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Google Cloud Technology Research Guide

Guide Origin: Official | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

/arckit.gcp-research researches Google Cloud services, architecture patterns, and implementation guidance using the Google Developer Knowledge MCP server for authoritative documentation.

Agent Architecture: This command runs as an autonomous agent via the Task tool. The agent makes 15-30+ MCP calls to gather Google Cloud documentation in its own context window, keeping the main conversation clean. The slash command is a thin wrapper that delegates to the agent.

Prerequisites

Google Developer Knowledge MCP Server (REQUIRED)

This command requires the Google Developer Knowledge MCP server to be installed. It will not work without it.

API Key Required: Unlike AWS Knowledge and Microsoft Learn MCPs (which are free/unauthenticated), the Google Developer Knowledge MCP requires an API key. Get one from Google AI Studio or the Google Cloud Console.

Installation:

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or project .mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "google-developer-knowledge": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-Goog-Api-Key": "${GOOGLE_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Set the environment variable:

export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

After installation, restart Claude Code to load the MCP server.

Project Prerequisites

  • Requirements document (ARC-*-REQ-*.md) - MANDATORY
  • Data model (ARC-*-DATA-*.md) - Recommended for database selection
  • Stakeholders (ARC-*-STKE-*.md) - Recommended for priorities

Scenario Matrix

Scenario Prompt seed Focus
Service selection "Research Google Cloud services for " Maps requirements to Google Cloud services
Architecture pattern "Research Google Cloud architecture pattern for " Reference architectures from Architecture Center
UK Government "Research Google Cloud for UK Government " G-Cloud, europe-west2, NCSC compliance
AI/ML workloads "Research Google Cloud AI services for " Vertex AI, Gemini API
Migration "Research Google Cloud migration options for " Migrate to GCP, modernization paths
Security assessment "Research Security Command Center for " SCC mapping, Architecture Framework security
Data analytics "Research Google Cloud data platform for " BigQuery, Dataflow, Pub/Sub

Add constraints (budget, classification, region) in the prompt for tailored results.

Command

/arckit.gcp-research Research Google Cloud services for <project>

Outputs: projects/<id>/research/ARC-<id>-GCRS-v1.0.md

Auto-versioning: Re-running this command when a document already exists automatically increments the version (minor for refreshed content, major for changed scope) instead of overwriting.

MCP Tools Used

The command uses three Google Developer Knowledge MCP tools:

Tool Purpose
search_documents Search Google Cloud documentation for services, patterns, best practices
get_document Retrieve complete documentation pages for detailed analysis
batch_get_documents Fetch multiple related documentation pages in a single call

Output Highlights

  • Google Cloud Service Recommendations: Mapped to specific requirements (FR, NFR, INT, DR)
  • Architecture Pattern: Reference architecture from Google Cloud Architecture Center
  • Architecture Framework Assessment: All 6 pillars evaluated per service
  • Security Command Center: Finding categories and CIS Benchmark for GCP
  • UK Government Compliance: G-Cloud, europe-west2 region, NCSC principles
  • Cost Estimates: Monthly and 3-year TCO with optimization recommendations
  • Implementation Guidance: Terraform templates, Cloud Build pipelines

UK Government Features

When UK Government project detected:

Area Coverage
G-Cloud Framework reference, service IDs, procurement steps
Data Residency europe-west2 (London) availability, cross-region replication
Classification OFFICIAL, OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE suitability
NCSC 14 Cloud Security Principles alignment
Note No Google Cloud Government UK (US-only) — not suitable for SECRET

Follow-on Actions

  • Feed Google Cloud findings into /arckit.diagram for GCP architecture diagrams
  • Run /arckit.secure to validate against UK Secure by Design
  • Run /arckit.devops to plan Cloud Build CI/CD pipelines
  • Run /arckit.finops to create Google Cloud FinOps cost management strategy
  • Run /arckit.adr to document Google Cloud service selection decisions

Comparison with /arckit.research

Feature /arckit.research /arckit.gcp-research
Scope Multi-cloud, SaaS, open-source Google Cloud-specific only
Source Web search, multiple sources Google Developer Knowledge MCP (authoritative)
Depth Build vs buy analysis Deep Google Cloud service analysis
Compliance General UK Gov Google Cloud-specific UK compliance
Code samples Limited Terraform, Cloud Build
Cost estimates High-level Detailed Google Cloud pricing

When to use which:

  • Use /arckit.research for cloud-agnostic evaluation or build vs buy
  • Use /arckit.gcp-research when Google Cloud is the target platform

Resources