerfile, etc.) from /tmp/ref
3. Delete temp project
Result: Infrastructure files adapted to the actual project

---

A2A project:
User says: "Build me a Python agent that exposes A2A and deploys to Cloud Run"
Actions:
1. Follow the standard flow (understand requirements, choose architecture, scaffold)
2. `agents-cli scaffold create my-a2a-agent --agent adk --deployment-target cloud_run --prototype`
Result: Valid A2A imports and Dockerfile — no manual A2A code written.

---

Go project:
User says: "Build me a Go agent that deploys to Cloud Run"
Actions:
1. Follow the standard flow (understand requirements, choose architecture, scaffold)
2. `agents-cli scaffold create my-go-agent --agent adk_go --deployment-target cloud_run --prototype`
Result: Go project with `app/agent.go`, the launcher in `main.go`, and the A2A card at the root.

---

## Troubleshooting

### `agents-cli` command not found

See `/google-agents-cli-workflow` → **Setup** section.

---

## Related Skills

- `/google-agents-cli-workflow` — Development workflow, coding guidelines, and the build-evaluate-deploy lifecycle
- `/google-agents-cli-adk-code` — ADK API quick reference for writing agent code, including the graph Workflow API
- `/google-agents-cli-deploy` — Deployment targets, CI/CD pipelines, and production workflows
- `/google-agents-cli-eval` — Evaluation methodology, dataset schema, and the eval-fix loop