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google-agents-cli-publish

google/agents-cli

Publish and register agents with Gemini Enterprise via ADK or A2A modes.

What is google-agents-cli-publish?

Registers deployed agents with Gemini Enterprise for use in enterprise applications. Use this when you need to publish an agent to Gemini Enterprise, manage agent registrations, or configure agent-to-agent (A2A) or ADK registration modes. Supports both interactive and programmatic (CI/CD) workflows.

Register agents to Gemini Enterprise using ADK (native reasoning engine) or A2A (agent-to-agent protocol) modes
Auto-detect agent runtime ID and registration type from deployment_metadata.json
Support interactive prompts for guided registration or programmatic flags/environment variables for CI/CD
List and manage registered agents in Agent Registry across your GCP project
Override agent display name, description, and tool descriptions during registration
Handle OAuth authorization configuration for agents requiring user consent

How to install google-agents-cli-publish

npx skills add https://github.com/google/agents-cli --skill google-agents-cli-publish

Prerequisites

agents-cli installed (via uv tool install google-agents-cli)
Agent must be deployed and reachable
Gemini Enterprise app must exist in Google Cloud Console
For Agent Runtime: deployment_metadata.json created by agents-cli deploy
For Cloud Run/GKE A2A: agent card URL accessible
For A2A on Cloud Run: roles/run.servicesInvoker granted to Discovery Engine service account

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How to use google-agents-cli-publish

1.Verify your agent is deployed and reachable
2.Create a Gemini Enterprise app in Google Cloud Console if not already done
3.For Agent Runtime with auto-detection: run agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise --gemini-enterprise-app-id <APP_ID>
4.For Cloud Run/GKE A2A: run agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise --agent-card-url <URL> --gemini-enterprise-app-id <APP_ID>
5.For interactive mode with prompts: run agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise --interactive
6.For CI/CD: set environment variables (AGENT_RUNTIME_ID, GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID, etc.) and run non-interactively
7.Verify registration by listing agents with gcloud alpha agent-registry agents list

Use cases

Good for

Publishing an Agent Runtime deployment to Gemini Enterprise as an ADK agent after running agents-cli deploy
Registering a Cloud Run or GKE agent via A2A protocol by providing the agent card URL
Setting up agent registration in a CI/CD pipeline using environment variables
Listing all Gemini Enterprise apps in your project to find the correct app ID for registration
Updating agent metadata (display name, description) in Gemini Enterprise without redeploying

Who it's for

Agent developers deploying to Agent Runtime, Cloud Run, or GKE
DevOps engineers automating agent registration in CI/CD pipelines
Enterprise platform teams managing multiple agents across projects
Developers integrating agents with Gemini Enterprise applications

google-agents-cli-publish FAQ

What's the difference between ADK and A2A registration?

ADK (Agent Development Kit) is the default for Agent Runtime—Gemini Enterprise invokes the agent natively via its reasoning engine with end-to-end authentication. A2A (Agent-to-Agent) is used for Cloud Run and GKE agents, which have no reasoning engine; Gemini Enterprise calls the agent via its agent card URL over HTTP.

Do I need to provide all flags or can I use environment variables?

Most flags have environment variable equivalents (e.g., AGENT_RUNTIME_ID, GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID). You can mix flags and env vars. For CI/CD, environment variables are recommended. Flags like --metadata-file, --interactive, and --list do not have env var alternatives.

How do I find my Gemini Enterprise app ID?

Run agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise --list to see all Gemini Enterprise apps in your project, or create a new app in Google Cloud Console under Gemini Enterprise → Apps. The app ID is the full resource name: projects/<PROJECT>/locations/global/collections/default_collection/engines/<APP_NAME>.

What if I get a 'Session not found' error?

This occurs with google-cloud-aiplatform versions ≤ 1.128.0. In interactive mode, the command checks and offers to upgrade. In programmatic mode, manually upgrade the SDK before registering.

Are agents auto-registered to Agent Registry?

Yes, agents deployed to Agent Runtime on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform are auto-registered to Agent Registry. You can list and inspect them with gcloud alpha agent-registry commands (requires roles/agentregistry.editor).

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from google/agents-cli.

name: google-agents-cli-publish description: > This skill should be used when the user wants to "publish an agent", "publish my ADK agent", "register an agent with Gemini Enterprise", "publish to Gemini Enterprise", or needs guidance on the agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise command. Also use when the user wants to "manage agents in Agent Registry" or "list/update/delete registered agents". Covers ADK vs A2A registration modes, programmatic and interactive usage, flag reference, auto-detection from deployment metadata, Agent Registry fleet management, and troubleshooting. Part of the Google ADK (Agent Development Kit) skills suite. Do NOT use for deployment (use google-agents-cli-deploy). metadata: author: Google license: Apache-2.0 version: 0.6.1 requires: bins: - agents-cli install: "uv tool install google-agents-cli"

Gemini Enterprise Registration

Requires: A deployed agent. For Agent Runtime, deployment_metadata.json (created by agents-cli deploy) enables auto-detection. For Cloud Run or GKE, provide the agent card URL and flags directly.

Prerequisites

Agent must be deployed — the agent must be running and reachable
Gemini Enterprise app must exist — Create one in Google Cloud Console → Gemini Enterprise → Apps before registering
deployment_metadata.json (Agent Runtime only) — Created automatically by agents-cli deploy; contains the agent runtime ID, deployment target, the A2A flag, and the agent directory

Required Permissions for A2A on Cloud Run

roles/run.servicesInvoker granted to the Discovery Engine service account (service-<PROJECT_NUMBER>@gcp-sa-discoveryengine.iam.gserviceaccount.com) on the Cloud Run service.

Registration Modes

A2A Registration (Cloud Run / GKE)

Every scaffolded agent serves the Agent-to-Agent protocol. A2A is the default — and only — registration type on Cloud Run and GKE, which have no reasoning engine, so Gemini Enterprise registers them over A2A. Pass the agent card URL and the command fetches the card and registers it; display name and description default to the card's name/description.

# A2A on Cloud Run / GKE
agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise \
  --agent-card-url https://my-service-abc123.us-east1.run.app/a2a/app/.well-known/agent-card.json \
  --gemini-enterprise-app-id projects/123456/locations/global/collections/default_collection/engines/my-app

Pass --display-name / --description to override the card defaults. For Agent Runtime, use ADK registration (below).

ADK Registration (default on Agent Runtime)

This is the default and recommended registration for Agent Runtime deployments: Gemini Enterprise invokes the agent natively via :streamQuery on its reasoning engine resource, authenticating end-to-end. It's also the path to use when the agent needs an OAuth authorization (--authorization-id). The agent is registered directly via its reasoning engine resource name; no agent card URL is needed.

agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise \
  --registration-type adk \
  --agent-runtime-id projects/123456/locations/us-east1/reasoningEngines/789 \
  --gemini-enterprise-app-id projects/123456/locations/global/collections/default_collection/engines/my-app \
  --display-name "My Agent" \
  --description "Handles customer queries" \
  --tool-description "Answers questions about products"

Programmatic Mode (CI/CD)

The command is non-interactive by default — pass all required values via flags or environment variables. This makes it safe for CI/CD pipelines.

Via flags

agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise \
  --agent-runtime-id "$AGENT_RUNTIME_ID" \
  --gemini-enterprise-app-id "$GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID" \
  --display-name "Production Agent" \
  --registration-type adk

Via environment variables

Most flags have an env var alternative (--metadata-file, --interactive, and --list do not):

export AGENT_RUNTIME_ID="projects/123456/locations/us-east1/reasoningEngines/789"
export GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID="projects/123456/locations/global/collections/default_collection/engines/my-app"
export GEMINI_DISPLAY_NAME="Production Agent"
export GEMINI_DESCRIPTION="Handles customer queries"

agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise

Interactive Mode (`--interactive`)

Pass --interactive (or -i) to be guided through any missing values with interactive prompts. The command will list available Gemini Enterprise apps, offer to auto-detect the agent runtime ID from metadata, and prompt for display name and description.

agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise --interactive

Complete Flag Reference

Flag	Env Var	Description
`--agent-runtime-id`	`AGENT_RUNTIME_ID`	Agent Runtime resource name (auto-detected from `deployment_metadata.json`)
`--gemini-enterprise-app-id`	`ID` or `GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID`	Gemini Enterprise app full resource name
`--display-name`	`GEMINI_DISPLAY_NAME`	Display name in Gemini Enterprise
`--description`	`GEMINI_DESCRIPTION`	Agent description
`--tool-description`	`GEMINI_TOOL_DESCRIPTION`	Tool description (ADK mode only, defaults to description)
`--registration-type`	`REGISTRATION_TYPE`	`adk` or `a2a` (defaults to `adk` on Agent Runtime, `a2a` on Cloud Run / GKE)
`--agent-card-url`	`AGENT_CARD_URL`	Agent card URL for A2A registration
`--deployment-target`	`DEPLOYMENT_TARGET`	`agent_runtime`, `cloud_run`, or `gke` (sets the default registration type — ADK on Agent Runtime, A2A on Cloud Run / GKE — and the A2A auth method)
`--project-id`	`GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT`	GCP project ID for billing
`--project-number`	`PROJECT_NUMBER`	GCP project number (used for Gemini Enterprise lookup)
`--authorization-id`	`GEMINI_AUTHORIZATION_ID`	OAuth authorization resource name
`--metadata-file`	—	Path to deployment metadata (default: `deployment_metadata.json`)
`--interactive` / `-i`	—	Enable interactive prompts
`--list`	—	List Gemini Enterprise apps in the current project and exit

Auto-Detection from Metadata

When deployment_metadata.json exists, the command automatically:

Reads the agent runtime ID (remote_agent_runtime_id)
Determines the registration type: defaults to ADK (native :streamQuery) on Agent Runtime, and A2A on Cloud Run / GKE (which have no reasoning engine). Override with --registration-type.
Determines the deployment target for authentication

This means that for the simplest case (an agent on Agent Runtime, registered as ADK), you only need to provide the Gemini Enterprise app ID:

agents-cli publish gemini-enterprise \
  --gemini-enterprise-app-id projects/123456/locations/global/collections/default_collection/engines/my-app

SDK Compatibility

Agent Runtime deployments may encounter "Session not found" errors with google-cloud-aiplatform versions <= 1.128.0. In interactive mode (--interactive), the command checks the SDK version from uv.lock and offers to upgrade. In programmatic mode, ensure your SDK is up to date before registering.

Managing Agents in Agent Registry

Agent Registry (Preview) is the Google Cloud fleet-wide record of your agents. Agents deployed to a managed runtime (Agent Runtime on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform) are auto-registered — no extra step after agents-cli deploy. Manage them with gcloud (requires roles/agentregistry.editor):

# List / filter
gcloud alpha agent-registry agents list --project PROJECT --location LOCATION
gcloud alpha agent-registry agents list --filter="displayName:my-agent"

# Inspect
gcloud alpha agent-registry agents describe AGENT_NAME

# Update endpoint/metadata — edit the Service resource, not the Agent
gcloud alpha agent-registry services update AGENT_NAME \
  --display-name "..." --description "..." \
  --interfaces "url=ENDPOINT_URL,protocol=HTTP_JSON"

# Remove: delete the underlying runtime agent (auto-registered) OR, for
# manually registered agents, delete the Service resource
gcloud alpha agent-registry services delete AGENT_NAME

Docs: https://docs.cloud.google.com/agent-registry/manage-agents

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"Session not found" after registration	SDK version issue — upgrade `google-cloud-aiplatform` (see SDK Compatibility above), redeploy, then re-register
`--registration-type is required`	Non-interactive mode needs `--registration-type` when no `deployment_metadata.json` exists
"Gemini Enterprise App ID is required"	Provide `--gemini-enterprise-app-id` or set the `ID` / `GEMINI_ENTERPRISE_APP_ID` env var
Re-publishing the same agent	Registration is idempotent — re-running updates the existing registration in place instead of creating a duplicate
HTTP 403 on registration	Check that your account has Discovery Engine Editor permissions on the Gemini Enterprise project
"Could not fetch agent card"	Verify the agent is running and the URL is correct; for Cloud Run, ensure `gcloud auth login` is done

Related Skills

/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-scaffold — Project creation and enhancement with agents-cli scaffold create / scaffold enhance