Claude Code transcript - page 1/8

I'd like to add support for Google's GCP as a hosting provider to this tool, in addition to the currently supported Digital Ocean and Vultr. Could you look into whether there is a viable Python API option for GCP? I assume that since GCP is a mature platform that they have support for all the services we need (creating VMs, programmatic DNS configuration).

Thinking

I'll research this. Let me first look at the existing providers to understand the API surface needed, then investigate GCP's Python options.

Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/provider.py"
}
1	from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
2	from dataclasses import dataclass
3	
4	
5	@dataclass
6	class VM:
7	    id: str
8	    name: str
9	    tags: list
10	    region: str
11	    ip_address: str
12	    status: str
13	
14	
15	@dataclass
16	class SSHKey:
17	    id: str
18	    name: str
19	    fingerprint: str
20	    public_key: str
21	
22	
23	@dataclass
24	class DNSRecord:
25	    id: str
26	    name: str
27	    type: str
28	    data: str
29	    ttl: int
30	
31	
32	class CloudProvider(ABC):
33	    @abstractmethod
34	    def create_vm(self, name, region, image, size, ssh_key_name, tags, user_data) -> VM:
35	        pass
36	
37	    @abstractmethod
38	    def get_vm(self, vm_id) -> VM:
39	        pass
40	
41	    @abstractmethod
42	    def destroy_vm(self, vm_id) -> bool:
43	        pass
44	
45	    @abstractmethod
46	    def list_vms(self, tag=None) -> list:
47	        pass
48	
49	    @abstractmethod
50	    def get_ssh_key(self, name) -> SSHKey:
51	        pass
52	
53	    @abstractmethod
54	    def list_ssh_keys(self) -> list:
55	        pass
56	
57	    @abstractmethod
58	    def create_dns_record(self, zone, record_type, name, data, ttl, tag=None) -> str:
59	        pass
60	
61	    @abstractmethod
62	    def delete_dns_record(self, zone, record_name) -> bool:
63	        pass
64	
65	    @abstractmethod
66	    def get_dns_records(self, zone) -> list:
67	        pass
68	
69	    @abstractmethod
70	    def list_domains(self) -> list:
71	        pass
72	
73	    def list_projects(self) -> list:
74	        return []
75	
76	    def assign_to_project(self, project_name, vm_id):
77	        pass
78	
79	    def validate_region(self, region):
80	        pass
81	
82	    def validate_image(self, image):
83	        pass
84	
85	    @property
86	    def provider_name(self) -> str:
87	        return self.__class__.__name__
88	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/digitalocean.py"
}
1	import digitalocean
2	
3	from machine.log import fatal_error, info
4	from machine.provider import CloudProvider, VM, SSHKey, DNSRecord
5	
6	
7	VALID_REGIONS = ["NYC1", "NYC3", "AMS3", "SFO2", "SFO3", "SGP1", "LON1", "FRA1", "TOR1", "BLR1", "SYD1"]
8	
9	VALID_IMAGES = [
10	    "almalinux-8-x64",
11	    "almalinux-9-x64",
12	    "centos-stream-9-x64",
13	    "debian-11-x64",
14	    "debian-12-x64",
15	    "fedora-39-x64",
16	    "fedora-40-x64",
17	    "rockylinux-9-x64",
18	    "rockylinux-8-x64",
19	    "ubuntu-20-04-x64",
20	    "ubuntu-22-04-x64",
21	    "ubuntu-24-04-x64",
22	]
23	
24	
25	def _droplet_to_vm(droplet) -> VM:
26	    region = droplet.region
27	    if isinstance(region, dict):
28	        region = region.get("slug")
29	    return VM(
30	        id=str(droplet.id),
31	        name=droplet.name,
32	        tags=droplet.tags,
33	        region=region,
34	        ip_address=droplet.ip_address,
35	        status=droplet.status,
36	    )
37	
38	
39	class DigitalOceanProvider(CloudProvider):
40	    def __init__(self, provider_config):
41	        if "access-token" not in provider_config:
42	            fatal_error("Required key 'access-token' not found in 'digital-ocean' section of config file")
43	        self.token = provider_config["access-token"]
44	        self._manager = digitalocean.Manager(token=self.token)
45	
46	    def create_vm(self, name, region, image, size, ssh_key_name, tags, user_data) -> VM:
47	        ssh_key = self._get_do_ssh_key(ssh_key_name)
48	        if not ssh_key:
49	            fatal_error(f"Error: SSH key '{ssh_key_name}' not found in DigitalOcean")
50	
51	        droplet = digitalocean.Droplet(
52	            token=self.token,
53	            name=name,
54	            region=region,
55	            image=image,
56	            size_slug=size,
57	            ssh_keys=[ssh_key],
58	            tags=tags,
59	            user_data=user_data,
60	            backups=False,
61	        )
62	        try:
63	            droplet.create()
64	        except digitalocean.DataReadError as e:
65	            fatal_error(f"DigitalOcean API error creating VM: {e}")
66	        return _droplet_to_vm(droplet)
67	
68	    def get_vm(self, vm_id) -> VM:
69	        droplet = self._manager.get_droplet(vm_id)
70	        return _droplet_to_vm(droplet)
71	
72	    def destroy_vm(self, vm_id) -> bool:
73	        try:
74	            droplet = self._manager.get_droplet(vm_id)
75	        except digitalocean.NotFoundError:
76	            fatal_error(f"Error: machine with id {vm_id} not found")
77	        result = droplet.destroy()
78	        return result
79	
80	    def list_vms(self, tag=None) -> list:
81	        if tag:
82	            droplets = self._manager.get_all_droplets(tag_name=tag)
83	        else:
84	            droplets = self._manager.get_all_droplets()
85	        return [_droplet_to_vm(d) for d in droplets]
86	
87	    def get_ssh_key(self, name) -> SSHKey:
88	        do_key = self._get_do_ssh_key(name)
89	        if not do_key:
90	            return None
91	        return SSHKey(
92	            id=str(do_key.id),
93	            name=do_key.name,
94	            fingerprint=do_key.fingerprint,
95	            public_key=do_key.public_key,
96	        )
97	
98	    def list_ssh_keys(self) -> list:
99	        keys = self._manager.get_all_sshkeys()
100	        return [
101	            SSHKey(id=str(k.id), name=k.name, fingerprint=k.fingerprint, public_key=k.public_key)
102	            for k in keys
103	        ]
104	
105	    def create_dns_record(self, zone, record_type, name, data, ttl, tag=None) -> str:
106	        domain = digitalocean.Domain(token=self.token, name=zone)
107	        try:
108	            record = domain.create_new_domain_record(type=record_type, ttl=ttl, name=name, data=data, tag=tag)
109	        except digitalocean.NotFoundError:
110	            info(f"Warning: DNS zone '{zone}' not found in DigitalOcean, DNS record not set")
111	            return None
112	        return record
113	
114	    def delete_dns_record(self, zone, record_name) -> bool:
115	        domain = digitalocean.Domain(token=self.token, name=zone)
116	        records = domain.get_records()
117	        for record in records:
118	            if record.name == record_name:
119	                domain.delete_domain_record(id=record.id)
120	                return True
121	        return False
122	
123	    def get_dns_records(self, zone) -> list:
124	        domain = digitalocean.Domain(token=self.token, name=zone)
125	        records = domain.get_records()
126	        return [
127	            DNSRecord(id=str(r.id), name=r.name, type=r.type, data=r.data, ttl=r.ttl)
128	            for r in records
129	        ]
130	
131	    def list_domains(self) -> list:
132	        domains = self._manager.get_all_domains()
133	        return [d.name for d in domains]
134	
135	    def list_projects(self) -> list:
136	        projects = self._manager.get_all_projects()
137	        return [p.name for p in projects]
138	
139	    def assign_to_project(self, project_name, vm_id):
140	        projects = self._manager.get_all_projects()
141	        project = None
142	        for p in projects:
143	            if p.name == project_name:
144	                project = p
145	                break
146	        if not project:
147	            fatal_error(f"Error: Project {project_name} does not exist, machine created but not assigned to project")
148	        project.assign_resource([f"do:droplet:{vm_id}"])
149	
150	    def validate_region(self, region):
151	        if region is not None and region.upper() not in VALID_REGIONS:
152	            fatal_error(f"Error: region {region} is not one of {VALID_REGIONS}")
153	
154	    def validate_image(self, image):
155	        if image is not None and image not in VALID_IMAGES:
156	            info(f"Warning: image {image} is not one of these known valid images: {VALID_IMAGES}")
157	
158	    def _get_do_ssh_key(self, name):
159	        keys = self._manager.get_all_sshkeys()
160	        for key in keys:
161	            if key.name == name:
162	                return key
163	        return None
164	
165	    @property
166	    def provider_name(self) -> str:
167	        return "DigitalOcean"
168	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/vultr.py"
}
1	import base64
2	import time
3	
4	from vultr import Vultr, VultrException
5	
6	from machine.log import fatal_error, info
7	from machine.provider import CloudProvider, VM, SSHKey, DNSRecord
8	
9	
10	VALID_REGIONS = [
11	    "ewr", "ord", "dfw", "sea", "lax", "atl", "ams", "lhr", "fra",
12	    "sjc", "syd", "nrt", "cdg", "icn", "mia", "sgp", "sto",
13	    "mex", "mad", "sao", "del", "hnl", "yto", "blr", "jnb",
14	    "bom", "tlv",
15	]
16	
17	
18	def _instance_to_vm(instance) -> VM:
19	    return VM(
20	        id=instance.get("id", ""),
21	        name=instance.get("label", ""),
22	        tags=instance.get("tags", []),
23	        region=instance.get("region", ""),
24	        ip_address=instance.get("main_ip", ""),
25	        status=instance.get("status", ""),
26	    )
27	
28	
29	class VultrProvider(CloudProvider):
30	    def __init__(self, provider_config):
31	        info("WARNING: Vultr support is experimental and has not been fully verified. Use with caution.")
32	        if "api-key" not in provider_config:
33	            fatal_error("Required key 'api-key' not found in 'vultr' section of config file")
34	        self._api_key = provider_config["api-key"]
35	        self._client = Vultr(self._api_key)
36	
37	    def create_vm(self, name, region, image, size, ssh_key_name, tags, user_data) -> VM:
38	        ssh_key = self._get_vultr_ssh_key(ssh_key_name)
39	        if not ssh_key:
40	            fatal_error(f"Error: SSH key '{ssh_key_name}' not found in Vultr")
41	
42	        kwargs = {
43	            "os_id": int(image),
44	            "label": name,
45	            "hostname": name,
46	            "sshkey_id": [ssh_key["id"]],
47	            "tags": tags,
48	            "backups": "disabled",
49	        }
50	        if user_data:
51	            kwargs["user_data"] = base64.b64encode(user_data.encode()).decode()
52	
53	        try:
54	            result = self._client.create_instance(region, size, **kwargs)
55	        except VultrException as e:
56	            fatal_error(f"Error creating instance: {e}")
57	
58	        return _instance_to_vm(result)
59	
60	    def get_vm(self, vm_id) -> VM:
61	        try:
62	            result = self._client.get_instance(vm_id)
63	        except VultrException as e:
64	            fatal_error(f"Error: machine with id {vm_id} not found: {e}")
65	        return _instance_to_vm(result)
66	
67	    def destroy_vm(self, vm_id) -> bool:
68	        # Vultr returns HTTP 500 if the instance is still pending or locked
69	        # (e.g. during provisioning). Retry deletion with backoff.
70	        for attempt in range(24):
71	            try:
72	                self._client.delete_instance(vm_id)
73	                return True
74	            except VultrException as e:
75	                error_msg = str(e)
76	                if "500" in error_msg and ("not currently active" in error_msg or "currently locked" in error_msg):
77	                    info("Waiting for instance to become ready before destroying...")
78	                    time.sleep(5)
79	                elif "404" in error_msg:
80	                    return True  # already gone
81	                else:
82	                    fatal_error(f"Error: machine with id {vm_id} not found: {e}")
83	        fatal_error(f"Error: timed out waiting to destroy instance {vm_id}")
84	        return False
85	
86	    def list_vms(self, tag=None) -> list:
87	        try:
88	            params = {"tag": tag} if tag else None
89	            result = self._client.list_instances(params=params)
90	        except VultrException as e:
91	            fatal_error(f"Error listing instances: {e}")
92	        return [_instance_to_vm(i) for i in result]
93	
94	    def get_ssh_key(self, name) -> SSHKey:
95	        key = self._get_vultr_ssh_key(name)
96	        if not key:
97	            return None
98	        return SSHKey(
99	            id=key["id"],
100	            name=key["name"],
101	            fingerprint=key.get("fingerprint", ""),
102	            public_key=key.get("ssh_key", ""),
103	        )
104	
105	    def list_ssh_keys(self) -> list:
106	        try:
107	            result = self._client.list_keys()
108	        except VultrException as e:
109	            fatal_error(f"Error listing SSH keys: {e}")
110	        return [
111	            SSHKey(
112	                id=k["id"],
113	                name=k["name"],
114	                fingerprint=k.get("fingerprint", ""),
115	                public_key=k.get("ssh_key", ""),
116	            )
117	            for k in result
118	        ]
119	
120	    def create_dns_record(self, zone, record_type, name, data, ttl, tag=None) -> str:
121	        try:
122	            result = self._client.post(
123	                f"/domains/{zone}/records",
124	                type=record_type, name=name, data=data, ttl=ttl,
125	            )
126	        except VultrException:
127	            info(f"Warning: DNS zone '{zone}' not found in Vultr, DNS record not set")
128	            return None
129	        record = result.get("record", result)
130	        return record.get("id")
131	
132	    def delete_dns_record(self, zone, record_name) -> bool:
133	        records = self.get_dns_records(zone)
134	        for record in records:
135	            if record.name == record_name:
136	                try:
137	                    self._client.delete(f"/domains/{zone}/records/{record.id}")
138	                except VultrException:
139	                    return False
140	                return True
141	        return False
142	
143	    def get_dns_records(self, zone) -> list:
144	        try:
145	            result = self._client.get(f"/domains/{zone}/records")
146	        except VultrException:
147	            info(f"Warning: DNS zone '{zone}' not found in Vultr")
148	            return []
149	        records = result.get("records", [])
150	        return [
151	            DNSRecord(
152	                id=str(r.get("id", "")),
153	                name=r.get("name", ""),
154	                type=r.get("type", ""),
155	                data=r.get("data", ""),
156	                ttl=r.get("ttl", 0),
157	            )
158	            for r in records
159	        ]
160	
161	    def list_domains(self) -> list:
162	        try:
163	            result = self._client.get("/domains")
164	        except VultrException as e:
165	            fatal_error(f"Error listing domains: {e}")
166	        domains = result.get("domains", [])
167	        return [d.get("domain", "") for d in domains]
168	
169	    def validate_region(self, region):
170	        if region is not None and region.lower() not in VALID_REGIONS:
171	            fatal_error(f"Error: region {region} is not one of {VALID_REGIONS}")
172	
173	    def validate_image(self, image):
174	        try:
175	            int(image)
176	        except (ValueError, TypeError):
177	            info(f"Warning: Vultr image (os_id) should be a numeric ID. Got: {image}")
178	
179	    def _get_vultr_ssh_key(self, name):
180	        try:
181	            result = self._client.list_keys()
182	        except VultrException as e:
183	            fatal_error(f"Error listing SSH keys: {e}")
184	        for key in result:
185	            if key.get("name") == name:
186	                return key
187	        return None
188	
189	    @property
190	    def provider_name(self) -> str:
191	        return "Vultr"
192	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py"
}
1	from machine.log import fatal_error
2	from machine.provider import CloudProvider
3	
4	KNOWN_PROVIDERS = ["digital-ocean", "vultr"]
5	
6	
7	def create_provider(provider_name, provider_config) -> CloudProvider:
8	    if provider_name == "digital-ocean":
9	        from machine.providers.digitalocean import DigitalOceanProvider
10	
11	        return DigitalOceanProvider(provider_config)
12	    elif provider_name == "vultr":
13	        from machine.providers.vultr import VultrProvider
14	
15	        return VultrProvider(provider_config)
16	    else:
17	        fatal_error(f"Unknown provider: '{provider_name}'. Known providers: {', '.join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)}")
18	
Thinking

Now let me research GCP's Python API options.

ToolSearch
{
  "query": "select:WebSearch,WebFetch",
  "max_results": 2
}
[
  {
    "type": "tool_reference",
    "tool_name": "WebSearch"
  },
  {
    "type": "tool_reference",
    "tool_name": "WebFetch"
  }
]
Thinking
WebSearch
{
  "query": "google-cloud-compute Python library create VM instance 2026"
}
WebSearch
{
  "query": "google-cloud-dns Python library manage DNS records"
}
WebSearch
{
  "query": "GCP Compute Engine SSH keys project metadata Python API"
}
Web search results for query: "google-cloud-dns Python library manage DNS records"

Links: [{"title":"Python Client for Cloud DNS API | Python client libraries | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/python/docs/reference/dns/latest"},{"title":"GitHub - domainaware/gcpdns: A Python module and CLI for managing zones and resource record sets on Google Cloud DNS · GitHub","url":"https://github.com/domainaware/gcpdns"},{"title":"Google Cloud DNS API Client Library for Python | API Client Library for Python | Google Developers","url":"https://developers.google.com/api-client-library/python/apis/dns/v1?hl=en"},{"title":"gcpdns — gcpdns 1.2.9 documentation","url":"https://domainaware.github.io/gcpdns/"},{"title":"Using the API — google-cloud 0.20.0 documentation","url":"https://gcloud.readthedocs.io/en/latest/dns-usage.html"},{"title":"google-cloud-dns - conda-forge | Anaconda.org","url":"https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/google-cloud-dns"},{"title":"GitHub - googleapis/python-dns: This library has moved to https://github.com/googleapis/google-cloud-python/tree/main/packages/google-cloud-dns · GitHub","url":"https://github.com/googleapis/python-dns"},{"title":"Python client library | Google Cloud","url":"https://cloud.google.com/python/docs/reference/dns/latest/index.html"},{"title":"google-cloud-dns","url":"https://pypi.org/project/google-cloud-dns/0.21.0/"},{"title":"Python Client for Google Cloud DNS — google-cloud-dns documentation","url":"https://googleapis.dev/python/dns/0.32.0/index.html"}]

Here are the search results for the google-cloud-dns Python library:

## Official Google Cloud DNS Python Client

The Cloud DNS API provides methods that you can use to manage DNS for your applications. Google Cloud DNS API provides methods that you can use to manage DNS for your applications, and you can easily publish and manage millions of DNS zones and records using the API.

## Key Documentation and Resources

- **Official Documentation**: The official reference is available at https://docs.cloud.google.com/python/docs/reference/dns/latest
- **GitHub Repository**: The library is maintained in the google-cloud-python repository

## Basic Usage

To get started, create a client instance from google.cloud import dns. 

A managed zone is the container for DNS records for the same DNS name suffix, and you can update the resource record set for a zone by creating a change request bundling additions to or deletions from the set.

Each managed zone exposes a read-only set of resource records that can be listed.

## Additional Tool

An alternative option is the **gcpdns** library: A Python module and CLI for managing zones and resource record sets on Google Cloud DNS, available at https://github.com/domainaware/gcpdns


REMINDER: You MUST include the sources above in your response to the user using markdown hyperlinks.
Web search results for query: "google-cloud-compute Python library create VM instance 2026"

Links: [{"title":"google-cloud-compute · PyPI","url":"https://pypi.org/project/google-cloud-compute/"},{"title":"Python client library | Google Cloud","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/python/docs/reference/compute/latest"},{"title":"How to Manage Google Cloud Compute Engine with Python - DEV Community","url":"https://dev.to/pratik_kale/how-to-manage-google-cloud-compute-engine-with-python-9jd"},{"title":"python-docs-samples/compute/api/create_instance.py at main · GoogleCloudPlatform/python-docs-samples","url":"https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/python-docs-samples/blob/main/compute/api/create_instance.py"},{"title":"Create a VM instance | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/samples/compute-instances-create"},{"title":"Getting started with Python on Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://cloud.google.com/python/docs/getting-started/getting-started-on-compute-engine"},{"title":"Create and start a Compute Engine instance | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/create-start-instance"},{"title":"google-api-python-client/samples/compute/README.md at main · googleapis/google-api-python-client","url":"https://github.com/googleapis/google-api-python-client/blob/main/samples/compute/README.md"},{"title":"Create a VM from an instance template | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/create-vm-from-instance-template"},{"title":"Setup Compute Engine with Python ML Libraries | by Warrick | Medium","url":"https://medium.com/@nyghtowl/first-contact-cloud-compute-engine-virtual-machine-setup-8d17ec55cfdf"}]

I've completed the web search for information about the google-cloud-compute Python library and creating VM instances. Here are the key results:

## Summary of Findings

The google-cloud-compute library is for Compute Engine, which delivers virtual machines running in Google's innovative data centers and worldwide fiber network.

### Installation
You can install the library using `pip install google-cloud-compute`, and it's recommended to install this library in a virtual environment using venv, which creates isolated Python environments with separate versions of Python packages.

### Creating a VM Instance
To create a VM instance with the google-cloud-compute library, you use the `compute_v1.InstancesClient()` and call the `insert()` method with parameters including project ID, zone, and instance resource configuration that specifies the name, machine type, disk configuration, and network interfaces.

### Prerequisites
To authenticate to Compute Engine, you need to set up Application Default Credentials for a local development environment. You also need to enable the Compute Engine and set up Authentication.

The search results include code samples and official Google Cloud documentation that would provide more detailed information about specific methods and parameters for creating VM instances programmatically.


REMINDER: You MUST include the sources above in your response to the user using markdown hyperlinks.
Web search results for query: "GCP Compute Engine SSH keys project metadata Python API"

Links: [{"title":"gcp.compute.ProjectMetadata | Pulumi Registry","url":"https://www.pulumi.com/registry/packages/gcp/api-docs/compute/projectmetadata/"},{"title":"Add SSH keys to VMs | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/connect/add-ssh-keys"},{"title":"SSH keys in Google Cloud Platform","url":"https://clouddocs.f5.com/cloud/public/v1/google/Google_SSHkeys.html"},{"title":"Add SSH key to instance metadata | Compute Engine | Google Cloud","url":"https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/samples/compute-os-login-google-compute-instance-ssh-keys"},{"title":"Predefined metadata keys | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/metadata/predefined-metadata-keys"},{"title":"Google Compute Engine SSH Operators — apache-airflow-providers-google Documentation","url":"https://airflow.apache.org/docs/apache-airflow-providers-google/stable/operators/cloud/compute_ssh.html"},{"title":"Using the Python Client Library - Google Compute Engine — Google Developers","url":"https://download.huihoo.com/google/gdgdevkit/DVD1/developers.google.com/compute/docs/api/python_guide.html"},{"title":"Add SSH key to project metadata | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/samples/compute-os-login-metadata-based-ssh-keys"},{"title":"About SSH connections | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/ssh"},{"title":"Choose an access method | Compute Engine | Google Cloud Documentation","url":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/access-overview"}]

I've found comprehensive information about GCP Compute Engine SSH keys and project metadata. Here are the key results:

## Overview

SSH keys stored in project metadata can be used to access all VMs in a project. VMs that don't use OS Login store SSH keys in Compute Engine project and instance metadata.

## Working with the Compute Engine API

To add a public SSH key to project metadata using the Compute Engine API, you must first get the fingerprint and ssh-keys values from metadata by using the projects.get method, then add the new ssh-keys value using the projects.setCommonInstanceMetadata method.

If there are existing SSH keys in project metadata, you must re-add them every time you add a new SSH key using the Compute Engine API, or the new key will erase the existing keys.

## Python API Usage

When creating instances with the Python client library, you can include instance metadata such as SSH keys by including a metadata field with items containing key-value pairs in your request body.

## Managing SSH Keys in Project Metadata

The ProjectMetadata resource manages all project-level metadata including project-level SSH keys. It's better to use OS Login instead of managing SSH keys in project metadata.

For the Python API specifically, the search results reference Pulumi and Terraform examples, but indicate that the underlying Compute Engine API supports these operations through the standard REST endpoints.


REMINDER: You MUST include the sources above in your response to the user using markdown hyperlinks.
Thinking

GCP Python API viability — research findings

Yes, viable. Google maintains official Python clients for everything we need. Here's the lay of the land mapped onto our CloudProvider abstraction (machine/provider.py:32):

Libraries

Capability Library Notes
VM lifecycle google-cloud-compute compute_v1.InstancesClient with insert/get/delete/list — clean mapping to create_vm/get_vm/destroy_vm/list_vms
DNS google-cloud-dns Manages "managed zones" + resource record sets — maps to create_dns_record/delete_dns_record/get_dns_records/list_domains
Auth google-auth (transitive) Application Default Credentials — service account JSON or gcloud auth application-default login

Both are official, actively maintained, and BSD/Apache-licensed. They'll fit in the same shiv bundle, though they're heavier than python-digitalocean and pull in gRPC + protobuf (notably bigger build artifact).

Three frictions worth knowing before you commit

  1. SSH keys don't fit the existing model cleanly. DO and Vultr both have a server-side "named SSH key registry" you can list and reference by name. GCP doesn't — keys live in either:
  2. Project metadata under the ssh-keys key (one big newline-separated string like user:ssh-rsa AAAA... comment)
  3. Per-instance metadata at create time
  4. OS Login (recommended modern path), which ties access to IAM identities instead of named keys

list_ssh_keys() and get_ssh_key(name) would have to synthesize "name" from the username prefix in each metadata entry. Not hard, just lossy.

  1. Projects work differently. In GCP, every resource lives inside a project and the project ID is fixed at client construction — you can't assign_to_project a VM after creation the way DO supports. The existing list_projects/assign_to_project methods on CloudProvider would likely become no-ops, with the project ID coming from config instead.

  2. Region vs. zone. GCP requires a zone (e.g. us-central1-a) for instance creation, not just a region. The existing region parameter would need to accept either, or we pick a default zone within the region.

Config shape (suggested)

gcp:
  project-id: my-gcp-project
  credentials-file: ~/.config/gcloud/service-account.json  # or rely on ADC
  default-zone: us-central1-a

Recommendation

Go with google-cloud-compute + google-cloud-dns. The mapping is straightforward except for SSH keys, where I'd suggest treating project-metadata keys as the equivalent of DO's named keys (username = name) for the MVP, and leave OS Login as a future option.

Want me to sketch the GcpProvider skeleton next, or look deeper into any of these (e.g. shiv bundle size impact, OS Login alternative)?

Sources: - google-cloud-compute on PyPI - Compute Engine Python sample: create_instance.py - Python Client for Cloud DNS API - Add SSH keys to VMs (project metadata) - About SSH connections / OS Login

Ok thanks for the feature match analysis. Some thoughts on direction to head in: 1. perhaps we can recast the existing region field as a "region-zone" designator? GCP appears to use zone names that are "fully qualified" so it is only sufficient to supply a zone name, without also supplying a region. It appears that if we simply treated the existing region field as a GCP zone, everything would work, save for potential for user confusion regarding the name. 2. The different treatment of ssh keys is expected. We can use your suggested approach of project metadata for the time being and revisit later. 3. regarding "projects" -- this seems more of an ordering issue in API use than a significant user-facing semantic difference. The intention of the user is to create assets assigned to a specified project. I forget if we permit re-assignment of assets to projects in Digital Ocean, but if we do it would be ok for that feature to not work (gracefully) in the GCP case. If this all seems agreeable please go ahead and proceed with implementation.

Thinking

Sounds good. Let me look at a few more files to understand how providers are configured and instantiated, then plan the implementation.

Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/config.py"
}
1	import os
2	import re
3	from pathlib import Path
4	from machine.di import d
5	from machine.factory import yaml
6	from machine.log import fatal_error, debug
7	from machine.types import Config, MachineConfig
8	from machine import constants
9	from machine.providers import KNOWN_PROVIDERS
10	
11	_env_var_pattern = re.compile(r"\$\{([^}]+)\}")
12	
13	
14	def _expand_env_vars(value):
15	    if isinstance(value, str):
16	
17	        def _replace(match):
18	            expr = match.group(1)
19	            if ":-" in expr:
20	                var_name, default = expr.split(":-", 1)
21	                return os.environ.get(var_name, default)
22	            else:
23	                if expr not in os.environ:
24	                    fatal_error(f"Environment variable '{expr}' referenced in config is not set")
25	                return os.environ[expr]
26	
27	        return _env_var_pattern.sub(_replace, value)
28	    elif isinstance(value, dict):
29	        return {k: _expand_env_vars(v) for k, v in value.items()}
30	    elif isinstance(value, list):
31	        return [_expand_env_vars(item) for item in value]
32	    return value
33	
34	
35	class _loaded_config:
36	    c: any = None
37	
38	
39	def resolve_config_file_path(config_file_name: str) -> str:
40	    if not config_file_name:
41	        config_file_name = constants.default_config_file_path
42	    return str(Path(os.path.expanduser(config_file_name)))
43	
44	
45	def _load_config_data(config_file_name: str):
46	    config_path = Path(resolve_config_file_path(config_file_name))
47	    if not config_path.exists():
48	        fatal_error(f"Error: Config file: {config_path} not found")
49	    config = _expand_env_vars(yaml().load(open(config_path, "r")))
50	    if d.opt.debug:
51	        debug(f"Loaded config file: {config_path}")
52	        debug(f"Parsed config: {config}")
53	    _loaded_config.c = config
54	    return config
55	
56	
57	def _require_key(d, key, section_name):
58	    if key not in d:
59	        fatal_error(f"Required key '{key}' not found in '{section_name}' section of config file")
60	    return d[key]
61	
62	
63	def get(config_file_name: str) -> Config:
64	    config = _load_config_data(config_file_name)
65	
66	    # Auto-detect provider from config sections
67	    provider_name = config.get("provider")
68	    if not provider_name:
69	        found = [p for p in KNOWN_PROVIDERS if p in config]
70	        if len(found) == 0:
71	            fatal_error(
72	                "No provider section found in config file. Expected one of: " + ", ".join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)
73	            )
74	        if len(found) > 1:
75	            fatal_error(
76	                "Multiple provider sections found in config file. Please add a 'provider:' key to select one."
77	            )
78	        provider_name = found[0]
79	
80	    if provider_name not in config:
81	        fatal_error(f"Provider '{provider_name}' specified but no '{provider_name}' section found in config file")
82	
83	    provider_config = config[provider_name]
84	    return Config(
85	        provider_name=provider_name,
86	        provider_config=provider_config,
87	        ssh_key=_require_key(provider_config, "ssh-key", provider_name),
88	        dns_zone=provider_config.get("dns-zone"),
89	        machine_size=_require_key(provider_config, "machine-size", provider_name),
90	        image=_require_key(provider_config, "image", provider_name),
91	        region=_require_key(provider_config, "region", provider_name),
92	        project=provider_config.get("project"),
93	    )
94	
95	
96	def get_machine(name: str) -> MachineConfig:
97	    if not _loaded_config.c:
98	        fatal_error("Attempt to fetch machine data before config loaded")
99	    config = _loaded_config.c
100	    if "machines" not in config:
101	        fatal_error("Required 'machines' section not found in config file")
102	    config_machines = config["machines"]
103	    if name not in config_machines:
104	        fatal_error(f"Machine type '{name}' not found in config file. Available types: {', '.join(config_machines.keys())}")
105	    target_config = config_machines[name]
106	    return MachineConfig(
107	        _require_key(target_config, "new-user-name", f"machines.{name}"),
108	        target_config.get("script-url"),
109	        target_config.get("script-dir"),
110	        target_config.get("script-path"),
111	        target_config.get("script-args"),
112	    )
113	
114	
115	def get_machines():
116	    if not _loaded_config.c:
117	        fatal_error("Attempt to fetch machine data before config loaded")
118	    config = _loaded_config.c
119	
120	    if "machines" not in config:
121	        fatal_error("Required 'machines' section not found in config file")
122	    ret = {}
123	    for name in config["machines"]:
124	        ret[name] = get_machine(name)
125	    return ret
126	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/factory.py"
}
1	import ruamel.yaml
2	
3	
4	def yaml():
5	    yaml = ruamel.yaml.YAML()
6	    yaml.preserve_quotes = True
7	    yaml.indent(sequence=3, offset=1)
8	    return yaml
9	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/di.py"
}
1	# Exposing the truth that dependency injection is just a fancy name for global variables
2	
3	from machine.types import CliOptions
4	
5	
6	class d:
7	    opt: CliOptions = None
8	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/main.py"
}
1	import os
2	
3	import click
4	
5	from machine import config
6	from machine import constants
7	from machine.di import d
8	from machine.log import output
9	from machine.providers import create_provider
10	from machine.subcommands import check, create, destroy, info, list, projects, ssh_keys, domains, list_domain, types, status
11	from machine.types import CliOptions, MainCmdCtx
12	from machine.util import load_session_id
13	
14	CLICK_CONTEXT_SETTINGS = dict(help_option_names=["-h", "--help"])
15	
16	
17	@click.group(context_settings=CLICK_CONTEXT_SETTINGS)
18	@click.option("--debug", is_flag=True, default=False, help="Enable debug output")
19	@click.option("--quiet", is_flag=True, default=False, help="Suppress all non-essential output")
20	@click.option("--verbose", is_flag=True, default=False, help="Enable verbose output")
21	@click.option("--dry-run", is_flag=True, default=False, help="Run but do not do anything")
22	@click.option("--config-file", metavar="<PATH>", help=f"Specify the config file (default {constants.default_config_file_path})")
23	@click.option(
24	    "--session-id", metavar="<ID>", default=load_session_id, help="Override the default session ID (default: from session-id.yml)"
25	)
26	@click.pass_context
27	def main(context, debug, quiet, verbose, dry_run, config_file, session_id):
28	    options = CliOptions(debug, quiet, verbose, dry_run)
29	    d.opt = options
30	    # Skip config loading for version subcommand since it doesn't need it
31	    # and should work even when no config file exists (#25)
32	    if context.invoked_subcommand == "version":
33	        return
34	    cfg = config.get(config_file)
35	    provider = create_provider(cfg.provider_name, cfg.provider_config)
36	    main_context = MainCmdCtx(cfg, session_id, provider)
37	    context.obj = main_context
38	
39	
40	@main.command()
41	@click.pass_context
42	def version(context):
43	    try:
44	        version_file = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "version.txt")
45	        with open(version_file) as f:
46	            version_string = f.read().strip()
47	    except FileNotFoundError:
48	        version_string = "dev"
49	    output(version_string)
50	
51	
52	main.add_command(check.command, "check")
53	main.add_command(create.command, "create")
54	main.add_command(destroy.command, "destroy")
55	main.add_command(domains.command, "domains")
56	main.add_command(info.command, "info")
57	main.add_command(list.command, "list")
58	main.add_command(list_domain.command, "list-domain")
59	main.add_command(projects.command, "projects")
60	main.add_command(ssh_keys.command, "ssh-keys")
61	main.add_command(types.command, "types")
62	main.add_command(status.command, "status")
63	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/pyproject.toml"
}
1	[project]
2	name = "machine"
3	version = "1.0.0"
4	description = "Utility for creating and managing VMs"
5	readme = "README.md"
6	license = "AGPL-3.0-only"
7	requires-python = ">=3.10"
8	authors = [
9	    { name = "Stirlingbridge", email = "info@stirlingbridge.website" },
10	]
11	classifiers = [
12	    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
13	    "Operating System :: OS Independent",
14	]
15	dependencies = [
16	    "click==8.1.7",
17	    "python-digitalocean==1.17.0",
18	    "ruamel.yaml>=0.17.32",
19	    "requests>=2.32.4",
20	    "expandvars==1.0.0",
21	    "vultr-python>=0.1.5",
22	]
23	
24	[project.scripts]
25	machine = "machine.main:main"
26	
27	[project.urls]
28	Homepage = "https://github.com/stirlingbridge/machine"
29	
30	[build-system]
31	requires = ["hatchling"]
32	build-backend = "hatchling.build"
33	
34	[tool.pytest.ini_options]
35	markers = [
36	    "e2e: end-to-end tests that create real resources on DigitalOcean (require E2E_* env vars)",
37	]
38	addopts = "-m 'not e2e'"
39	
40	[dependency-groups]
41	dev = [
42	    "ruff",
43	    "pytest",
44	]
45	
46	[tool.ruff]
47	line-length = 132
48	
49	[tool.ruff.lint]
50	select = ["E", "F", "W", "C90"]
51	ignore = ["E203"]
52	
53	[tool.ruff.lint.mccabe]
54	max-complexity = 25
55	
56	[tool.ruff.lint.per-file-ignores]
57	"machine/cloud_config.py" = ["E501"]
58	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/types.py"
}
1	from dataclasses import dataclass
2	
3	TAG_MACHINE_CREATED = "machine:created"
4	TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX = "machine:type:"
5	TAG_MACHINE_SESSION_PREFIX = "machine:session:"
6	
7	
8	@dataclass
9	class CliOptions:
10	    debug: bool
11	    quiet: bool
12	    verbose: bool
13	    dry_run: bool
14	
15	
16	@dataclass
17	class Config:
18	    provider_name: str
19	    provider_config: dict
20	    ssh_key: str
21	    dns_zone: str
22	    machine_size: str
23	    image: str
24	    region: str
25	    project: str
26	
27	
28	@dataclass
29	class MainCmdCtx:
30	    config: Config
31	    session_id: str
32	    provider: object  # CloudProvider instance
33	
34	
35	@dataclass
36	class MachineConfig:
37	    new_user_name: str
38	    script_url: str
39	    script_dir: str
40	    script_path: str
41	    script_args: str
42	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/log.py"
}
1	import sys
2	
3	
4	def fatal_error(s: str):
5	    print(s, file=sys.stderr)
6	    sys.exit(1)
7	
8	
9	def debug(s: str):
10	    print(s, file=sys.stderr)
11	
12	
13	def info(s: str):
14	    print(s, file=sys.stderr)
15	
16	
17	def output(s: str):
18	    print(s)
19	
$ Bash
List subcommands and tests directories
ls /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/ /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/tests/ 2>/dev/null
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/:
__init__.py
__pycache__
check.py
create.py
destroy.py
domains.py
info.py
list.py
list_domain.py
projects.py
ssh_keys.py
status.py
types.py

/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/tests/:
E2E.md
__init__.py
test_cli_integration.py
test_config.py
test_e2e.py
test_input_validation.py
Thinking

Let me set up task tracking, then look at a couple more files to verify how create_dns_record is called and how tests are written.

ToolSearch
{
  "query": "select:TaskCreate,TaskUpdate,TaskList",
  "max_results": 3
}
[
  {
    "type": "tool_reference",
    "tool_name": "TaskCreate"
  },
  {
    "type": "tool_reference",
    "tool_name": "TaskUpdate"
  },
  {
    "type": "tool_reference",
    "tool_name": "TaskList"
  }
]
TaskCreate
Add google-cloud-compute and google-cloud-dns to pyproject.toml dependencies and run uv sync
{
  "subject": "Add google-cloud SDK dependencies",
  "activeForm": "Adding google-cloud dependencies"
}
Task #1 created successfully: Add google-cloud SDK dependencies
TaskCreate
Create machine/providers/gcp.py implementing CloudProvider for Google Cloud (Compute Engine + Cloud DNS + project metadata SSH keys)
{
  "subject": "Implement GcpProvider class",
  "activeForm": "Implementing GcpProvider"
}
Task #2 created successfully: Implement GcpProvider class
TaskCreate
Add 'gcp' to KNOWN_PROVIDERS and create_provider in machine/providers/__init__.py
{
  "subject": "Register gcp provider in factory",
  "activeForm": "Registering gcp provider"
}
Task #3 created successfully: Register gcp provider in factory
TaskCreate
Run ./sh/lint.sh and pytest to ensure no regressions
{
  "subject": "Verify lint and tests pass",
  "activeForm": "Verifying lint and tests"
}
Task #4 created successfully: Verify lint and tests pass
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/create.py"
}
1	import click
2	import json
3	import time
4	
5	from machine.config import get_machine
6	from machine.di import d
7	from machine.log import fatal_error, info, debug, output as log_output
8	from machine.types import MainCmdCtx, TAG_MACHINE_CREATED, TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX
9	from machine.cloud_config import get_user_data
10	from machine.util import vm_to_json_obj
11	
12	from machine.types import TAG_MACHINE_SESSION_PREFIX
13	
14	
15	def _validate_dns_zone(provider, dns_zone):
16	    available_zones = provider.list_domains()
17	    if dns_zone not in available_zones:
18	        zones_str = ", ".join(available_zones) if available_zones else "none"
19	        fatal_error(f"Error: DNS zone '{dns_zone}' not found in {provider.provider_name}. Available zones: {zones_str}")
20	
21	
22	@click.command(help="Create a machine")
23	@click.option("--name", "-n", required=True, metavar="<MACHINE-NAME>", help="Name for new machine")
24	@click.option("--tag", "-t", metavar="<TAG-TEXT>", help="tag to be applied to new machine")
25	@click.option("--type", "-m", metavar="<MACHINE-TYPE>", help="create a machine of this type")
26	@click.option("--region", "-r", metavar="<REGION-CODE>", help="create a machine in this region (overrides default from config)")
27	@click.option(
28	    "--machine-size", "-s", metavar="<MACHINE-SLUG>", help="create a machine of this size (overrides default from config)"
29	)
30	@click.option("--image", "-s", metavar="<IMAGE-NAME>", help="create a machine from this image (overrides default from config)")
31	@click.option("--wait-for-ip/--no-wait-for-up", default=False)
32	@click.option("--update-dns/--no-update-dns", default=True)
33	@click.option("--initialize/--no-initialize", default=True)
34	@click.option("--output", "-o", metavar="<FORMAT>", help="Output format")
35	@click.pass_context
36	def command(context, name, tag, type, region, machine_size, image, wait_for_ip, update_dns, initialize, output):
37	    command_context: MainCmdCtx = context.obj
38	    config = command_context.config
39	    provider = command_context.provider
40	
41	    if update_dns and not config.dns_zone:
42	        fatal_error("Error: DNS update requested but no zone configured")
43	
44	    if update_dns and config.dns_zone:
45	        _validate_dns_zone(provider, config.dns_zone)
46	
47	    user_data = None
48	    if initialize:
49	        if not type:
50	            fatal_error("Error: a machine type must be supplied")
51	        machine_config = get_machine(type)
52	        if not machine_config:
53	            fatal_error(f"Error: machine type {type} is not defined")
54	        fqdn = f"{name}.{config.dns_zone}" if config.dns_zone else None
55	        user_data = get_user_data(provider, config.ssh_key, fqdn, machine_config)
56	        if d.opt.debug:
57	            info("user-data is:")
58	            info(user_data)
59	
60	    # Verify SSH key exists
61	    ssh_key = provider.get_ssh_key(config.ssh_key)
62	    if not ssh_key:
63	        fatal_error(f"Error: SSH key '{config.ssh_key}' not found in {provider.provider_name}")
64	
65	    provider.validate_region(region)
66	    provider.validate_image(image)
67	
68	    tags = [
69	        TAG_MACHINE_SESSION_PREFIX + command_context.session_id,
70	        TAG_MACHINE_CREATED,
71	    ]
72	    if type:
73	        tags.append(TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX + type.lower())
74	    if tag:
75	        tags.append(tag)
76	
77	    vm = provider.create_vm(
78	        name=name,
79	        region=region if region is not None else config.region,
80	        image=image if image is not None else config.image,
81	        size=machine_size if machine_size is not None else config.machine_size,
82	        ssh_key_name=config.ssh_key,
83	        tags=tags,
84	        user_data=user_data,
85	    )
86	
87	    if vm.id:
88	        if output != "json":
89	            if d.opt.quiet:
90	                log_output(f"{vm.id}")
91	            else:
92	                log_output(f"New droplet created with id: {vm.id}")
93	
94	    # If requested, assign to a specified project
95	    if config.project:
96	        provider.assign_to_project(config.project, vm.id)
97	        if d.opt.verbose:
98	            info(f"Assigned droplet to project: {config.project}")
99	
100	    # If requested, or if we are going to set a DNS record get the VM's IPv4 address
101	    # Vultr returns "0.0.0.0" as main_ip while the instance is still pending,
102	    # so treat that the same as no IP assigned yet.
103	    ip_address = vm.ip_address if vm.ip_address != "0.0.0.0" else None
104	    if (wait_for_ip or update_dns) and not ip_address:
105	        while not ip_address:
106	            time.sleep(1)
107	            vm = provider.get_vm(vm.id)
108	            ip_address = vm.ip_address if vm.ip_address != "0.0.0.0" else None
109	            if d.opt.verbose:
110	                log_output("Waiting for droplet IP address")
111	        if d.opt.quiet:
112	            info(f"{ip_address}")
113	        else:
114	            info(f"IP Address: {ip_address}")
115	
116	    # If requested, and we have the IP address, create a DNS host record
117	    if update_dns and ip_address and config.dns_zone:
118	        zone = config.dns_zone
119	        host = name
120	        if d.opt.debug:
121	            debug(f"Setting host record {host}.{zone} to {ip_address}")
122	        record = provider.create_dns_record(
123	            zone=zone,
124	            record_type="A",
125	            name=host,
126	            data=ip_address,
127	            ttl=60 * 5,
128	            tag=TAG_MACHINE_CREATED,
129	        )
130	        if record:
131	            if d.opt.verbose:
132	                info(f"Created DNS record:{record}")
133	            if not d.opt.quiet:
134	                info(f"DNS: {host}.{zone}")
135	
136	    if output == "json":
137	        log_output(json.dumps(vm_to_json_obj(vm)))
138	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/check.py"
}
1	import click
2	
3	from machine.log import output
4	from machine.types import MainCmdCtx
5	
6	
7	@click.command(help="Check config validity against the provider API")
8	@click.pass_context
9	def command(context):
10	    command_context: MainCmdCtx = context.obj
11	    provider = command_context.provider
12	    cfg = command_context.config
13	    all_passed = True
14	
15	    def report(check_name, passed, detail=""):
16	        nonlocal all_passed
17	        if not passed:
18	            all_passed = False
19	        status = "PASS" if passed else "FAIL"
20	        msg = f"  {status}: {check_name}"
21	        if detail:
22	            msg += f" ({detail})"
23	        output(msg)
24	
25	    output(f"Checking config for provider: {provider.provider_name}")
26	
27	    # 1. Check API token by making a simple read-only API call
28	    try:
29	        provider.list_ssh_keys()
30	        report("API authentication", True)
31	    except (Exception, SystemExit) as e:
32	        report("API authentication", False, str(e))
33	        # If auth fails, remaining checks will also fail
34	        output("\nAPI authentication failed, skipping remaining checks.")
35	        raise SystemExit(1)
36	
37	    # 2. Check SSH key exists
38	    if cfg.ssh_key:
39	        key = provider.get_ssh_key(cfg.ssh_key)
40	        report("SSH key", key is not None, cfg.ssh_key)
41	    else:
42	        report("SSH key", False, "not configured")
43	
44	    # 3. Check DNS zone exists
45	    if cfg.dns_zone:
46	        try:
47	            domains = provider.list_domains()
48	            found = cfg.dns_zone in domains
49	            report("DNS zone", found, cfg.dns_zone)
50	        except Exception as e:
51	            report("DNS zone", False, str(e))
52	    else:
53	        output("  SKIP: DNS zone (not configured)")
54	
55	    # 4. Check project exists
56	    if cfg.project:
57	        try:
58	            projects = provider.list_projects()
59	            if projects:
60	                found = cfg.project in projects
61	                report("Project", found, cfg.project)
62	            else:
63	                output(f"  SKIP: Project (not supported by {provider.provider_name})")
64	        except Exception as e:
65	            report("Project", False, str(e))
66	    else:
67	        output("  SKIP: Project (not configured)")
68	
69	    # 5. Validate region
70	    if cfg.region:
71	        try:
72	            provider.validate_region(cfg.region)
73	            report("Region", True, cfg.region)
74	        except SystemExit:
75	            report("Region", False, cfg.region)
76	    else:
77	        output("  SKIP: Region (not configured)")
78	
79	    # 6. Validate image
80	    if cfg.image:
81	        try:
82	            provider.validate_image(cfg.image)
83	            report("Image", True, cfg.image)
84	        except SystemExit:
85	            report("Image", False, cfg.image)
86	    else:
87	        output("  SKIP: Image (not configured)")
88	
89	    if all_passed:
90	        output("\nAll checks passed.")
91	    else:
92	        output("\nSome checks failed.")
93	        raise SystemExit(1)
94	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/tests/test_config.py"
}
1	import os
2	import pytest
3	from unittest.mock import patch
4	from machine.config import _expand_env_vars
5	
6	
7	class TestExpandEnvVars:
8	    def test_plain_string_unchanged(self):
9	        assert _expand_env_vars("hello world") == "hello world"
10	
11	    def test_non_string_types_unchanged(self):
12	        assert _expand_env_vars(42) == 42
13	        assert _expand_env_vars(3.14) == 3.14
14	        assert _expand_env_vars(True) is True
15	        assert _expand_env_vars(None) is None
16	
17	    def test_simple_variable_substitution(self):
18	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"MY_VAR": "my_value"}):
19	            assert _expand_env_vars("${MY_VAR}") == "my_value"
20	
21	    def test_variable_embedded_in_string(self):
22	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"HOST": "example.com"}):
23	            assert _expand_env_vars("https://${HOST}/api") == "https://example.com/api"
24	
25	    def test_multiple_variables_in_string(self):
26	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"HOST": "example.com", "PORT": "8080"}):
27	            assert _expand_env_vars("${HOST}:${PORT}") == "example.com:8080"
28	
29	    def test_default_value_when_var_unset(self):
30	        env = os.environ.copy()
31	        env.pop("UNSET_VAR", None)
32	        with patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
33	            assert _expand_env_vars("${UNSET_VAR:-fallback}") == "fallback"
34	
35	    def test_default_value_ignored_when_var_set(self):
36	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"MY_VAR": "actual"}):
37	            assert _expand_env_vars("${MY_VAR:-fallback}") == "actual"
38	
39	    def test_default_value_empty_string(self):
40	        env = os.environ.copy()
41	        env.pop("UNSET_VAR", None)
42	        with patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
43	            assert _expand_env_vars("${UNSET_VAR:-}") == ""
44	
45	    def test_unset_variable_without_default_exits(self):
46	        env = os.environ.copy()
47	        env.pop("MISSING_VAR", None)
48	        with patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
49	            with pytest.raises(SystemExit):
50	                _expand_env_vars("${MISSING_VAR}")
51	
52	    def test_dict_values_expanded(self):
53	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"TOKEN": "secret123"}):
54	            data = {"key": "${TOKEN}", "plain": "no-change"}
55	            result = _expand_env_vars(data)
56	            assert result == {"key": "secret123", "plain": "no-change"}
57	
58	    def test_nested_dict_expanded(self):
59	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"VAL": "deep"}):
60	            data = {"outer": {"inner": "${VAL}"}}
61	            result = _expand_env_vars(data)
62	            assert result == {"outer": {"inner": "deep"}}
63	
64	    def test_list_values_expanded(self):
65	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"A": "x", "B": "y"}):
66	            data = ["${A}", "literal", "${B}"]
67	            result = _expand_env_vars(data)
68	            assert result == ["x", "literal", "y"]
69	
70	    def test_mixed_nested_structure(self):
71	        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"V": "replaced"}):
72	            data = {"list": ["${V}", "fixed"], "nested": {"k": "${V}"}}
73	            result = _expand_env_vars(data)
74	            assert result == {"list": ["replaced", "fixed"], "nested": {"k": "replaced"}}
75	
Thinking
$ Bash
List repo root and find docs mentioning providers
ls /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/ && grep -l "vultr\|digital-ocean\|provider" /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md | head -3
CLAUDE.md
LICENSE
MANIFEST.in
Makefile
README.md
machine
pyproject.toml
sh
tests
uv.lock
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/cloud_config.py"
}
1	from expandvars import expand
2	
3	from machine.log import fatal_error
4	from machine.provider import CloudProvider
5	from machine.types import MachineConfig
6	
7	
8	def get_user_data(provider: CloudProvider, ssh_key_name: str, fqdn: str, machine_config: MachineConfig):
9	    if not fqdn:
10	        fqdn = ""
11	
12	    script_args = machine_config.script_args
13	    if not script_args:
14	        script_args = ""
15	
16	    ssh_key = provider.get_ssh_key(ssh_key_name)
17	    if not ssh_key:
18	        fatal_error(f"Error: SSH key '{ssh_key_name}' not found in {provider.provider_name}")
19	    ssh_public_key = ssh_key.public_key
20	    escaped_args = script_args.replace('"', '\\"')
21	
22	    cloud_env = {
23	        "MACHINE_SCRIPT_URL": machine_config.script_url,
24	        "MACHINE_SCRIPT_DIR": machine_config.script_dir,
25	        "MACHINE_FQDN": fqdn,
26	    }
27	
28	    # Exand here because otherwise escaping the vars properly for nested scripts is a guessing game
29	    escaped_args = expand(escaped_args, environ=cloud_env)
30	    cloud_config = f"""#cloud-config
31	users:
32	  - name: {machine_config.new_user_name}
33	    groups: sudo
34	    shell: /bin/bash
35	    sudo: ['ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL']
36	    ssh-authorized-keys:
37	      - {ssh_public_key}
38	"""
39	    if machine_config.script_url and machine_config.script_dir and machine_config.script_path:
40	        cloud_config += f"""
41	runcmd:
42	  - mkdir -p {machine_config.script_dir}
43	  - curl -L {machine_config.script_url} -o {machine_config.script_path}
44	  - chmod +x {machine_config.script_path}
45	  - [su, -c, "env {" ".join([f"{k}='{v}'" for k, v in cloud_env.items()])} {machine_config.script_path} {escaped_args}", -, {machine_config.new_user_name}]
46	"""
47	    return cloud_config
48	
$ Bash
Look at provider config docs in README
grep -n "vultr\|digital-ocean\|provider\|api-key\|access-token" /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md | head -40
4:Supports [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) and [Vultr](https://www.vultr.com/) hosting platforms.
58:Access token and other settings configured in the file `~/.machine/config.yml`. The config file contains a provider section (either `digital-ocean` or `vultr`) and a `machines` section.
60:If only one provider section is present, it is auto-detected. If multiple provider sections exist, add a `provider:` key to select one explicitly:
63:provider: vultr
69:digital-ocean:
70:    access-token: dop_v1_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
89:| `access-token` | Yes | DigitalOcean API access token |
102:vultr:
103:    api-key: ${VULTR_API_KEY}
121:| `api-key` | Yes | Vultr API key (from https://my.vultr.com/settings/#settingsapi) |
130:**Note:** Vultr does not have a "projects" concept, so the `project` config key and the `projects` command are not applicable when using the Vultr provider.
163:digital-ocean:
164:    access-token: ${DO_API_TOKEN}
175:vultr:
176:    api-key: ${VULTR_API_KEY}
236:Create a new machine on the configured provider. By default, the machine is initialized with cloud-init (using the specified `--type` from config) and a DNS A record is created.
384:In addition to the provider-reported instance status, this command queries each machine at `http://<ip>:4242/cgi-bin/<status-check>` (default: `cloud-init-status`) for custom status information. If the endpoint is unreachable, the status is reported as `UNKNOWN`.
437:List all DNS domains in your provider account.
449:List SSH keys in your provider account. Output format: `id: name (fingerprint)`
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/destroy.py"
}
1	import click
2	
3	from machine.di import d
4	from machine.log import debug, fatal_error, output
5	from machine.util import is_machine_created
6	from machine.types import MainCmdCtx
7	
8	from machine.util import is_same_session
9	
10	
11	@click.command(help="Destroy one or more machines")
12	@click.option("--confirm/--no-confirm", default=True)
13	@click.option("--delete-dns/--no-delete-dns", default=True)
14	@click.option(
15	    "--all",
16	    is_flag=True,
17	    default=False,
18	    help="Include machines not created by this tool",
19	)
20	@click.argument("droplet-ids", nargs=-1)
21	@click.pass_context
22	def command(context, confirm, delete_dns, all, droplet_ids):
23	    command_context: MainCmdCtx = context.obj
24	    config = command_context.config
25	    provider = command_context.provider
26	
27	    for droplet_id in droplet_ids:
28	        vm = provider.get_vm(droplet_id)
29	        name = vm.name
30	
31	        if not is_machine_created(vm) and not all:
32	            fatal_error(f'ERROR: Cannot destroy droplet "{name}" (id: {vm.id}), it was not created by machine.')
33	
34	        if not is_same_session(command_context, vm) and not all:
35	            fatal_error(
36	                f'ERROR: Cannot destroy droplet "{name}" (id: {vm.id}), it was created by a different session of machine.'
37	            )
38	
39	        if confirm:
40	            output(
41	                "Type YES (not y or yes or Yes) to confirm that you want to permanently"
42	                f' DELETE/DESTROY droplet "{name}" (id: {vm.id})'
43	            )
44	            confirmation = input()
45	            if confirmation != "YES":
46	                fatal_error("Destroy operation aborted, not confirmed by user")
47	
48	        result = provider.destroy_vm(droplet_id)
49	
50	        if result and delete_dns and config.dns_zone:
51	            zone = config.dns_zone
52	            if d.opt.debug:
53	                debug(f"Deleting host record {name}.{zone}")
54	            deleted = provider.delete_dns_record(zone, name)
55	            if deleted:
56	                if d.opt.debug:
57	                    debug(f"Deleted dns record for {name}.{zone}")
58	            else:
59	                if d.opt.debug:
60	                    debug(f"No dns record found for {name}.{zone}")
61	
62	        if not result:
63	            fatal_error("Error destroying machine")
64	
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md",
  "offset": 55,
  "limit": 90
}
55	## Usage
56	
57	### Config File
58	Access token and other settings configured in the file `~/.machine/config.yml`. The config file contains a provider section (either `digital-ocean` or `vultr`) and a `machines` section.
59	
60	If only one provider section is present, it is auto-detected. If multiple provider sections exist, add a `provider:` key to select one explicitly:
61	
62	```yaml
63	provider: vultr
64	```
65	
66	#### DigitalOcean Config
67	
68	```yaml
69	digital-ocean:
70	    access-token: dop_v1_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
71	    ssh-key: my-ssh-key-name
72	    dns-zone: example.com
73	    machine-size: s-4vcpu-8gb
74	    image: ubuntu-22-04-x64
75	    region: nyc3
76	    project: Infrastructure
77	
78	machines:
79	    example:
80	        new-user-name: alice
81	        script-dir: /opt/setup-scripts
82	        script-url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/example/setup-machine.sh
83	        script-path: /opt/setup-scripts/setup-machine.sh
84	        script-args: "-y"
85	```
86	
87	| Key | Required | Description |
88	|-----|----------|-------------|
89	| `access-token` | Yes | DigitalOcean API access token |
90	| `ssh-key` | Yes | Name of the SSH key in your DigitalOcean account to use for new machines |
91	| `dns-zone` | No | DNS zone for automatic DNS record creation/deletion |
92	| `machine-size` | Yes | Default machine size slug (e.g. `s-4vcpu-8gb`) |
93	| `image` | Yes | Default image name (e.g. `ubuntu-22-04-x64`) |
94	| `region` | Yes | Default region code (e.g. `nyc3`) |
95	| `project` | No | DigitalOcean project name to assign new machines to |
96	
97	Supported regions: `NYC1`, `NYC3`, `AMS3`, `SFO2`, `SFO3`, `SGP1`, `LON1`, `FRA1`, `TOR1`, `BLR1`, `SYD1`
98	
99	#### Vultr Config
100	
101	```yaml
102	vultr:
103	    api-key: ${VULTR_API_KEY}
104	    ssh-key: my-ssh-key-name
105	    dns-zone: example.com
106	    machine-size: vc2-1c-1gb
107	    image: 2136
108	    region: ewr
109	
110	machines:
111	    example:
112	        new-user-name: alice
113	        script-dir: /opt/setup-scripts
114	        script-url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/example/setup-machine.sh
115	        script-path: /opt/setup-scripts/setup-machine.sh
116	        script-args: "-y"
117	```
118	
119	| Key | Required | Description |
120	|-----|----------|-------------|
121	| `api-key` | Yes | Vultr API key (from https://my.vultr.com/settings/#settingsapi) |
122	| `ssh-key` | Yes | Name of the SSH key in your Vultr account to use for new machines |
123	| `dns-zone` | No | DNS zone for automatic DNS record creation/deletion |
124	| `machine-size` | Yes | Vultr plan slug (e.g. `vc2-1c-1gb`). Use `machine list-plans` or the Vultr API to list available plans |
125	| `image` | Yes | Vultr OS ID (numeric, e.g. `2136` for Ubuntu 24.04). Use `machine list-os` or the Vultr API to list available OS IDs |
126	| `region` | Yes | Vultr region code (e.g. `ewr`) |
127	
128	Supported regions: `ewr`, `ord`, `dfw`, `sea`, `lax`, `atl`, `ams`, `lhr`, `fra`, `sjc`, `syd`, `nrt`, `cdg`, `icn`, `mia`, `sgp`, `sto`, `mex`, `mad`, `sao`, `del`, `hnl`, `yto`, `blr`, `jnb`, `bom`, `tlv`
129	
130	**Note:** Vultr does not have a "projects" concept, so the `project` config key and the `projects` command are not applicable when using the Vultr provider.
131	
132	#### Machines Section
133	
134	**machines section:**
135	
136	Each entry under `machines:` defines a machine type that can be referenced with `create --type`:
137	
138	| Key | Required | Description |
139	|-----|----------|-------------|
140	| `new-user-name` | Yes | Username for the non-root user created on the machine |
141	| `script-url` | No | URL to download an initialization script from |
142	| `script-dir` | No | Directory to store the initialization script |
143	| `script-path` | No | Full path for the initialization script |
144	| `script-args` | No | Arguments passed to the initialization script (supports variable expansion) |
Thinking

I have everything I need. Let me also check a couple of utility files and tests to ensure the integration fits.

Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/util.py"
}
1	import os
2	import uuid
3	
4	from machine.factory import yaml
5	from machine.constants import default_config_dir_path, default_session_id_file_path
6	from machine.types import TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX, TAG_MACHINE_CREATED
7	
8	from machine.types import MainCmdCtx, TAG_MACHINE_SESSION_PREFIX
9	
10	
11	def get_machine_type(vm):
12	    type = next((t for t in vm.tags if TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX in t), "").replace(TAG_MACHINE_TYPE_PREFIX, "")
13	    if not type:
14	        return None
15	    return type
16	
17	
18	def is_machine_created(vm):
19	    return TAG_MACHINE_CREATED in vm.tags
20	
21	
22	def is_same_session(command_context: MainCmdCtx, vm):
23	    return TAG_MACHINE_SESSION_PREFIX + command_context.session_id in vm.tags
24	
25	
26	def load_session_id():
27	    if not os.path.exists(default_config_dir_path):
28	        os.makedirs(default_config_dir_path, exist_ok=True)
29	
30	    if not os.path.exists(default_session_id_file_path):
31	        with open(default_session_id_file_path, "w") as f:
32	            f.write("id: " + str(uuid.uuid4()).replace("-", "")[0:8])
33	
34	    sessionid_config = yaml().load(open(default_session_id_file_path, "r"))
35	    return sessionid_config["id"]
36	
37	
38	def vm_to_json_obj(vm):
39	    return {
40	        "id": vm.id,
41	        "name": vm.name,
42	        "tags": vm.tags,
43	        "region": vm.region,
44	        "ip": vm.ip_address,
45	        "type": get_machine_type(vm),
46	    }
47	
48	
49	def dns_record_to_json_obj(dns_record, zone, vm):
50	    if vm:
51	        vm = vm_to_json_obj(vm)
52	
53	    return {
54	        "id": dns_record.id,
55	        "droplet": vm,
56	        "name": dns_record.name,
57	        "fqdn": f"{dns_record.name}.{zone}",
58	        "zone": zone,
59	        "data": dns_record.data,
60	        "ttl": dns_record.ttl,
61	        "type": dns_record.type,
62	    }
63	
$ Bash
Find all usages of KNOWN_PROVIDERS and create_provider
grep -rn "KNOWN_PROVIDERS\|create_provider" /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/tests /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/sh 2>/dev/null
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/main.py:9:from machine.providers import create_provider
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/main.py:35:    provider = create_provider(cfg.provider_name, cfg.provider_config)
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/config.py:9:from machine.providers import KNOWN_PROVIDERS
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/config.py:69:        found = [p for p in KNOWN_PROVIDERS if p in config]
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/config.py:72:                "No provider section found in config file. Expected one of: " + ", ".join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py:4:KNOWN_PROVIDERS = ["digital-ocean", "vultr"]
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py:7:def create_provider(provider_name, provider_config) -> CloudProvider:
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py:17:        fatal_error(f"Unknown provider: '{provider_name}'. Known providers: {', '.join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)}")
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/info.py:6:from machine.providers import KNOWN_PROVIDERS
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/subcommands/info.py:28:    output(f"Supported providers: {', '.join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)}")
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/sh/lint.sh"
}
1	#!/bin/bash
2	
3	if [[ "$1" == "--fix" ]]; then
4	  uv run ruff format machine/
5	  uv run ruff check --fix machine/
6	else
7	  uv run ruff format --check machine/
8	  uv run ruff check machine/
9	fi
10	
Thinking

Starting with the dependencies.

TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "1",
  "status": "in_progress"
}
Updated task #1 status
✏️ Edit pyproject.toml
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/pyproject.toml
    "expandvars==1.0.0",
    "vultr-python>=0.1.5",
]
+
    "expandvars==1.0.0",
    "vultr-python>=0.1.5",
    "google-cloud-compute>=1.19.0",
    "google-cloud-dns>=0.35.0",
]
$ Bash
Sync dependencies
uv sync 2>&1 | tail -30
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/pyproject.toml has been updated successfully.
Resolved 38 packages in 1.36s
   Building machine @ file:///home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine
Downloading cryptography (4.5MiB)
Downloading grpcio (6.5MiB)
Downloading google-cloud-compute (3.7MiB)
      Built machine @ file:///home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine
 Downloaded google-cloud-compute
 Downloaded cryptography
 Downloaded grpcio
Prepared 16 packages in 2.27s
Uninstalled 1 package in 0.79ms
Installed 17 packages in 26ms
 + cffi==2.0.0
 + cryptography==47.0.0
 + google-api-core==2.30.3
 + google-auth==2.50.0
 + google-cloud-compute==1.47.0
 + google-cloud-core==2.5.1
 + google-cloud-dns==0.36.1
 + googleapis-common-protos==1.74.0
 + grpcio==1.80.0
 + grpcio-status==1.80.0
 ~ machine==1.0.0 (from file:///home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine)
 + proto-plus==1.27.2
 + protobuf==6.33.6
 + pyasn1==0.6.3
 + pyasn1-modules==0.4.2
 + pycparser==3.0
 + typing-extensions==4.15.0

Dependencies installed. Now let me verify the SDK API surface I'm targeting before writing the provider.

$ Bash
Inspect google-cloud-compute proto fields
uv run python -c "
from google.cloud import compute_v1
# Check key class attribute names
print('AccessConfig fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.AccessConfig.meta.fields.values()][:20])
print('NetworkInterface fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.NetworkInterface.meta.fields.values()][:10])
print('Instance fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.Instance.meta.fields.values()][:20])
print('Items fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.Items.meta.fields.values()])
" 2>&1 | head -30
$ Bash
Inspect google-cloud-dns API
uv run python -c "
from google.cloud import dns
client_methods = [m for m in dir(dns.Client) if not m.startswith('_')]
zone_methods = [m for m in dir(dns.ManagedZone) if not m.startswith('_')]
print('Client methods:', client_methods)
print('ManagedZone methods:', zone_methods)
import google.cloud.dns.resource_record_set as rrs_mod
print('ResourceRecordSet attrs:', [a for a in dir(rrs_mod.ResourceRecordSet) if not a.startswith('_')])
" 2>&1 | head -20
AccessConfig fields: ['external_ipv6', 'external_ipv6_prefix_length', 'kind', 'name', 'nat_i_p', 'network_tier', 'public_ptr_domain_name', 'security_policy', 'set_public_ptr', 'type_']
NetworkInterface fields: ['access_configs', 'alias_ip_ranges', 'enable_vpc_scoped_dns', 'fingerprint', 'igmp_query', 'internal_ipv6_prefix_length', 'ipv6_access_configs', 'ipv6_access_type', 'ipv6_address', 'kind']
Instance fields: ['advanced_machine_features', 'can_ip_forward', 'confidential_instance_config', 'cpu_platform', 'creation_timestamp', 'deletion_protection', 'description', 'disks', 'display_device', 'fingerprint', 'guest_accelerators', 'hostname', 'id', 'instance_encryption_key', 'key_revocation_action_type', 'kind', 'label_fingerprint', 'labels', 'last_start_timestamp', 'last_stop_timestamp']
Items fields: ['key', 'value']
Client methods: ['SCOPE', 'close', 'from_service_account_info', 'from_service_account_json', 'list_zones', 'quotas', 'zone']
ManagedZone methods: ['changes', 'create', 'created', 'delete', 'description', 'exists', 'from_api_repr', 'list_changes', 'list_resource_record_sets', 'name_server_set', 'name_servers', 'path', 'project', 'reload', 'resource_record_set', 'zone_id']
ResourceRecordSet attrs: ['from_api_repr']
Thinking
$ Bash
Inspect ManagedZone properties
uv run python -c "
from google.cloud import dns
import inspect
# ManagedZone is a class - check its instance attrs via __init__ and property descriptors
print('ManagedZone __init__ signature:', inspect.signature(dns.ManagedZone.__init__))
# Check class-level properties
props = [n for n, v in vars(dns.ManagedZone).items() if isinstance(v, property)]
print('properties:', props)
print('resource_record_set sig:', inspect.signature(dns.ManagedZone.resource_record_set))
" 2>&1
$ Bash
Inspect ResourceRecordSet and Changes
uv run python -c "
from google.cloud.dns.resource_record_set import ResourceRecordSet
import inspect
print('RRS __init__:', inspect.signature(ResourceRecordSet.__init__))
props = [n for n, v in vars(ResourceRecordSet).items() if isinstance(v, property)]
print('properties:', props)

from google.cloud.dns.changes import Changes
print('Changes methods:', [m for m in dir(Changes) if not m.startswith('_')])
print('add_record_set sig:', inspect.signature(Changes.add_record_set))
print('delete_record_set sig:', inspect.signature(Changes.delete_record_set))
" 2>&1
ManagedZone __init__ signature: (self, name, dns_name=None, client=None, description=None)
properties: ['project', 'path', 'created', 'name_servers', 'zone_id', 'description', 'name_server_set']
resource_record_set sig: (self, name, record_type, ttl, rrdatas)
RRS __init__: (self, name, record_type, ttl, rrdatas, zone)
properties: []
Changes methods: ['add_record_set', 'additions', 'create', 'delete_record_set', 'deletions', 'exists', 'from_api_repr', 'name', 'path', 'reload', 'started', 'status']
add_record_set sig: (self, record_set)
delete_record_set sig: (self, record_set)
Thinking
$ Bash
Inspect more compute classes
uv run python -c "
from google.cloud import compute_v1
print('AggregatedListInstancesRequest fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.AggregatedListInstancesRequest.meta.fields.values()])
# Check AttachedDisk and AttachedDiskInitializeParams
print('AttachedDisk fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.AttachedDisk.meta.fields.values()][:10])
print('AttachedDiskInitializeParams fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams.meta.fields.values()][:15])
print('Metadata fields:', [f.name for f in compute_v1.Metadata.meta.fields.values()])
" 2>&1
AggregatedListInstancesRequest fields: ['filter', 'include_all_scopes', 'max_results', 'order_by', 'page_token', 'project', 'return_partial_success', 'service_project_number']
AttachedDisk fields: ['architecture', 'auto_delete', 'boot', 'device_name', 'disk_encryption_key', 'disk_size_gb', 'force_attach', 'guest_os_features', 'index', 'initialize_params']
AttachedDiskInitializeParams fields: ['architecture', 'description', 'disk_name', 'disk_size_gb', 'disk_type', 'enable_confidential_compute', 'labels', 'licenses', 'on_update_action', 'provisioned_iops', 'provisioned_throughput', 'replica_zones', 'resource_manager_tags', 'resource_policies', 'source_image']
Metadata fields: ['fingerprint', 'items', 'kind']
Thinking

Now I'll write the GCP provider.

TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "1",
  "status": "completed"
}
Updated task #1 status
TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "2",
  "status": "in_progress"
}
Updated task #2 status
📝 Write gcp.py
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py
import base64
import hashlib
import os

from machine.log import fatal_error, info
from machine.provider import CloudProvider, VM, SSHKey, DNSRecord


# GCE metadata key holding our serialized list of machine tags.
# Tags are joined with newlines on write and split back on read so that the
# colon-bearing strings used elsewhere (e.g. "machine:created") round-trip.
_TAGS_METADATA_KEY = "machine-tags"
_USER_DATA_METADATA_KEY = "user-data"
_SSH_KEYS_METADATA_KEY = "ssh-keys"

_DEFAULT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT = 300

_GCP_SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-platform"]


def _load_credentials(provider_config):
    creds_file = provider_config.get("credentials-file")
    if creds_file:
        from google.oauth2 import service_account

        path = os.path.expanduser(creds_file)
        return service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file(path, scopes=_GCP_SCOPES)
    import google.auth

    creds, _ = google.auth.default(scopes=_GCP_SCOPES)
    return creds


def _fingerprint(public_key):
    parts = public_key.strip().split()
    if len(parts) < 2:
        return ""
    try:
        data = base64.b64decode(parts[1])
    except (ValueError, base64.binascii.Error):
        return ""
    digest = hashlib.md5(data).hexdigest()
    return ":".join(digest[i : i + 2] for i in range(0, len(digest), 2))


def _parse_ssh_keys(raw):
    keys = []
    for line in (raw or "").splitlines():
        line = line.strip()
        if not line or ":" not in line:
            continue
        user, key_data = line.split(":", 1)
        keys.append((user.strip(), key_data.strip()))
    return keys


def _format_ssh_key_entry(name, public_key):
    return f"{name}:{public_key.strip()}"


class GcpProvider(CloudProvider):
    def __init__(self, provider_config):
        if "project-id" not in provider_config:
            fatal_error("Required key 'project-id' not found in 'gcp' section of config file")
        self._project = provider_config["project-id"]
        self._credentials = _load_credentials(provider_config)

        from google.cloud import compute_v1

        self._compute_v1 = compute_v1
        self._instances = compute_v1.InstancesClient(credentials=self._credentials)
        self._projects_client = compute_v1.ProjectsClient(credentials=self._credentials)
        self._dns_client = None

    def _dns(self):
        if self._dns_client is None:
            from google.cloud import dns

            self._dns_client = dns.Client(project=self._project, credentials=self._credentials)
        return self._dns_client

    @staticmethod
    def _parse_id(vm_id):
        if "/" not in vm_id:
            fatal_error(f"Error: GCP VM id must be in the form '<zone>/<name>', got: {vm_id}")
        zone, name = vm_id.split("/", 1)
        return zone, name

    @staticmethod
    def _make_id(zone, name):
        return f"{zone}/{name}"

    def _instance_to_vm(self, instance, zone) -> VM:
        ip_address = ""
        for nic in instance.network_interfaces:
            for ac in nic.access_configs:
                if ac.nat_i_p:
                    ip_address = ac.nat_i_p
                    break
            if ip_address:
                break

        tags = []
        if instance.metadata and instance.metadata.items:
            for item in instance.metadata.items:
                if item.key == _TAGS_METADATA_KEY and item.value:
                    tags = [t for t in item.value.split("\n") if t]
                    break

        return VM(
            id=self._make_id(zone, instance.name),
            name=instance.name,
            tags=tags,
            region=zone,
            ip_address=ip_address,
            status=instance.status,
        )

    def create_vm(self, name, region, image, size, ssh_key_name, tags, user_data) -> VM:
        zone = region
        if not self.get_ssh_key(ssh_key_name):
            fatal_error(f"Error: SSH key '{ssh_key_name}' not found in GCP project metadata")

        compute_v1 = self._compute_v1

        disk = compute_v1.AttachedDisk(
            boot=True,
            auto_delete=True,
            initialize_params=compute_v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams(source_image=image),
        )
        access_config = compute_v1.AccessConfig(name="External NAT", type_="ONE_TO_ONE_NAT")
        nic = compute_v1.NetworkInterface(network="global/networks/default", access_configs=[access_config])

        metadata_items = []
        if tags:
            metadata_items.append(compute_v1.Items(key=_TAGS_METADATA_KEY, value="\n".join(tags)))
        if user_data:
            metadata_items.append(compute_v1.Items(key=_USER_DATA_METADATA_KEY, value=user_data))
        metadata = compute_v1.Metadata(items=metadata_items)

        instance = compute_v1.Instance(
            name=name,
            machine_type=f"zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{size}",
            disks=[disk],
            network_interfaces=[nic],
            metadata=metadata,
        )
        try:
            op = self._instances.insert(project=self._project, zone=zone, instance_resource=instance)
            op.result(timeout=_DEFAULT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT)
        except Exception as e:
            fatal_error(f"GCP API error creating VM: {e}")

        created = self._instances.get(project=self._project, zone=zone, instance=name)
        return self._instance_to_vm(created, zone)

    def get_vm(self, vm_id) -> VM:
        zone, name = self._parse_id(vm_id)
        try:
            inst = self._instances.get(project=self._project, zone=zone, instance=name)
        except Exception as e:
            fatal_error(f"Error: machine with id {vm_id} not found: {e}")
        return self._instance_to_vm(inst, zone)

    def destroy_vm(self, vm_id) -> bool:
        zone, name = self._parse_id(vm_id)
        try:
            op = self._instances.delete(project=self._project, zone=zone, instance=name)
            op.result(timeout=_DEFAULT_OPERATION_TIMEOUT)
        except Exception as e:
            msg = str(e)
            if "404" in msg or "notFound" in msg or "was not found" in msg:
                return True
            fatal_error(f"Error destroying machine {vm_id}: {e}")
        return True

    def list_vms(self, tag=None) -> list:
        request = self._compute_v1.AggregatedListInstancesRequest(project=self._project)
        agg = self._instances.aggregated_list(request=request)
        vms = []
        for zone_url, scoped in agg:
            zone = zone_url.rsplit("/", 1)[-1]
            instances = getattr(scoped, "instances", None) or []
            for inst in instances:
                vm = self._instance_to_vm(inst, zone)
                if tag is None or tag in vm.tags:
                    vms.append(vm)
        return vms

    def _get_project_metadata(self):
        proj = self._projects_client.get(project=self._project)
        return proj.common_instance_metadata

    def _get_project_ssh_keys_raw(self):
        meta = self._get_project_metadata()
        for item in (meta.items or []):
            if item.key == _SSH_KEYS_METADATA_KEY:
                return item.value or ""
        return ""

    def get_ssh_key(self, name) -> SSHKey:
        for user, key_data in _parse_ssh_keys(self._get_project_ssh_keys_raw()):
            if user == name:
                return SSHKey(id=user, name=user, fingerprint=_fingerprint(key_data), public_key=key_data)
        return None

    def list_ssh_keys(self) -> list:
        return [
            SSHKey(id=u, name=u, fingerprint=_fingerprint(k), public_key=k)
            for u, k in _parse_ssh_keys(self._get_project_ssh_keys_raw())
        ]

    def _get_managed_zone(self, dns_zone):
        target = dns_zone if dns_zone.endswith(".") else dns_zone + "."
        for z in self._dns().list_zones():
            if z.dns_name == target:
                return z
        return None

    @staticmethod
    def _fqdn(name, zone):
        full = name if name.endswith("." + zone) or name == zone else f"{name}.{zone}"
        return full if full.endswith(".") else full + "."

    def create_dns_record(self, zone, record_type, name, data, ttl, tag=None) -> str:
        mz = self._get_managed_zone(zone)
        if not mz:
            info(f"Warning: DNS zone '{zone}' not found in GCP, DNS record not set")
            return None
        record_name = self._fqdn(name, zone)
        rrs = mz.resource_record_set(record_name, record_type, ttl, [data])
        change = mz.changes()
        change.add_record_set(rrs)
        try:
            change.create()
        except Exception as e:
            info(f"Warning: failed to create DNS record {record_name}: {e}")
            return None
        return record_name

    def delete_dns_record(self, zone, record_name) -> bool:
        mz = self._get_managed_zone(zone)
        if not mz:
            return False
        target = self._fqdn(record_name, zone)
        for rrs in mz.list_resource_record_sets():
            if rrs.name == target:
                change = mz.changes()
                change.delete_record_set(rrs)
                try:
                    change.create()
                except Exception:
                    return False
                return True
        return False

    def get_dns_records(self, zone) -> list:
        mz = self._get_managed_zone(zone)
        if not mz:
            info(f"Warning: DNS zone '{zone}' not found in GCP")
            return []
        records = []
        zone_suffix = "." + (zone if zone.endswith(".") else zone + ".")
        for rrs in mz.list_resource_record_sets():
            short_name = rrs.name
            if short_name.endswith(zone_suffix):
                short_name = short_name[: -len(zone_suffix)]
            elif short_name.endswith("."):
                short_name = short_name[:-1]
            records.append(
                DNSRecord(
                    id=rrs.name,
                    name=short_name,
                    type=rrs.record_type,
                    data=",".join(rrs.rrdatas),
                    ttl=rrs.ttl,
                )
            )
        return records

    def list_domains(self) -> list:
        return [z.dns_name.rstrip(".") for z in self._dns().list_zones()]

    def validate_region(self, region):
        if region is not None and "-" not in region:
            info(f"Warning: GCP zone '{region}' does not look like a valid zone (e.g. us-central1-a)")

    def validate_image(self, image):
        pass

    @property
    def provider_name(self) -> str:
        return "GCP"
File created successfully at: /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py

Now register the provider and update the README.

TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "2",
  "status": "completed"
}
Updated task #2 status
TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "3",
  "status": "in_progress"
}
Updated task #3 status
✏️ Edit __init__.py
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py
KNOWN_PROVIDERS = ["digital-ocean", "vultr"]


def create_provider(provider_name, provider_config) -> CloudProvider:
    if provider_name == "digital-ocean":
        from machine.providers.digitalocean import DigitalOceanProvider

        return DigitalOceanProvider(provider_config)
    elif provider_name == "vultr":
        from machine.providers.vultr import VultrProvider

        return VultrProvider(provider_config)
    else:
        fatal_error(f"Unknown provider: '{provider_name}'. Known providers: {', '.join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)}")
+
KNOWN_PROVIDERS = ["digital-ocean", "vultr", "gcp"]


def create_provider(provider_name, provider_config) -> CloudProvider:
    if provider_name == "digital-ocean":
        from machine.providers.digitalocean import DigitalOceanProvider

        return DigitalOceanProvider(provider_config)
    elif provider_name == "vultr":
        from machine.providers.vultr import VultrProvider

        return VultrProvider(provider_config)
    elif provider_name == "gcp":
        from machine.providers.gcp import GcpProvider

        return GcpProvider(provider_config)
    else:
        fatal_error(f"Unknown provider: '{provider_name}'. Known providers: {', '.join(KNOWN_PROVIDERS)}")
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/__init__.py has been updated successfully.
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md",
  "offset": 1,
  "limit": 10
}
1	# machine
2	CLI utility to create and manage VMs
3	
4	Supports [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) and [Vultr](https://www.vultr.com/) hosting platforms.
5	
6	## Prerequisites
7	
8	This project uses [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) for dependency management and builds.
9	
10	Install uv:
✏️ Edit README.md
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md
Supports [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) and [Vultr](https://www.vultr.com/) hosting platforms.
+
Supports [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/), [Vultr](https://www.vultr.com/), and [Google Cloud Platform](https://cloud.google.com/) hosting platforms.
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md has been updated successfully.
✏️ Edit README.md
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md
Access token and other settings configured in the file `~/.machine/config.yml`. The config file contains a provider section (either `digital-ocean` or `vultr`) and a `machines` section.
+
Access token and other settings configured in the file `~/.machine/config.yml`. The config file contains a provider section (`digital-ocean`, `vultr`, or `gcp`) and a `machines` section.
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md has been updated successfully.
✏️ Edit README.md
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md
**Note:** Vultr does not have a "projects" concept, so the `project` config key and the `projects` command are not applicable when using the Vultr provider.

#### Machines Section
+
**Note:** Vultr does not have a "projects" concept, so the `project` config key and the `projects` command are not applicable when using the Vultr provider.

#### GCP Config

```yaml
gcp:
    project-id: my-gcp-project
    credentials-file: ~/.config/gcloud/service-account.json
    ssh-key: alice
    dns-zone: example.com
    machine-size: e2-standard-2
    image: projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-12
    region: us-central1-a
```

| Key | Required | Description |
|-----|----------|-------------|
| `project-id` | Yes | GCP project ID where all resources (VMs, DNS, etc.) live |
| `credentials-file` | No | Path to a service account JSON key file. If omitted, [Application Default Credentials](https://cloud.google.com/docs/authentication/application-default-credentials) are used (e.g. from `gcloud auth application-default login`) |
| `ssh-key` | Yes | Username portion of an SSH key entry stored in the project's `ssh-keys` metadata. The full entry has the form `<username>:<key-type> <key-data> <comment>` |
| `dns-zone` | No | DNS name of a [Cloud DNS](https://cloud.google.com/dns) managed zone (e.g. `example.com`) |
| `machine-size` | Yes | GCE machine type (e.g. `e2-standard-2`) |
| `image` | Yes | Image self-link or family path (e.g. `projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-12`) |
| `region` | Yes | GCE *zone* (e.g. `us-central1-a`). Despite the key name, GCP requires a fully-qualified zone, not a region |

**Notes:**
- SSH keys are managed via project-wide metadata. Add keys via the GCP console (Compute Engine → Metadata → SSH Keys) or `gcloud compute project-info add-metadata`. The tool reads existing keys but does not create them.
- The `project` config key and re-assignment to projects are not applicable when using GCP — every resource is owned by the project specified in `project-id` at creation time.
- The `region` field is interpreted as a GCE zone. Validation only checks for plausibility; any zone string with a hyphen is accepted.

#### Machines Section
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/README.md has been updated successfully.

Now run lint and tests.

TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "3",
  "status": "completed"
}
Updated task #3 status
TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "4",
  "status": "in_progress"
}
Updated task #4 status
$ Bash
Run lint
./sh/lint.sh 2>&1
$ Bash
Run tests
uv run pytest 2>&1 | tail -40
Would reformat: machine/config.py
Would reformat: machine/constants.py
Would reformat: machine/providers/digitalocean.py
Would reformat: machine/providers/gcp.py
Would reformat: machine/providers/vultr.py
Would reformat: machine/subcommands/destroy.py
6 files would be reformatted, 22 files already formatted
All checks passed!
============================= test session starts ==============================
platform linux -- Python 3.12.3, pytest-9.0.2, pluggy-1.6.0
rootdir: /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine
configfile: pyproject.toml
collected 48 items / 14 deselected / 34 selected

tests/test_cli_integration.py .............                              [ 38%]
tests/test_config.py .............                                       [ 76%]
tests/test_input_validation.py ........                                  [100%]

====================== 34 passed, 14 deselected in 2.68s =======================
Thinking

Lint check shows my new file plus 5 pre-existing files would be reformatted. Let me check whether lint CI runs format-check (and the format would actually change my file).

$ Bash
Check CI workflows for lint job
ls /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/.github/workflows/ && grep -l "lint\|ruff format" /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/.github/workflows/*.yml 2>/dev/null
build-release.yml
e2e-test.yml
lint.yml
test.yml
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/.github/workflows/lint.yml
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/.github/workflows/build-release.yml
$ Bash
See what format would change in gcp.py
uv run ruff format --diff machine/providers/gcp.py 2>&1 | head -40
--- machine/providers/gcp.py
+++ machine/providers/gcp.py
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@
 
     def _get_project_ssh_keys_raw(self):
         meta = self._get_project_metadata()
-        for item in (meta.items or []):
+        for item in meta.items or []:
             if item.key == _SSH_KEYS_METADATA_KEY:
                 return item.value or ""
         return ""

1 file would be reformatted
Read
{
  "file_path": "/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/.github/workflows/lint.yml"
}
1	name: Lint
2	
3	on:
4	  push:
5	    branches:
6	      - main
7	  pull_request:
8	    branches:
9	      - main
10	
11	jobs:
12	  lint:
13	    name: "Run Lint Checks"
14	    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
15	    steps:
16	      - name: "Clone project repository"
17	        uses: actions/checkout@v6
18	      - name: "Install uv"
19	        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v7
20	      - name: "Install Python"
21	        run: uv python install 3.13
22	      - name: "Run lint checks"
23	        run: ./sh/lint.sh
24	
Thinking

CI runs format-check, so I need to fix my file. I'll apply formatting only to my new file (not the 5 pre-existing files which are not my concern).

$ Bash
Format gcp.py
uv run ruff format machine/providers/gcp.py 2>&1
1 file reformatted
[This command modified 1 file you've previously read: machine/providers/gcp.py. Call Read before editing.]
Thinking

Removing the unused helper and trimming the comment block, then re-running lint and tests.

✏️ Edit gcp.py
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py
# GCE metadata key holding our serialized list of machine tags.
# Tags are joined with newlines on write and split back on read so that the
# colon-bearing strings used elsewhere (e.g. "machine:created") round-trip.
_TAGS_METADATA_KEY = "machine-tags"
+
# Tags are stored as newline-separated values in instance metadata so that
# colon-bearing tag strings (e.g. "machine:created") round-trip unchanged.
_TAGS_METADATA_KEY = "machine-tags"
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py has been updated successfully.
✏️ Edit gcp.py
/home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py
def _format_ssh_key_entry(name, public_key):
    return f"{name}:{public_key.strip()}"


class GcpProvider(CloudProvider):
+
class GcpProvider(CloudProvider):
The file /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine/machine/providers/gcp.py has been updated successfully.
$ Bash
Check format and lint for new files
uv run ruff format --check machine/providers/gcp.py && uv run ruff check machine/providers/gcp.py machine/providers/__init__.py 2>&1
1 file already formatted
All checks passed!
$ Bash
Re-run tests
uv run pytest 2>&1 | tail -10
$ Bash
Smoke test provider registration and construction
uv run python -c "
from machine.providers import KNOWN_PROVIDERS, create_provider
print('Known providers:', KNOWN_PROVIDERS)
# Smoke test: import GcpProvider and verify constructor errors cleanly without project-id
from machine.providers.gcp import GcpProvider
try:
    GcpProvider({})
except SystemExit as e:
    print('Empty config rejected as expected, exit:', e.code)
" 2>&1
platform linux -- Python 3.12.3, pytest-9.0.2, pluggy-1.6.0
rootdir: /home/david/projects/stirlingbridge/machine
configfile: pyproject.toml
collected 48 items / 14 deselected / 34 selected

tests/test_cli_integration.py .............                              [ 38%]
tests/test_config.py .............                                       [ 76%]
tests/test_input_validation.py ........                                  [100%]

====================== 34 passed, 14 deselected in 2.55s =======================
Required key 'project-id' not found in 'gcp' section of config file
Known providers: ['digital-ocean', 'vultr', 'gcp']
Empty config rejected as expected, exit: 1
TaskUpdate
{
  "taskId": "4",
  "status": "completed"
}
Updated task #4 status

All green: lint passes on the new files, all 34 tests pass, registration verified.

What changed

  • pyproject.toml — added google-cloud-compute>=1.19.0 and google-cloud-dns>=0.35.0
  • machine/providers/gcp.py (new) — GcpProvider implementing CloudProvider
  • machine/providers/__init__.py — registered gcp in KNOWN_PROVIDERS and create_provider
  • README.md — added GCP config section and noted the deviations

Design choices worth flagging

  • region interpreted as a GCE zone as you suggested. Validation only checks for a hyphen so any zone-shaped string is accepted.
  • VM ids are <zone>/<name>, since destroy/get only receive an opaque id and need the zone. The id is round-tripped from list output, matching how the existing CLI uses ids.
  • Tags stored verbatim in instance metadata under key machine-tags (newline-joined). This avoids fighting GCP's labels-vs-tags constraints and keeps is_machine_created/is_same_session working unchanged. list_vms(tag=...) filters client-side.
  • SSH keys read-only — the provider parses the project's ssh-keys metadata and looks up the entry whose username matches the ssh-key config value. The user has to add the key to project metadata themselves (via console or gcloud). Documented in the README.
  • Auth: credentials-file path or Application Default Credentials. No token-in-config, since GCP doesn't really work that way.
  • list_projects/assign_to_project left as the base-class no-ops — gracefully ignored.

Two follow-ups worth considering when you're ready: 1. The region field naming is now misleading for GCP. Renaming to region-zone (or zone) across all providers would be a wider refactor — happy to do it as a separate change if you want. 2. No e2e tests for GCP yet; tests/test_e2e.py is DigitalOcean-only.

Thanks. I will do some manual testing to see how it works. I'm a little sketchy on what kind of API token I need to get from GCP. Can you advise?

Thinking

Short answer: GCP doesn't have a single "API token" the way DO and Vultr do. You have two practical options for this tool — pick one.

Option A — Service account JSON key (recommended for scripted use)

  1. Console → IAM & Admin → Service AccountsCreate service account. Give it a name like machine-cli.
  2. Grant it these predefined roles on the project:
  3. Compute Instance Admin (v1)roles/compute.instanceAdmin.v1
  4. DNS Administratorroles/dns.admin (only if you'll use the dns-zone feature)
  5. Service Account Userroles/iam.serviceAccountUser (usually only needed if your VMs run as a service account themselves; safe to add)
  6. On the new service account, KeysAdd keyCreate new keyJSON. A .json file downloads.
  7. Stash it somewhere safe (e.g. ~/.config/gcloud/machine-cli.json, chmod 600) and point the config at it: yaml gcp: project-id: my-gcp-project credentials-file: ~/.config/gcloud/machine-cli.json ...

Option B — Application Default Credentials (simplest for local poking)

If you have gcloud installed, just run once:

gcloud auth application-default login

Then leave credentials-file out of the config entirely. The provider will pick up your user credentials. Convenient, but tied to your Google identity — not great for CI or shared use.

Two more one-time setup items (easy to forget)

These are per-project, not per-credential — APIs are off by default: - Enable Compute Engine API: gcloud services enable compute.googleapis.com --project=<project-id> (or via Console → APIs & Services → Library) - Enable Cloud DNS API: gcloud services enable dns.googleapis.com --project=<project-id> (only needed if you'll use DNS)

Permissions sanity check

Once configured, machine check will exercise the APIs (auth, SSH key read, DNS list, etc.) and tell you exactly which permission is missing if anything's off — that's the fastest way to validate the credential before trying a real create.

A note on SSH keys

GCP doesn't store named SSH keys as a separate registry. Before machine create will work, the project metadata needs an entry like:

alice:ssh-rsa AAAAB3Nza... alice@laptop

Easiest way to add it: Console → Compute Engine → MetadataSSH Keys → Add. Or:

gcloud compute project-info add-metadata --metadata-from-file ssh-keys=keys.txt

Then set ssh-key: alice in your config.

Thanks, that helped. Also, do you know where in the web console for GCP I should look to find DNS zone hosting?

Thinking

In the Console, it's under Network Services → Cloud DNS. Direct paths:

  • Top nav search bar: type "Cloud DNS" — fastest.
  • Hamburger menu (☰): Network ServicesCloud DNS.
  • Direct URL: https://console.cloud.google.com/net-services/dns/zones?project=<your-project-id>

What you'll do there

  1. Enable the Cloud DNS API if it prompts you (one-time per project).
  2. Create Zone → choose Public zone type → give it a Zone name (an internal identifier, e.g. example-com) and the DNS name (the actual domain, e.g. example.com.).
  3. After creation, GCP shows you 4 nameservers (something like ns-cloud-a1.googledomains.com. etc.). You must set these as the NS records at your domain registrar — otherwise the zone exists in GCP but the world doesn't know to ask Google for your domain's records.
  4. The dns-zone value in your machine config is the DNS name (e.g. example.com), not the zone identifier.

Heads up on costs

Unlike VMs, Cloud DNS has a small ongoing cost (~$0.20/month per zone plus per-query charges) — trivial for normal use, but it's a paid service from minute one rather than a free tier. Worth knowing if you create test zones and forget them.

Verifying it works

Once the zone exists and the NS records are set at the registrar:

machine domains       # should list the zone
machine list-domain   # should list any records you've added
machine check         # confirms the configured zone is found

Ah ok. I didn't have that menu item. That seems to be because my project didn't have billing set up properly.

Thinking

Yep, that tracks — Cloud DNS is billing-gated from the first request (no free tier), so until a billing account is linked to the project, the service is effectively hidden. Compute Engine is more forgiving because of its free-tier allowances, which is why VMs probably worked for you while DNS didn't appear.

Once billing is attached, the menu item should show up immediately (no project restart needed). If machine check still complains about DNS after that, the most likely culprit is the API itself not being enabled — gcloud services enable dns.googleapis.com --project=<id> will sort it.