> This skill should be used when the user wants to "write agent code", "build an agent with ADK", "add a tool", "create a callback", "define an agent", "use state management", or needs ADK (Agent Development Kit) Python API patterns and code examples. Part of the Google ADK skills suite. It provides a quick reference for agent types, tool definitions, orchestration patterns, callbacks, and state management. Do NOT use for creating new projects (use google-agents-cli-scaffold) or deployment (use
Install with the open skills CLI (global, non-interactive — available in every Claude Code session):
npx skills add google/agents-cli --skill "google-agents-cli-adk-code" -g -a claude-code -yOr manually — clone and copy the skill directory (SKILL.md + companion files):
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/google/agents-cli /tmp/agents-cli && cp -r /tmp/agents-cli/skills/google-agents-cli-adk-code ~/.claude/skills/google-agents-cli-adk-code-googleThis skill is a directory: SKILL.md is the entry point; the files below ship with it.
---
name: google-agents-cli-adk-code
description: >
This skill should be used when the user wants to "write agent code",
"build an agent with ADK", "add a tool", "create a callback", "define an agent",
"use state management", or needs ADK (Agent Development Kit) Python API patterns
and code examples. Part of the Google ADK skills suite.
It provides a quick reference for agent types, tool definitions, orchestration
patterns, callbacks, and state management.
Do NOT use for creating new projects (use google-agents-cli-scaffold) or deployment
(use google-agents-cli-deploy).
metadata:
author: Google
license: Apache-2.0
version: 1.1.0
requires:
bins:
- agents-cli
install: "uv tool install google-agents-cli"
---
# ADK Code Reference
> **Before using this skill**, activate `/google-agents-cli-workflow` first — it contains the required development phases and scaffolding steps.
## Prerequisites
1. Run `agents-cli info` — if it shows project config, skip to the reference below
2. If no project exists: run `agents-cli scaffold create <name>`
3. If user has existing code: run `agents-cli scaffold enhance .`
Do NOT write agent code until a project is scaffolded.
> **Python only for now.** This reference currently covers the Python ADK SDK.
> Support for other languages is coming soon.
## Quick Reference — Most Common Patterns
```python
from google.adk.agents import Agent
def get_weather(city: str) -> dict:
"""Get current weather for a city."""
return {"city": city, "temp": "22°C", "condition": "sunny"}
root_agent = Agent(
name="my_agent",
model="gemini-flash-latest",
instruction="You are a helpful assistant that ...",
tools=[get_weather],
)
```
---
## References
The first two are cheatsheets for common patterns; for broad or deep knowledge, go to the source (docs index or installed package).
| Reference | When to read |
|------|-------------|
| `references/adk-python.md` | Core ADK API: `Agent`, tools, callbacks, plugins, state, artifacts, multi-agent systems, `SequentialAgent` / `ParallelAgent` / `LoopAgent`, custom `BaseAgent`, A2A protocol, A2UI. Default for most agents. |
| `references/adk-workflows.md` | Graph-based Workflow API (ADK 2.0): nodes, edges, fan-out/fan-in, HITL, parallel processing. Use when you need explicit graph topology. |
| `curl https://adk.dev/llms.txt` | Docs index (every page title + URL). Fetch it, then `WebFetch` the specific page for anything beyond the cheatsheets. |
| Installed ADK package | Exact signatures and symbols — inspect the source (see "Inspecting ADK Source Code" in `references/adk-python.md`). |
## Related Skills
- `/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`
- `/google-agents-cli-eval` — Evaluation methodology, dataset schema, and the eval-fix loop
- `/google-agents-cli-deploy` — Deployment targets, CI/CD pipelines, and production workflows
Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies
Use when you have a written implementation plan to execute in a separate session with review checkpoints
Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session