Agent skill

Google Agents CLI Observability

by pifferologo in pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli

This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring…

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Google Agents CLI Observability

skills CLI
$ npx skills add pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli --skill google-agents-cli-observability -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli google-agents-cli-observability --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/google-agents-cli-observability .claude/skills/google-agents-cli-observability && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
google-agents-cli-observability
GitHub stars
129
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~2.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
953 words
Files
3 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
7
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring…

  • Works in 2 steps: Switch to Terraform-managed. Delete the… → Keep the SDK-deployed instance. Skip…
  • Wants to set up tracing
  • SKILL.md covers Observability Tiers, Cloud Trace, Prompt-Response Logging and BigQuery Agent Analytics Plugin, plus 4 more sections
  • Reaches adk.dev

What it does

Google Agents CLI Observability is an agent skill from pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli. This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring deployed ADK (Agent Development Kit) agents. Covers Cloud Trace, prompt-response logging, BigQuery Agent Analytics, third-party integrations (AgentOps, Phoenix, MLflow, etc.), and troubleshooting. Part of the Google ADK (Agent Development Kit) skills suite. Do NOT use for deployment setup (use google-agents-cli-deploy) or…

Its SKILL.md is about 2.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 3 other files, including reference files (for example `references/bigquery-agent-analytics.md` and `references/cloud-trace-and-logging.md`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Observability, Data warehousing and Deployment. It works with Google BigQuery, MLflow and Terraform. The repository describes itself as: google cloud agent cli for Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Docs, Chat, Admin, and more. Dynamically built from piffer labs. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • Wants to set up tracing
  • Monitor my ADK agent
  • Configure logging
  • Add observability

Example prompts

  • “set up tracing”
  • “monitor my ADK agent”
  • “configure logging”
  • “/google-agents-cli-observability”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Switch to Terraform-managed. Delete the SDK-deployed Reasoning Engine, then run agents-cli infra single-project followed by agents-cli…
  2. Keep the SDK-deployed instance. Skip infra single-project and set the observability env vars on the running instance directly via the…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5957f5a. 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

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    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:

    • adk.dev

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Google Agents CLI Observability loads about 2.5k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 150 tokens; SKILL.md has 953 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~150
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.5k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~3.9k

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.

SKILL.md

The full file from pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli at commit 5957f5a, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© pifferologo). 953 words, ~2,473 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/google-agents-cli-observability/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
google-agents-cli-observability
description
This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring deployed ADK (Agent Development Kit) agents. Covers Cloud Trace, prompt-response logging, BigQuery Agent Analytics, third-party integrations (AgentOps, Phoenix, MLflow, etc.), and troubleshooting. Part of the Google ADK (Agent Development Kit) skills suite. Do NOT use for deployment setup (use google-agents-cli-deploy) or API code patterns (use google-agents-cli-adk-code).
metadata.author
Google
metadata.license
Apache-2.0
metadata.version
0.6.1

ADK Observability Guide

Cloud Trace works out of the box — no infrastructure needed. Prompt-response logging and BigQuery Agent Analytics require Terraform-provisioned infrastructure (service account, GCS bucket, BigQuery dataset). Run agents-cli infra single-project --project PROJECT_ID to provision these resources. See references/cloud-trace-and-logging.md for details, env vars, and verification commands. If your project isn't scaffolded yet, see /google-agents-cli-scaffold first.

Order of operations for agent_runtime deployments

For deployment_target = agent_runtime, run agents-cli infra single-project before the first agents-cli deploy. The Terraform module owns the entire Reasoning Engine resource (display_name, service account, deployment spec, env vars), so applying it after a SDK-based deploy creates a state mismatch — Terraform has no record of the SDK-deployed instance and cannot layer env vars onto it without taking ownership of the whole resource.

If you have already run agents-cli deploy, you have two options:

  1. Switch to Terraform-managed. Delete the SDK-deployed Reasoning Engine, then run agents-cli infra single-project followed by agents-cli deploy. Sessions and any in-flight state on the previous instance are lost.
  2. Keep the SDK-deployed instance. Skip infra single-project and set the observability env vars on the running instance directly via the vertexai client update API. You will also need to grant the instance's service account the IAM permissions required to emit telemetry — writing to the logs GCS bucket, BigQuery dataset access, log writer, etc. See deployment/terraform/single-project/iam.tf and telemetry.tf in your scaffolded project for the full set of bindings the Terraform module would otherwise provision. Terraform-managed env vars are not available in this mode.
Reference Files
FileContents
references/cloud-trace-and-logging.mdScaffolded project details — Terraform-provisioned resources, environment variables, verification commands, enabling/disabling locally
references/bigquery-agent-analytics.mdBQ Agent Analytics plugin — enabling, key features, GCS offloading, tool provenance

Observability Tiers

Choose the right level of observability based on your needs:

TierWhat It DoesScopeDefault StateBest For
Cloud TraceDistributed tracing — execution flow, latency, errors via OpenTelemetry spansAll templates, all environmentsAlways enabledDebugging latency, understanding agent execution flow
Prompt-Response LoggingGenAI interactions exported to GCS, BigQuery, and Cloud LoggingADK agents onlyDisabled locally, enabled when deployedAuditing LLM interactions, compliance
BigQuery Agent AnalyticsStructured agent events (LLM calls, tool use, outcomes) to BigQueryADK agents with plugin enabledOpt-in (--bq-analytics at scaffold time)Conversational analytics, custom dashboards, LLM-as-judge evals
Third-Party IntegrationsExternal observability platforms (AgentOps, Phoenix, MLflow, etc.)Any ADK agentOpt-in, per-provider setupTeam collaboration, specialized visualization, prompt management

Ask the user which tier(s) they need — they can be combined. Cloud Trace is always on; the others are additive.


Cloud Trace

ADK uses OpenTelemetry to emit distributed traces. Every agent invocation produces spans that track the full execution flow.

Span Hierarchy
invocation
  └── agent_run (one per agent in the chain)
        ├── call_llm (model request/response)
        └── execute_tool (tool execution)
Setup by Deployment Type
DeploymentSetup
Agent RuntimeAutomatic — traces are exported to Cloud Trace by default
Cloud Run (scaffolded)Automatic — setup_telemetry() configures Cloud Trace/Logging exporters
GKE (scaffolded)Automatic — setup_telemetry() configures Cloud Trace/Logging exporters
Cloud Run / GKE (manual)Configure OpenTelemetry exporter in your app
Local devWorks with agents-cli playground; traces visible in Cloud Console

View traces: Cloud Console → Trace → Trace explorer

For detailed setup instructions (Agent Runtime CLI/SDK, Cloud Run, custom deployments), fetch https://adk.dev/integrations/cloud-trace/index.md.


Prompt-Response Logging

Captures GenAI interactions (model name, tokens, timing) and exports to GCS (JSONL) and BigQuery (via direct log sinks and external tables). Privacy-preserving by default — only metadata is logged unless explicitly configured otherwise.

Key env var: OTEL_INSTRUMENTATION_GENAI_CAPTURE_MESSAGE_CONTENT — OTel GenAI semantic-conventions standard (modes: span_only, event_only, span_and_event, no_content). The scaffolded setup_telemetry() collapses every non-false value to NO_CONTENT (metadata-only); false disables capture. Logging is disabled locally unless LOGS_BUCKET_NAME is set.

For scaffolded project details (Terraform resources, env vars, privacy modes, enabling/disabling, verification commands), see references/cloud-trace-and-logging.md.

For ADK logging docs (log levels, configuration, debugging), fetch https://adk.dev/observability/logging/index.md.


Show full SKILL.md (352 more words)Show less

BigQuery Agent Analytics Plugin

Optional plugin that logs structured agent events to BigQuery. Enable with --bq-analytics at scaffold time. See references/bigquery-agent-analytics.md for details.


Third-Party Integrations

ADK supports several third-party observability platforms. Each uses OpenTelemetry or custom instrumentation to capture agent behavior.

PlatformKey DifferentiatorSetup ComplexitySelf-Hosted Option
AgentOpsSession replays, 2-line setup, replaces native telemetryMinimalNo (SaaS)
Arize AXCommercial platform, production monitoring, evaluation dashboardsLowNo (SaaS)
PhoenixOpen-source, custom evaluators, experiment testingLowYes
MLflowOTel traces to MLflow Tracking Server, span tree visualizationMedium (needs SQL backend)Yes
Monocle1-call setup, VS Code Gantt chart visualizerMinimalYes (local files)
WeaveW&B platform, team collaboration, timeline viewsLowNo (SaaS)
FreeplayPrompt management + evals + observability in one platformLowNo (SaaS)

Ask the user which platform they prefer — present the trade-offs and let them choose. For setup details, fetch the relevant ADK docs page from the Deep Dive table below.


Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
No traces in Cloud TraceVerify setup_telemetry() runs at startup and the service account has the cloudtrace.agent role
Prompt-response data not appearingCheck LOGS_BUCKET_NAME is set; verify SA has storage.objectCreator on the bucket; check app logs for telemetry setup warnings
Privacy mode misconfiguredCheck OTEL_INSTRUMENTATION_GENAI_CAPTURE_MESSAGE_CONTENT value — use NO_CONTENT for metadata-only, false to disable
BigQuery Analytics not loggingVerify plugin is configured in app/agent.py; check BQ_ANALYTICS_DATASET_ID env var is set
Third-party integration not capturing spansCheck provider-specific env vars (API keys, endpoints); some providers (AgentOps) replace native telemetry
Traces missing tool spansTool execution spans appear under execute_tool — check trace explorer filters
High telemetry costsSwitch to NO_CONTENT mode; reduce BigQuery retention; disable unused tiers

Deep Dive: ADK Docs (WebFetch URLs)

For detailed documentation beyond what this skill covers, fetch these pages:

TopicURL
Observability overviewhttps://adk.dev/observability/index.md
Agent activity logginghttps://adk.dev/observability/logging/index.md
Cloud Trace integrationhttps://adk.dev/integrations/cloud-trace/index.md
BigQuery Agent Analyticshttps://adk.dev/integrations/bigquery-agent-analytics/index.md
AgentOpshttps://adk.dev/integrations/agentops/index.md
Arize AXhttps://adk.dev/integrations/arize-ax/index.md
Phoenix (Arize)https://adk.dev/integrations/phoenix/index.md
MLflow tracinghttps://adk.dev/integrations/mlflow-tracing/index.md
Monoclehttps://adk.dev/integrations/monocle/index.md
W&B Weavehttps://adk.dev/integrations/weave/index.md
Freeplayhttps://adk.dev/integrations/freeplay/index.md

  • /google-agents-cli-deploy — Deployment targets, CI/CD pipelines, and production workflows
  • /google-agents-cli-workflow — Development workflow, coding guidelines, and operational rules
  • /google-agents-cli-adk-code — ADK Python API quick reference for writing agent code

© pifferologo, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 2 other files (references) in skills/google-agents-cli-observability of pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/bigquery-agent-analytics.md
  • references/cloud-trace-and-logging.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5957f5a

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Google Agents CLI Observability 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.

Google Agents CLI Observability compared with similar skills
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Agent Platform Alert Configurationgoogle/skills21k—~4.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Snowflake Deploy Medicjeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace2.8k—~3.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Backend Dev Guidelineslangfuse/langfuse36k—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence
Agentsop Observability Setupagentsope/SkillAlchemy459—~4.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Google Agents CLI Observability

What does Google Agents CLI Observability do?

This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring…. Google Agents CLI Observability is an agent skill from pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli. This skill should be used when the user wants to "set up tracing", "monitor my ADK agent", "configure logging", "add observability", "debug production traffic", or needs guidance on monitoring deployed ADK (Agent Development Kit) agents.

When should I use Google Agents CLI Observability?

Google Agents CLI Observability fits situations like: wants to set up tracing; monitor my ADK agent; configure logging; add observability.

How do I install Google Agents CLI Observability in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli --skill google-agents-cli-observability -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/google-agents-cli-observability in pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli) into .claude/skills/google-agents-cli-observability in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Google Agents CLI Observability in Codex?

Run `npx skills add pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli --skill google-agents-cli-observability -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/google-agents-cli-observability in pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli) into .agents/skills/google-agents-cli-observability in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Google Agents CLI Observability 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 pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli --skill google-agents-cli-observability -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/google-agents-cli-observability, .gemini/skills/google-agents-cli-observability, .github/skills/google-agents-cli-observability and .opencode/skills/google-agents-cli-observability in your project.

What does Google Agents CLI Observability need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Google Agents CLI Observability is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Google Agents CLI Observability access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: adk.dev; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Google Agents CLI Observability 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 Google Agents CLI Observability use?

Google Agents CLI Observability 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 Google Agents CLI Observability use?

About 2.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9.9k 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 1.5k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Google Agents CLI Observability?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Google Agents CLI Observability: Devops Infrastructure (CloudAI-X/claude-workflow-v2, 1.4k stars), Agent Platform Alert Configuration (google/skills, 21k stars), Snowflake Deploy Medic (jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace, 2.8k stars) and Backend Dev Guidelines (langfuse/langfuse, 36k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Google Agents CLI Observability?

pifferologo (a GitHub user) maintains it in pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli, which has 129 GitHub stars. The repository holds 7 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 3, 2026.

Source: pifferologo/cloud-agents-cli on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.