Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .claude/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a codex
Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .agents/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a cursor
Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .cursor/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a gemini-cli
Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .gemini/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a github-copilot
Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .github/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
skills CLI
$ npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a opencode
OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
Install the "retrieving-developer-knowledge" agent skill from https://github.com/google/skills/tree/main/skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge into .opencode/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "retrieving-developer-knowledge", then confirm the skill loads.
OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
Skill name
retrieving-developer-knowledge
GitHub stars
21k
Token cost
~2k tokens
SKILL.md length
808 words
Files
4 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
145
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0
At a glance
Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms.
Works in 2 steps: Developer Knowledge MCP Tools (Preferred) → REST API Fallback
Calls curl and gcloud; reaches developerknowledge.googleapis.com; needs DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY
What it does
Retrieving Developer Knowledge is an agent skill from google/skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms. Integrates with the Developer Knowledge MCP server (searchdocuments, getdocuments, answerquery) or the Developer Knowledge REST API fallback. Use when searching for gcloud CLI commands, API syntax, IAM permissions, official documentation, architectural comparisons, or product choice overviews. Don't use for local filesystem…
Its SKILL.md is about 2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including reference files (for example `references/api-fallback.md`, `references/mcp-usage.md` and `references/supported-domains.md`).
It sits in Backend & APIs, covering REST APIs, Cross-platform mobile apps and MCP servers. It works with Google Cloud, Model Context Protocol, Firebase and Flutter. The repository describes itself as: Agent Skills for Google products and technologies. The licence is Apache-2.0.
When your agent uses it
Searching for gcloud CLI commands
IAM permissions
Official documentation
Architectural comparisons
Example prompts
“/retrieving-developer-knowledge”
Requirements
A credential in DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY
Workflow steps
2 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 8a1ac05. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
curl
gcloud
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:
developerknowledge.googleapis.com
Also links to:
developers.google.com
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Retrieving Developer Knowledge loads about 2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.4k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 147 tokens; SKILL.md has 808 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Always· name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~147
When it runs· the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2k
With references· SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~4.4k
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
retrieving-developer-knowledge
description
Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms. Integrates with the Developer Knowledge MCP server (search_documents, get_documents, answer_query) or the Developer Knowledge REST API fallback. Use when searching for gcloud CLI commands, API syntax, IAM permissions, official documentation, architectural comparisons, or product choice overviews. Don't use for local filesystem lookups or non-Google documentation.
metadata.version
1.0.1
metadata.category
CloudInfrastructureAndServices
Google Developer Knowledge
The Developer Knowledge skill provides access to official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/ML (ai.google.dev, ADK, TensorFlow), Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms via the Developer Knowledge MCP server or REST API fallback.
Workflow
Direct Retrieval: When answering a technical question, execute a single documentation lookup directly within your current conversation context (do not delegate retrieval to subagents):
If MCP tools are present in your environment: Call answer_query (for conceptual guides/workflows) or search_documents (for CLI flags/syntax).
If MCP tools are not present: Execute a REST API request via curl against https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/v1.
A declared server is not always a connected server. Some clients cannot complete the MCP handshake with this server and expose no answer_query, search_documents or get_documents tool at all, even though the plugin declares one. Treat their absence as normal and use the REST fallback below.
Confirm the lookup succeeded before using it: A response that arrives is not automatically an answer. PERMISSION_DENIED, UNAUTHENTICATED, HTTP 401 or 403, an empty result set, or any error payload is a FAILED lookup even when the tool itself reported no error. On a failed lookup, do not answer as though it had succeeded.
Rate Limits (HTTP 429 / Out of Quota): If calling answer_query or the REST :answerQuery endpoint returns an HTTP 429 (RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED / out of quota error), this indicates server-side generative QA quota exhaustion. Do not treat this as an unrecoverable failure or fall back to ungrounded memory; immediately retry using the search endpoint (search_documents for MCP, or documents:searchDocumentChunks for REST) with 2–5 focused keywords from the query.
Persistent Failures: Try the other transport once, and if that also fails, state plainly in your reply to the user that you could not reach Developer Knowledge and are answering without it. Presenting recalled documentation as a retrieved result is the worst available outcome, because nothing in the reply distinguishes it from a real lookup.
Immediate & Complete Solution Output: Immediately upon receiving the documentation response, output the complete, self-contained, and executable technical solution (commands with all required flags and placeholders, YAML/JSON configurations, or code snippets) directly in your response text.
Tool Selection & Usage
Choose the appropriate tool based on availability in your runtime environment:
1. Developer Knowledge MCP Tools (Preferred)
When MCP tools are present in your active tool definitions:
answer_query(query="..."): Use for conceptual guides, architectural comparisons, product choice overviews, and multi-step workflows. This tool has limited quota. If you get a 429 out of quota error, use search_documents instead.
search_documents(query="..."): Use for granular CLI flags, exact syntax, parameter names, and IAM permissions (service.resource.verb). Use 2–5 focused keywords (e.g., cloud run filestore nfs mount gcloud) rather than full conversational sentences.
get_documents(names=["documents/{uri_without_scheme}"]): Fetch full documentation pages by resource name (e.g. names: ["documents/docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/overview/what-is-cloud-run"]).
Show full SKILL.md (389 more words)Show less
2. REST API Fallback
When the MCP tools are absent, query the Developer Knowledge REST API
(https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/v1) with curl. Two credentials
work, and you should try them in this order.
An existing Google credential, preferred. If gcloud is authenticated,
pass a bearer token and your quota project. Nothing needs to be installed or
configured:
bash
curl -s -X POST "https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/v1:answerQuery" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
-H "X-Goog-User-Project: $(gcloud config get-value project 2>/dev/null)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"query\": \"How do I configure public read access on Cloud Storage?\"}"
If that fails to authenticate, on a 401, a 403, or any other credential error,
the account has a token the API will not accept. Substitute
gcloud auth application-default print-access-token for
gcloud auth print-access-token in the command above and try again. Which
credential the API accepts depends on how the environment was authenticated, so
treat an auth error here as a reason to try the application-default credential
rather than as a failed lookup.
An API key, if one is configured. Where DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY is set
in the environment, pass it as a key query parameter instead of an
Authorization header. If neither credential is available, an API key is the
supported path for this client: enable the API and create one by following the
Developer Knowledge quickstart,
then export it as DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY. Say that you need a credential
rather than answering without a lookup. The remaining examples in this section
use that form:
Answer Query:bash
curl -s -X POST "https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/v1:answerQuery?key=${DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"query": "How do I configure public read access on Cloud Storage?"}'
This endpoint has limited quota. If you get a 429 out of quota error, use documents:searchDocumentChunks instead.
Grounding in Official Documentation: Ground all solutions directly in retrieved documentation. Official documentation conventions have absolute precedence over memorized defaults.
Exact Parameter Formatting: Format CLI flags, composite keys (e.g. location=IP:PATH), and IAM permission strings according to official Google specifications.
Complete Solutions in Final Response: Always output the full, self-contained, executable technical solution (commands, configurations, or code snippets) with clear standard placeholders (e.g. PROJECT_ID, SERVICE_NAME, REGION) directly in your final message, even if previously referenced during internal planning.
Retrieving Developer Knowledge next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
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Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms. Retrieving Developer Knowledge is an agent skill from google/skills, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Searches, retrieves, and synthesizes official Google developer documentation across Google Cloud, AI/Gemini, Android, Chrome, Web, Flutter, Go, Firebase, and other Google developer platforms.
When should I use Retrieving Developer Knowledge?
Retrieving Developer Knowledge fits situations like: searching for gcloud CLI commands; IAM permissions; official documentation; architectural comparisons.
How do I install Retrieving Developer Knowledge in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge in google/skills) into .claude/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Retrieving Developer Knowledge in Codex?
Run `npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/developers/retrieving-developer-knowledge in google/skills) into .agents/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Retrieving Developer Knowledge in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add google/skills --skill retrieving-developer-knowledge -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge, .gemini/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge, .github/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge and .opencode/skills/retrieving-developer-knowledge in your project.
What does Retrieving Developer Knowledge need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Retrieving Developer Knowledge needs the command-line tools its instructions call (curl and gcloud) and credentials named DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY. Our summary lists: A credential in DEVELOPERKNOWLEDGE_API_KEY.
Does Retrieving Developer Knowledge access the network?
SKILL.md names 2 domains. In commands or code: developerknowledge.googleapis.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: developers.google.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Retrieving Developer Knowledge safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Retrieving Developer Knowledge use?
Retrieving Developer Knowledge is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Retrieving Developer Knowledge use?
About 2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 2.3k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Retrieving Developer Knowledge?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Retrieving Developer Knowledge: Web3auth (Web3Auth/web3auth-examples, 144 stars), Npgsqlrest (NpgsqlRest/NpgsqlRest, 132 stars), Flutter MCP Boundary Audit (Arenukvern/mcp_flutter, 385 stars) and Flutter MCP Toolkit Custom Tools (Arenukvern/mcp_flutter, 385 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Retrieving Developer Knowledge?
google (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in google/skills, which has 20,994 GitHub stars. The repository holds 145 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.
Source: google/skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.
