Firebase Basics

CRITICAL Mandatory prerequisites

Before attempting to fulfill any user request regarding Firebase, you MUST follow these steps in order. Do not proceed to implementation until these are completed. Failure to follow these instructions may result in using outdated patterns and lack of access to essential reference materials.

Leverage the planning phase

If you use a planning mode (e.g., maintaining a task.md file), you MUST include a task to check and install firebase/agent-skills as your very first item.
Ensure NPM is installed.
```
## Check if NPM is installed
npm --version
```
If NPM is not installed, guide the user to download and install the LTS version from https://nodejs.org/en/download.

Then, request the user to manually install Node.js and to reply with a confirmation that the installation is finished. Stop and wait for the user's confirmation.
Verify and install Agent Skills for Firebase

You MUST ensure the full set of skills is installed to avoid using outdated patterns. Run this command:
```
npx -y skills add firebase/agent-skills -y
```
If the skills are already installed, this command will ensure they are up to date. Do not skip this step.

Quick start

After completing the mandatory prerequisites above, proceed with these steps to set up your environment:

Log in to the Firebase CLI.

Run this command:
```
npx -y firebase-tools@latest login
```
Then, ask the user to complete the login flow in the browser.
Set an active project for the CLI.

Most Firebase tasks require an active project context. Check the current project for the Firebase CLI by running this command:
```
npx -y firebase-tools@latest use
```
- If the command outputs Active Project: <PROJECT_ID>, you can proceed with your task.
- If the command does not output an active project, ask the user if they have an existing Firebase project ID.
  - If yes: Set the ID as the active project and add a default alias by running:
```
npx -y firebase-tools@latest use --add <PROJECT_ID>
```
  - If no: Create a new Firebase project by running:
```
npx -y firebase-tools@latest projects:create <PROJECT_ID> --display-name <DISPLAY_NAME>
```

Reference directory

If you need product information that's not found in these references, check the other skills for Firebase that you have installed, or use the search_documents tool of the Developer Knowledge MCP server.

Files8

8 files · 33.0 KB

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Overall Score

78/100

Grade

B

Good

Safety

82

Quality

72

Clarity

82

Completeness

68

Summary

Firebase Basics is a foundational skill that guides AI agents through setting up Firebase projects, authenticating with the Firebase CLI, and understanding core Firebase concepts and services. It provides mandatory prerequisites (NPM verification, Firebase CLI login, project setup), quick-start instructions, and extensive reference documentation covering authentication, client libraries, IaC patterns, MCP server configuration, and security best practices.

Detected Capabilities

Firebase project creation and setupFirebase CLI authentication and project managementFirebase service discovery and reference lookupNode.js/NPM environment verificationTerraform configuration for Firebase resourcesMCP server configuration for Firebase toolsSecurity rules documentation and referenceIAM role and access control guidance

Trigger Keywords

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

firebase project setupfirebase authenticationfirebase cli loginfirebase infrastructurefirebase web appfirebase security rulesfirebase mcp configuration

Risk Signals

WARNING

Instruction to run `npx -y skills add firebase/agent-skills` without verification of the source or integrity of the downloaded package

SKILL.md, mandatory prerequisites section, step 3

INFO

Firebase CLI login via browser — agent requests user confirmation of browser login flow but does not validate successful authentication

SKILL.md, quick start section, step 1

INFO

External dependency on Firebase CLI and agent-skills repository — if these become unavailable or compromised, skill functionality degrades

SKILL.md, references/additional-skills.md

WARNING

MCP configuration file modification — instructions tell agent to create or edit `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`, `cline_mcp_settings.json`, or `claude_desktop_config.json` with explicit JSON merge instructions

references/mcp-usage.md, steps 1-3

Referenced Domains

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

firebase.google.comgithub.comnodejs.orgwww.apache.org

Use Cases

Initialize a new Firebase project for web or mobile development
Set up Firebase CLI authentication and project context
Understand Firebase service offerings and regional availability
Configure Firebase with Terraform for infrastructure-as-code
Set up MCP server integration for Firebase tooling
Learn Firebase security rules and IAM best practices

Quality Notes

Strength: Clear mandatory prerequisites section with explicit sequencing ('MUST', 'Do not proceed') — agent knows not to skip setup steps
Strength: Comprehensive reference directory with 7 well-organized reference files covering core concepts, CLI usage, client libraries, MCP, IaC, and security
Strength: Concrete command examples throughout (npm check, Firebase CLI login, project creation) — agent can execute immediately
Strength: Decision trees documented (e.g., 'if command outputs active project, proceed; if not, ask user')
Weakness: References directory lists files (`core-concepts.md`, `cli-usage.md`, etc.) but actual content in these files is minimal — core-concepts.md is only 2.7 KB and covers many services superficially
Weakness: `references/additional-skills.md` is primarily a catalog of links to external repository; does not provide inline guidance — agent may need to fetch external content
Weakness: No error handling guidance for common failure cases (e.g., 'npm not found', 'Firebase login fails', 'Firebase project already exists')
Weakness: No guidance on when to use which Firebase service — references list services but not decision criteria
Weakness: MCP configuration instructions say 'CRITICAL: Merge this configuration into the existing file' but provide no guidance on what to do if merge fails or existing config is malformed

Model: claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Analyzed: May 2, 2026

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firebase-basics