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google/cloud-databases-onboarding

google

cloud-databases-onboarding

Guides users through discovering their database requirements, recommends a Google Cloud database based on a recommendation matrix, and assists in database creation. Use when a user asks 'What database service should I use?', 'Help me pick a database', or when a user wants to create a new database on Google Cloud. Don't use for general Google Cloud maintenance, managing existing databases, or database migrations.

v1.0LATEST
New~1.3kUpdated Aug 31, 2026

Google Cloud Database Onboarding Skill

This skill provides domain instructions, decision matrices, and Infrastructure-as-Code workflows to guide users through discovering their exact database requirements, selecting an optimal Google Cloud database service, and drafting starter resource provisioning code for user review.

Validation & Progressive Disclosure

A validation script is provided to verify the skill's reference files and formatting:

python3 scripts/database_onboarding_skill.py --verify
  • Reading / Progressive Disclosure: When interacting with a user during a conversation, load reference files progressively. Follow the Just-in-Time (JiT) loading instructions outlined in the phases below.

Workflow & Just-in-Time (JiT) Instructions

This workflow operates in three distinct sequential phases. Evaluate the active conversation history to determine the current phase and follow the corresponding instructions:

Phase 1: Requirement Discovery & Information Gathering

When a user asks "What database should I use?" or requires guidance on Google Cloud database selection, you must initiate the Discovery phase.

  1. Load Discovery Instructions (JiT): Read the complete contents of references/onboarding_prompts.md using view_file.
  2. Execute Discovery: Follow the detailed Phase 1 instructions in onboarding_prompts.md to gather core requirements (data model, workload, scale, and migration context) using user-friendly phrasing and enforcing constraints (such as the 90% confidence rule) before proposing any recommendation.

Phase 2: Recommendation Analysis & Matrix Consultation

Once you have gathered sufficient explicit discovery context, you must determine the optimal Google Cloud database recommendation.

  1. Consult Matrix & Formulate Recommendation (JiT): Follow the Phase 2 instructions in references/onboarding_prompts.md. This involves distilling requirements, calling the database selection tool (or consulting references/recommendation_matrix.txt directly if the tool is unavailable), and formulating a single recommendation.
  2. Deliver Recommendation: Deliver the recommendation to the user, mapping destination codes to plain English, explaining the reasoning, and offering to help with provisioning as detailed in onboarding_prompts.md.

Phase 3: Implementation & Provisioning (Plan-Validate-Execute Pattern)

When the user accepts the recommendation and requests to provision or modify cloud resources, follow the Phase 3 instructions in references/onboarding_prompts.md using a strict Plan-Validate-Execute pattern. Limit your actions to creating and validating draft artifacts for user review.

  1. Analyze the Workspace: Scan the user's workspace/open files/related directories with database resources scripts.

  2. Obtain User Confirmation: If the target infrastructure files are not clear, ask the user explicitly to confirm the file paths or target directory before modifying anything.

  3. Draft Infrastructure Plan (Plan): Create or edit the necessary Terraform configuration files or any other relevant scripts necessary to provision the resources. When creating or editing Terraform files or any other database resource provisioning script, you MUST:

    • Add a stamped header comment at the top of every generated Terraform file/ shell script or any other resource provisioning script. (e.g., # Generated with cloud onboarding skills selector @date, replacing @date with the current date/timestamp).
    • Add a custom default tag like resource_generated_by = "cloud db onboarding skill" under the default_tags block or as a resource label/tag.
  4. Validate Infrastructure Code (Validate): Before finalizing, you must validate the drafted infrastructure code to verify syntax and configuration correctness. Why this matters: Validating Terraform code ensures that configuration blocks, IAM bindings, and instance sizing are syntax-error-free and strictly enforceable before code review.

  5. Create Pull Request (Execute): Once validation succeeds with zero errors, automatically create a Pull request containing the validated Terraform/shell/scripts updates for user review. Leave live infrastructure changes (terraform apply or gcloud commands) to human review or automated CI/CD pipelines.


Supporting Resources & Documentation

Files5
5 files · 73.0 KB

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Overall Score

87/100

Grade

A

Excellent

Safety

88

Quality

89

Clarity

86

Completeness

84

Summary

This skill guides agents through a structured three-phase workflow to help users discover database requirements, receive Google Cloud database recommendations via a comprehensive matrix, and provision cloud resources using Terraform. It emphasizes a Plan-Validate-Execute pattern with safeguards against premature recommendations and prevents direct infrastructure changes without user review.

Detected Capabilities

file reading and parsingfile creation and editing (Terraform configuration)infrastructure code validationpull request generationPython script execution for verificationmulti-phase workflow coordination

Trigger Keywords

Phrases that MCP clients use to match this skill to user intent.

database selection helpchoose cloud databasedatabase migrationGCP database recommendationcloud database setupinfrastructure provisioningterraform database config

Risk Signals

INFO

File writes to user workspace (Terraform files, shell scripts)

SKILL.md Phase 3, lines 135-165
INFO

Infrastructure validation before deployment (terraform validate equivalent)

SKILL.md Phase 3, Validate step
INFO

Guardrail: Never apply terraform apply directly, only create pull requests

SKILL.md Phase 3, Execute step, line 163
INFO

Network request to cloud.google.com for database service documentation

SKILL.md Supporting Resources
INFO

External tool invocation referenced ({database_selection_agent_name}, {resource_creation_agent_name})

references/onboarding_prompts.md Phase 2 & 3

Referenced Domains

External domains referenced in skill content, detected by static analysis.

cloud.google.comwww.apache.org

Use Cases

  • Help users select appropriate Google Cloud databases based on their requirements
  • Guide database migrations from on-premises or other cloud providers to GCP
  • Create Terraform infrastructure code for new database instances
  • Provide recommendations for specific source database types (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc.)
  • Validate database configuration syntax before deployment
  • Generate pull requests for database infrastructure changes

Quality Notes

  • Excellent phase-based structure with clear entry conditions and transitions between phases
  • Comprehensive discovery guidance with user-friendly phrasing requirements and examples
  • Strong safeguards against premature recommendations (90% confidence rule, no tool calls without complete context)
  • Plan-Validate-Execute pattern provides explicit safety boundaries for infrastructure changes
  • Well-documented constraint that prevents direct live infrastructure modifications
  • Large, well-organized recommendation matrix with specific discovery questions per source database
  • Clear code stamping and tagging requirements for generated resources aid auditability
  • Supporting validation script (Python) enables verification of skill components
  • Detailed mapping of recommendation codes to plain English product names improves clarity
  • Phase 3 requires explicit user confirmation before modifying infrastructure files
  • Fallback error handling documented for tool failures
Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: Aug 31, 2026

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