volcengine-cli
Create and manage Volcengine cloud resources using the Volcengine CLI (`ve` command). Supports all Volcengine services including ECS, VPC, CLB, RDS, Redis, and more. Trigger this skill whenever the user asks to create, query, modify, or delete cloud resources on Volcengine, mentions the `ve` command, says "volcengine CLI", or describes infrastructure tasks such as "create an ECS instance", "set up a VPC", "list security groups", "allocate an EIP". Also trigger on Chinese prompts mentioning "火山引擎" or "火山" (e.g., "火山引擎上有哪些 ECS"、"查一下我火山的云服务器"、 "火山引擎创建一个 VPC"、"火山的 Redis 实例列一下"). Also trigger when the user encounters errors from `ve` commands and needs troubleshooting help. Also use for TOS bucket/object operations, tosutil (sometimes written tosutils), Ark CLI / arkcli model discovery, inference, generation, endpoints, fine-tuning, plans, or usage, and TLS (日志服务) / volclog log search, analysis, ingest, export, or LogCollector collection, through `ve tosutil`, `ve arkcli` and `ve volclog`.
How do I install this agent skill?
npx skills add https://github.com/volcengine/volcengine-skills --skill volcengine-cliIs this agent skill safe to install?
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The volcengine-cli skill provides a comprehensive interface for managing cloud resources via the Volcengine CLI. It includes robust scripts for CLI installation, authentication handling, and extended API support. All external downloads and remote code execution patterns target official vendor resources, and the skill's activities align with its stated purpose of infrastructure management.
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Risk: HIGH · 1 issue
What does this agent skill do?
Volcengine CLI Skill
Use ve as the unified entry point for Volcengine OpenAPIs, TOS object operations, Ark product workflows, and TLS log service workflows.
Agent caller metadata (mandatory)
Every ve process launched by an Agent must receive these environment variables, including
help/version checks, authentication, API calls, retries, polling, and ve tosutil / ve arkcli / ve volclog:
| Variable | Required value |
|---|---|
VE_CALLER_TYPE | Always ai_agent. |
VE_CALLER_NAME | Resolve the actual Agent host identifier from the current runtime environment. This identifies the Agent application, not a model, account, user, or session. |
VE_SKILL_NAME | Resolve the name in the active Volcengine skill's frontmatter for the workflow executing this command. Use that actual volcengine-* name. |
Set these values yourself; they are runtime attribution, not credentials or a user setup step.
Only VE_CALLER_TYPE=ai_agent is fixed. Resolve both the current host and active skill before each
execution; neither has a hardcoded default. For example, codex is valid only when the current
Agent is Codex, and volcengine-cli only when that skill owns the current operation. Resolve the
values again when the Agent environment or active skill changes. Shared helpers and upstream
product CLIs inherit the actual calling Volcengine skill's identity; their executable names or
installation directories do not determine it.
Supply all three through the tool's process environment or command-local assignments on every
execution. A new tool call may start a fresh shell, so an earlier export is not sufficient.
For a multi-command shell block, export all three at the beginning of that block and update the
skill name before switching workflows. Put assignments before the executable; these are not CLI
flags, API parameters, or fields to add to a request body.
For pipelines and $(...), set the variables on the ve process itself or export them in that
same shell before running the pipeline or expanding the command substitution.
Command shape — the Agent must replace both placeholders with values resolved from the actual runtime environment and active skill before execution:
VE_CALLER_TYPE=ai_agent \
VE_CALLER_NAME="<agent-id>" \
VE_SKILL_NAME="<current-volcengine-skill>" \
ve ecs DescribeInstances --output json
Apply the same environment to any script that launches ve, including install_ve.sh,
ve_login_remote.sh, audit_extend_apis.py, and call_extend_api.py. Their child processes inherit
it, including detached login processes; later helper invocations need it again. When running a
downloaded installer through a pipe, attach the environment to the shell running the installer,
not only to the download command. Preserve required authentication/configuration settings and
child CLI arguments; follow the Ark delegation rule below for caller metadata.
Command examples elsewhere in this skill and its references show the command syntax; this environment requirement applies to every execution of those examples as well.
Ark delegation: one set of caller variables
For ve arkcli ..., supply the three VE_* caller variables above. ve converts them into
the Ark CLI environment, so the Agent must not also add ARKCLI_CALLER_TYPE,
ARKCLI_CALLER_NAME, or ARKCLI_SKILL_NAME. Do not copy ARKCLI_NO_UPDATE_NOTIFIER=1 from
standalone Ark examples into the command prefix either; let ve manage the delegated process.
This applies to Ark authentication, model operations, help, and version commands.
VE_CALLER_TYPE=ai_agent \
VE_CALLER_NAME="<agent-id>" \
VE_SKILL_NAME="<current-volcengine-skill>" \
ve arkcli auth status
Resolve the placeholders from the actual Agent environment and active Volcengine skill. When
reusing a process environment from a standalone Ark invocation, omit the four wrapper-managed
variables named above from this invocation. Preserve other product settings and credentials.
Standalone arkcli ... calls continue to follow the upstream Ark skill's environment rules.
Product CLI routing
Version requirement: The §0 minimum version (ve >= 1.1.11)
also gates delegation to another CLI, including ve tosutil, ve arkcli and ve volclog. Verify
it before delegation. The presence of a proxy command in --help alone does not satisfy this
requirement.
When ve is available, prefer ve tosutil, ve arkcli and ve volclog, even when a
standalone tosutil, arkcli or volclog is also installed. The TOS command is spelled tosutil; toscli is a
compatibility alias. The existing TOS skill is named volcengine-tosutil (not volcengine-tosutils).
| Task | Entry point | Read before use |
|---|---|---|
| General cloud resource OpenAPIs | ve <service> <Action> | Native API workflow in §§1–5 |
| TOS buckets, objects and transfers | ve tosutil <command> | Use volcengine-find-skills to find volcengine-tosutil, install it if missing, and read its instructions |
| Ark models, inference, generation, Endpoints, fine-tuning, plans and usage | ve arkcli <command> | Download and read the relevant official Ark skills as below |
| TLS (日志服务) log search, analysis, ingest, export, Project/Topic and LogCollector collection | ve volclog <command> | Use volcengine-find-skills to find volcengine-tls (or volcengine-tls-logcollector for collection), install it if missing, and read its instructions |
For TOS, follow the finder's list → select exact volcengine-tosutil → install if missing →
verify installation flow. Load the installed skill and the references it selects before executing.
Use its native tosutil command examples, replacing tosutil ... with ve tosutil ....
For TLS, follow the same finder flow with exact volcengine-tls, or volcengine-tls-logcollector
for LogCollector collection. Those skills write native volclog ... examples; run them as
ve volclog .... ve has no native tls OpenAPI command: if ve volclog reports an unknown
service or suggests --force, the ve build is older than the version requirement above, so
upgrade ve instead of adding --force.
For Ark, select the task skill from the official repository above and install it with
arkcli-shared and the dependencies its instructions require. These upstream arkcli-* names
are not entries in the local Volcengine finder catalog; install from the Ark repository directly.
For example, model discovery on Codex:
npx --yes skills add https://github.com/volcengine/ark-cli \
--skill arkcli-shared arkcli-auth arkcli-models --agent codex --yes --copy --full-depth
npx --yes skills list --agent codex --json
Use the actual host's --agent and task skill names. Installation is project-scoped by default;
add --global to both commands only for an intended user-level install. Verify the names and
read the installed arkcli-shared/SKILL.md, the task skill, and its selected references before
execution. If the host cannot load newly installed skills, start a new conversation carrying
the original task and completed context, as the finder instructs. Keep product instructions in
those skills; this skill only routes to them.
arkcli, tosutil and volclog are transparent delegated CLIs: replace only the executable prefix in
their examples, keeping all later arguments unchanged. They retain their own authentication,
profile, parameters, output, and exit codes. Native API rules such as --output, --query,
--force, --detail, PascalCase parameters and --DryRun do not carry over.
- Put supported child flags after the child command.
ve --profile <name> arkcli ...is invalid;ve arkcli ... --profile <name>selects an Ark profile, not aveprofile. - Follow the product skill's authentication, flags, and output handling. Change
tosutil .../arkcli .../volclog ...intove tosutil .../ve arkcli .../ve volclog ...while keeping all child arguments unchanged. Forve arkcli, use only theVE_*caller metadata as described in Ark delegation; do not copy the standalone Ark caller/notifier prefix. Keep any required product environment assignments beforeve. - A working
ve sts GetCallerIdentitydoes not prove either child is authenticated. Follow the selected product skill. Help, version, and local preview tasks do not require native API login. vemay refresh its current Console Login session before delegation; that does not translate allvecredentials or profile settings into child configuration. A refresh warning alone does not establish that the child command failed.
Product CLI installation and upgrade
ve resolves the child from PATH, then its managed directory, and installs a missing child
on first use from the official CDN with checksum verification. A separate product installation
is not a prerequisite. Check only the child needed for the task:
ve tosutil version
ve tosutil help
ve arkcli --version
ve arkcli --help
ve volclog --version
ve volclog --help
Upgrade a managed child with ve proxycli upgrade tosutil, ve proxycli upgrade arkcli or
ve proxycli upgrade tls-cli. Management commands take the product ID (tls-cli for TLS),
while invocation uses the native command name (ve volclog).
These commands leave external installations on PATH to their original package manager;
upgrading ve alone does not upgrade them. If a child command is missing from ve --help,
upgrade ve first. Product flags and available capabilities follow the resolved child's help.
0. Install or upgrade the ve CLI
Always run the latest release. This skill assumes the current ve: device-code ve login, --output/--query, --force, --detail, and double-dash system flags. There is no support path for older builds — upgrade instead.
Minimum version (mandatory): Before the first other ve command in a task — native OpenAPI calls, login, or product CLI delegation — run ve version and require ve >= 1.1.11 (stable releases 1.1.11 or newer). If ve is missing, older than 1.1.11, or its version cannot be verified, install or upgrade with one of the options below and run ve version again before continuing. If npm still installs an older version, the configured npm mirror may lag behind; use the CDN installer or GitHub Releases instead.
Option 1: npm (preferred)
npm i -g @volcengine/cli
Option 2: CDN installer (no Node.js, or npm unreachable)
curl -fsSL https://cloudcache.volccdn.com/ve/install.sh | sh
# or
wget -qO- https://cloudcache.volccdn.com/ve/install.sh | sh
The same script ships as scripts/install_ve.sh. It reads the latest version from the CDN, downloads the archive for the host's OS/CPU, verifies it against the published SHA256SUMS, installs to /usr/local/bin when writable (else ~/.local/bin, never sudo), removes the macOS quarantine flag, and runs ve skills update. --version <ver>, --install-dir <dir>, --dry-run and the VE_VERSION / VE_INSTALL_DIR / VOLCENGINE_CLI_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL / VOLCENGINE_CLI_SKIP_SKILLS variables are documented in its header. Windows: use npm or the release page.
Option 3: GitHub Releases — https://github.com/volcengine/volcengine-cli/releases
Native OpenAPI capability checks: ve login --help must list --no-browser, and ve ecs DescribeInstances --help must list --output under System Flags. If either is missing, upgrade with npm i -g @volcengine/cli@latest or rerun the CDN installer, then continue. These checks do not replace the minimum version requirement above.
1. Native OpenAPI initialization (for API calls)
This section applies to ve <service> <Action> and extension helpers. For delegated product
commands, first follow Product CLI routing and the selected product skill.
CLI system flags
Every ve <service> <Action> call accepts these after the Action, all with two hyphens:
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|---|
--profile <name> | Use a configured profile for this call only |
--region <region> | Override the region for this call only |
--endpoint <host> | Override the endpoint for this call only |
--lang EN|ZH | Display language for this call |
--version <YYYY-MM-DD> | API version; metadata default when omitted (required with --force) |
--method GET|POST | HTTP method; metadata default, else GET |
--force | Skip metadata validation (§3); presence-only, never --force true |
--output <fmt> / --query <jmespath> | Response formatting and projection (§4) |
--header Name=Value, --body '{...}' | Custom header / raw JSON body |
API parameters are PascalCase (--Region, --InstanceIds.1), system flags are lowercase (--region), so they do not normally collide. Only when an API parameter is spelled exactly like a system flag in lowercase (an API with its own --query or --lang field), write the system flag with three hyphens (---query) and leave the API parameter with two. Do not use three-hyphen flags anywhere else.
CLI management commands (ve configure ..., ve login, ve sso login) and the helper scripts take their own two-hyphen flags as shown by --help.
Profile Selection (fixed for the conversation)
ve can use different credentials through profiles, but the agent must not choose a profile by itself.
- If the user did not explicitly select a profile, use the CLI default resolution: run
ve sts GetCallerIdentitydirectly. Do not list all profiles first and choose one yourself. - If the user explicitly selected a profile, keep using that same profile for all later commands in this conversation:
ve ecs DescribeInstances --profile prod,python3 scripts/call_extend_api.py --profile prod .... - Do not infer the desired profile from profile name, region, list order, recent availability, success rate, or task content.
- If the default identity does not match the task risk, or a profile choice is required, tell the user the current default identity, list candidate profile names only, and wait for the user to choose.
- Once a profile is fixed for this conversation, do not switch to another profile unless the user explicitly asks to switch.
Run the identity verification command to confirm that credentials are usable:
ve sts GetCallerIdentity
Success — inform the user of the current account identity and region, then proceed with the task.
Switching regions later:
--regionon a service API call does override the region for that single call (the responseRegionchanges accordingly), andVOLCENGINE_REGIONsets the default when the profile has none. What does not change is the profile's bound login session/account — a region override only redirects where the request goes, not who you are. Do not switch regions or profiles on your own initiative: only pass--regionor switch profiles (ve configure profile --profile <name>) when the user explicitly asks. Useve configure listonly to show candidate profile names; after listing, do not choose a profile yourself. This is separate from the--regionflag onve loginitself, which is required (see below).
Failure — no usable profile. Default plan: use ve login (Console Login). Announce this to the user up front, and tell them they can say "use AK/SK", "use STS token", or "use SSO" to switch.
The same plan applies when a previously working session expires mid-task: any ve command failing with failed to refresh session token. Please run 've login' to re-authenticate (or similar refresh-token/session-expired text) is this exact failure, no matter which skill issued the command. The error text tells the human to run ve login — do not relay that instruction to the user or ask them to run ve login in their own terminal; run the Console Login procedure below yourself and only hand the user the sign-in link. Re-login must target the profile that was in use: if a profile was fixed earlier in the conversation, pass it to start so both the login and its verification hit that profile — omitting it refreshes default, leaves the fixed profile broken, and pollutes the default account context.
Default: Console Login via scripts/ve_login_remote.sh
NEVER call ve login directly. ALWAYS use scripts/ve_login_remote.sh. ve login is a device-code flow: ve prints a verification URL and user code, then polls until the user approves in a browser on any device. The device code lives only in that ve process, so the helper detaches it (setsid) to survive tool-call boundaries, records the URL/code, answers ve's prompts, and verifies the result. Calling ve login yourself orphans the process and kills the link.
Before the first start of a conversation, read references/console-login.md completely — it holds the step-by-step procedure, every exit code, the start-wait variant, tuning, and the full list of things that break the flow. The shape is:
scripts/ve_login_remote.sh start <region> [profile] # prints URL= CODE= LINK= EXPIRES_IN= NEXT=
scripts/ve_login_remote.sh url # same block, never blocks (11 = not yet, 3 = process gone)
# hand the user LINK (fallback: URL + CODE), end the turn, wait for "done"
scripts/ve_login_remote.sh verify [profile] # 0 ok · 11 still pending · 13 logged in but API unreachable · 10 start over
scripts/ve_login_remote.sh abort # on user interrupt / expired code, then start again
Region: the one the user named, else VOLCENGINE_REGION, else cn-beijing. Pass [profile] only when the user fixed one earlier, and pass the same value to start and verify.
Invariants that must hold even without reading the reference:
- Announce the plan and the off-ramp ("say 'use AK/SK' to switch"), then start — do not present a menu of login methods.
- A hung or killed
startproves nothing: callurl/statusbefore concluding anything; never retrystart,abort, or switch tonohupbecause of it. - Nothing is pasted back by the user; there is no authorization code. Run
verifywhen they say they approved. verifyexit 13 means the login worked and the host cannot reachopen.volcengineapi.com— do not restart the login.- Use
LINKexactly as printed; never buildsignin.volcengine.comURLs or reuse one from an earlier process. startexit 4 =vemissing or too old for device-code login → install/upgrade (§0), then retry.
If ve login fails (network error, start exit 4, no browser on any device), or the user asks for another method, fall back to the alternatives below.
Alternative: AK/SK (long-term credentials, for CI/CD or scripting)
Ask the user for AccessKey and SecretKey, then:
ve configure set --profile default --region cn-beijing \
--endpoint open.volcengineapi.com \
--access-key <AK> --secret-key <SK>
For STS (temporary) credentials, also pass --session-token <TOKEN>.
Alternative for the current shell only: export VOLCENGINE_ACCESS_KEY, VOLCENGINE_SECRET_KEY, VOLCENGINE_REGION, optionally VOLCENGINE_SESSION_TOKEN.
Alternative: SSO / Cloud Identity Center (for enterprise federation)
Three-step setup; ask the user for the SSO start URL and session name first:
ve configure sso-session --name <session-name> \
--start-url https://<sso-host>/userportal \
--region cn-beijing \
--registration-scopes cloudidentity:account:access,offline_access
ve configure sso --profile <profile-name> --sso-session <session-name>
ve configure profile --profile <profile-name>
Then ve sso login --sso-session <session-name> (use --no-browser on headless machines).
Credential safety
- Never read
~/.volcengine/config.json— it contains AK/SK and session tokens. - When running
ve configure setwith--secret-key, prefer letting the user paste and run the command in their own shell rather than executing it via Claude — secrets passed as command-line arguments end up in shell history and process listings. - Never echo AK/SK, secret keys, or session tokens back to the user in plain text.
2. Safety Rules (mandatory)
Read/Write Classification
| Level | Operation Types | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | Describe* / List* / Get* / Query* | Execute directly, no confirmation needed |
| Write | Create* / Run* / Allocate* / Attach* / Associate* / Authorize* | Show the full command and wait for user confirmation |
| Destructive | Delete* / Terminate* / Release* / Revoke* / Modify* / Stop* / Detach* | Show command + impact summary; require user confirmation |
Core Principles
- Default to read-only — unless the user explicitly requests a change, execute in read-only mode
- DryRun first — if a write/destructive operation supports
--DryRun true, run a DryRun to preview the plan, then confirm before executing - Confirm before executing — show the full command for write operations and wait for approval
- Protect credentials — never read
~/.volcengine/config.json; never expose access-key, secret-key, or session-token in output
DryRun Notes
A successful DryRun validation returns exit code 1 (non-zero) with DryRunOperation in stderr. This is expected behavior:
output=$(ve <svc> <action> --DryRun true ... 2>&1)
if echo "$output" | grep -q "DryRunOperation"; then
echo "Parameter validation passed"
fi
3. Locate APIs and Retrieve Parameters
Locate the API (find the service name + Action name)
Step 1: Service name + Action known? -> Use them directly; skip to "Retrieve parameters"
Step 2: Service name known, Action unknown?
-> ve <service> 2>&1 | grep -i <keyword>
Step 3: Service name also unknown?
-> ve 2>&1 | grep -i <service keyword>
Step 4: None of the above work?
-> python3 scripts/find_api.py <keyword> (returns Service, Action, Version)
Retrieve parameters (once the Action is known)
--help is concise (names, types, Required/Optional). --help --detail adds the full description, enum values, constraints and examples for every parameter — it is the CLI's own copy of the API documentation, so no external fetch is needed.
| Situation | Command |
|---|---|
| Read-only (Describe/List/Get) | ve <svc> <Action> --help — names alone are usually enough |
| Write/destructive (Create/Run/Delete…) | ve <svc> <Action> --help --detail — required fields, nested structures, examples |
Still unclear after --help | --help --detail; add --lang ZH for the Chinese text |
Errors like Invalid* / Missing* | Recheck names, required fields and ranges with --help --detail |
ve ecs DescribeInstances --help
ve ecs RunInstances --help --detail
ve ecs RunInstances -h --detail --lang ZH
The Parameter Form / --body sections of the same output tell you whether the action takes flat parameters or a JSON body (§4).
For API questions that go beyond one action's parameters (comparisons, error-code semantics, pagination behaviour, whether a batch variant exists), load the volcengine-api skill, which queries the API Explorer directly.
ve command name and API version relationship
- Default version -> ve command = base service name (e.g.,
iam) - Non-default version -> ve command =
service name + version without hyphens(e.g.,iamv2021-08-01 ->iam20210801) - When in doubt:
ve 2>&1 | grep <service>to confirm
Calling an API the CLI metadata does not list: --force
When ve answers unknown service "<svc>" or unknown action, but the API exists (the user provided it, find_api.py found its Service/Action/Version, or the docs describe it), call it with --force. --force skips the local metadata check, so you must supply what the metadata would have: the version, and — for a service the CLI does not know — the endpoint.
ve newservice DescribeNewResource \
--version 2024-01-01 \
--endpoint open.volcengineapi.com \
--SomeParam value \
--force
--versionis mandatory (--version is required when using --force);--endpointis mandatory for an unknown service unless the profile orVOLCENGINE_ENDPOINTalready sets one.--method POSTfor POST APIs (default GET);--body '{...}'for a JSON body (cannot be mixed with--Paramvalues);--regionwhen the service signs in a fixed region.--forceis a presence flag:--force, not--force true.- Parameters are unvalidated: take them from the user's material, the
volcengine-apiskill, or references/extend-apis.md — never guess them.find_api.pyonly locates Service/Action/Version; it does not return parameters, method, or endpoint. - The read/write/destructive rules in §2 apply exactly as for a listed action.
- Do not use
--forcefor TLS (日志服务);vehas notlsOpenAPI command, so route TLS tasks tove volclogthrough the Product CLI routing table instead.
references/extend-apis.md carries the service-code / version / endpoint / signing-region recipes for the extension services that were previously wrapped by a helper script (CDN, DCDN, domain, Flink, GA, IoT, Live, MCDN, Metrics, sec_agent, trademark, VEEN, VKE).
Extension helper (query + body in one request only)
ve --force cannot send URL query parameters and a request body in one POST. A handful of APIs (VMP Prometheus queries, Flink GWS) need exactly that; use the helper for those and nothing else:
python3 scripts/call_extend_api.py --list
python3 scripts/call_extend_api.py --api QueryMetrics --params '{"workspace":"<id>","query":"up"}'
After upgrading ve, run python3 scripts/audit_extend_apis.py — it lists which recipes/helper entries the new metadata now covers natively, so they can be dropped.
It also has a free mode (--service/--version/--query-keys) for unregistered APIs with the same shape. Credentials, options and the registered list are in references/extend-apis.md. Do not pass --profile unless the user has explicitly selected one for this conversation.
4. Execute API Calls
Basic Format
VE_CALLER_TYPE=ai_agent VE_CALLER_NAME=<agent-id> VE_SKILL_NAME=<current-volcengine-skill> \
ve <ServiceCode> <ActionName> --ParamName "value" [system flags]
System flags (--profile, --region, --endpoint, --output, --query, …) go after the Action, in any order relative to the parameters.
Parameter Passing Rules
Determine the format from --help output:
- Flat parameter format:
--helplists individual--Key typeentries (e.g., ECS, VPC, IAM) -> pass with--Key "value" - Array parameters: prefer the numbered CLI form shown by
--help, such as--InstanceIds.1 "$instance_id"or--SubnetIds.1 "$subnet_id". Do not assume JSON-array strings are accepted by every action. - JSON format:
--helponly shows--body '{...}'(e.g., Redis, CR, and other POST APIs) -> pass with--body '{...}'
# Flat parameters — nested fields use dot notation; arrays use .N index (starting from 1)
ve ecs RunInstances --ZoneId "cn-beijing-a"
ve ecs RunInstances --NetworkInterfaces.1.SubnetId "subnet-xxxx"
ve ecs RunInstances --Tags.1.Key "publish-by" --Tags.1.Value "deploy-skill"
# JSON format (when --help only shows --body)
ve redis CreateDBInstance --body '{"InstanceName":"demo","RegionId":"cn-beijing","ConfigureNodes":[{"AZ":"cn-beijing-a"}],"ShardedCluster":0,"NodeNumber":2,"ShardCapacity":1024,"ShardNumber":1,"EngineVersion":"6.0","SubnetId":"subnet-xxxx","VpcId":"vpc-xxxx","Password":"<secret>","Tags":[{"Key":"publish-by","Value":"deploy-skill"}]}'
Output format and querying
Every API call accepts --output and --query; they replace ad-hoc grep/jq over the JSON.
--output | Use |
|---|---|
json (default) | Full response; the form to parse programmatically |
table / table-num | Human-readable list; table-num adds a row-number column — good for showing the user a resource list |
text | Plain values, one per line — good for capturing a single field or ID list in a shell variable |
yaml | Human-readable nested detail |
off | Run the call but print nothing (skips response-dependent --query evaluation). Only for calls whose response you genuinely do not need — never for Create*/Run*/Allocate*, whose response is the only place the new resource ID appears |
--query takes a JMESPath expression evaluated on the full response before formatting, so paths start at Result. (or ResponseMetadata.):
# Single field
ve sts GetCallerIdentity --query 'Result.AccountId' --output text
# Project a list for the user
ve ecs DescribeInstances --query 'Result.Instances[].{Id:InstanceId,Name:InstanceName,Status:Status,Zone:ZoneId}' --output table
# Filter, then pick IDs into a shell variable
ids=$(ve ecs DescribeInstances --query "Result.Instances[?Status=='RUNNING'].InstanceId" --output text)
# Length / existence checks
ve vpc DescribeVpcs --query 'length(Result.Vpcs)' --output text
Rules of thumb:
- Keep
jsonwhen you (the agent) need to read the response; switch totable/yamlonly for what you show the user. - Do not
--querya write/destructive call into silence before you have seenResponseMetadata.Error; on failure the error object is still printed. --queryfilters what is printed, not what is requested — pagination (NextToken,PageNumber) is unchanged.
Response Format
// Success
{ "ResponseMetadata": { "RequestId": "..." }, "Result": { ... } }
// Failure
{ "ResponseMetadata": { "Error": { "Code": "...", "Message": "..." } } }
Error Handling
Whenever a native ve <service> <Action> command or extension helper fails, or a response contains ResponseMetadata.Error, read references/common-errors.md completely before diagnosing the error or responding to the user. Partial searches, matched lines, or excerpts do not satisfy this requirement. For ve tosutil / ve arkcli / ve volclog failures, follow the selected product skill and native child error format.
First classify the error as request-format, missing dependency, account state, service activation, real-name verification, purchase qualification, or permission related. For product-specific errors, also read the matching service note below. For permission errors (AccessDenied, NoPermission, RoleNotExist, Forbidden, or STS-related failures), activate the volcengine-troubleshooting skill and use its account-permission diagnosis capability to locate the root cause and guide the user through remediation.
For CLI anomalies or an incompletely solved task, follow the non-blocking feedback guidance in
volcengine-troubleshooting: continue the main task and reserve any optional invitation for a natural
summary. User-requested feedback belongs to volcengine-feedback; when unavailable, use the
feedback form
in the current conversation rather than installing a skill or restarting the task for feedback.
Async Resource Creation Requires Polling
Some resources (VKE clusters, RDS instances, ECS instances, etc.) take several minutes to create. After creation, poll the Describe endpoint until the resource reaches the desired status before proceeding.
Creating sub-resources (e.g., security groups) immediately after VPC creation may fail with
InvalidVpc.InvalidStatus. Create sub-resources sequentially (subnet first, then security group), or wait a few seconds and retry.
# General polling pattern: check every 30 s, give up after a deadline, stop on API failure
max_attempts=40 # 40 x 30 s = 20 min; size it to the resource type
for attempt in $(seq 1 "$max_attempts"); do
if ! cur_status=$(ve <svc> Describe<Resource> --<IdParam> "xxx" --query 'Result.<Path>.Status' --output text 2>&1); then
echo "describe failed: $cur_status"; break # classify with common-errors.md, do not keep looping
fi
echo "$(date +%H:%M:%S) $cur_status"
case "$cur_status" in
Running) break ;;
Error|Failed|Deleted) echo "resource entered $cur_status"; break ;;
esac
[ "$attempt" -eq "$max_attempts" ] && echo "timed out waiting for Running"
sleep 30
done
Result.<Path> and the terminal status names differ per product — take them from --help --detail and the service note, do not assume Running.
5. Native OpenAPI Execution Flow (Summary)
1. Set caller metadata for this execution -> verify credentials -> GetCallerIdentity -> confirm region
2. Understand the task: is the user querying or making changes?
3. Locate the API: ve --help first -> find_api.py as fallback -> --force if the metadata lacks it
4. Retrieve parameters: --help, then --help --detail for write/destructive actions
5. Query dependent resources: use Describe*/List* (with --query to pick IDs) to obtain required IDs
6. Read operation -> execute directly and display results (--output table for lists)
Write operation -> show command -> DryRun (if supported) -> user confirmation -> execute
7. Parse the response and report results to the user
6. Service-Specific Notes
Consult or update the corresponding notes file when encountering service-specific issues:
- Common errors: references/common-errors.md
- Console Login procedure (
ve_login_remote.sh, exit codes, rules): references/console-login.md - Cloud Control API (cloudcontrol): references/cloudcontrol.md
- ECS: references/ecs.md
- VPC: references/vpc.md
- CR: references/cr.md
- ALB: references/alb.md
- CLB: references/clb.md
- VKE: references/vke.md
- veFaaS: references/vefaas.md
- RDS: references/rds.md
- Message Queue: references/mq.md
- Storage APIs: references/storage.md
- Observability: references/observability.md
- DNS/Edge: references/dns-edge.md
- IAM: references/iam.md
- KMS: references/kms.md
- Redis: references/redis.md
- NAT Gateway: references/natgateway.md
- EBS: references/ebs.md
- Extension APIs (
--forcerecipes + query/body helper): references/extend-apis.md
How can the creator link this skill?
Add the canonical catalog link to the repository README so users can inspect current installs and available audits. The publishing guide covers the complete discovery path.
<a href="https://skillzs.dev/skills/volcengine/volcengine-skills/volcengine-cli">View volcengine-cli on skillZs</a>