Volcengine CLI Skill

Create and manage Volcengine cloud resources by calling Volcengine OpenAPIs through the ve command.

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0. Install the ve CLI

If the ve command is not available on the system:

Option 1: npm (recommended)

npm i -g @volcengine/cli

Option 2: GitHub Releases Download: https://github.com/volcengine/volcengine-cli/releases

Verify the installation: ve --version

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1. Initialization (run at the start of every session)

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: the --region flag and the VOLCENGINE_REGION environment variable do not override the region in the config file. Switch regions via ve configure profile --profile <name>. Use ve configure list to view available profiles.

Failure -> credentials are not configured or invalid. Guide the user through one of the following:

Option 1: Environment variables (recommended for temporary use)

export VOLCENGINE_ACCESS_KEY="<YOUR_AK>"
export VOLCENGINE_SECRET_KEY="<YOUR_SK>"
export VOLCENGINE_REGION="cn-beijing"

Option 2: Config file (persistent)

If ~/.volcengine/config.json does not exist, create an empty template for the user to fill in:

mkdir -p ~/.volcengine
cat > ~/.volcengine/config.json << 'EOF'
{
  "current": "default",
  "profiles": {
    "default": {
      "name": "default",
      "mode": "ak",
      "access-key": "<YOUR_AK>",
      "secret-key": "<YOUR_SK>",
      "region": "cn-beijing",
      "endpoint": "",
      "session-token": "",
      "disable-ssl": false
    }
  },
  "enableColor": false
}
EOF

Never read ~/.volcengine/config.json — the file contains sensitive credentials. Only create an empty template; never read an existing config.

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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

1. Default to read-only — unless the user explicitly requests a change, execute in read-only mode
2. DryRun first — if a write/destructive operation supports --DryRun true, run a DryRun to preview the plan, then confirm before executing
3. Confirm before executing — show the full command for write operations and wait for approval
4. 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

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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>

Retrieve parameters (once the Action is known)

Choose a strategy based on operation type:

Operation Type	Strategy	Rationale
Read-only (Describe/List/Get)	ve <svc> <action> --help	Few, simple parameters — names alone are sufficient
Write/destructive (Create/Run/Delete, etc.)	scripts/fetch_swagger.py for full docs	Many parameters, nested structures — need required fields, examples, and descriptions
Still unclear after --help	Supplement with scripts/fetch_swagger.py	Use whenever parameter meaning is uncertain
Errors like Invalid* / Missing*	Recheck with scripts/fetch_swagger.py	On InvalidParameter, InvalidXxx.NotFound, or MissingParameter, verify parameter names, required fields, and value ranges

# Read-only — --help is sufficient
ve ecs DescribeInstances --help

# Write — retrieve full documentation
python3 scripts/fetch_swagger.py --service ecs --action RunInstances

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., iam v2021-08-01 -> iam20210801)
• When in doubt: ve 2>&1 | grep <service> to confirm

Python helper usage

# Search for an API (when the service name is unknown)
python3 scripts/find_api.py <keyword> [--limit N]

# Get full API parameter documentation (when descriptions/examples are needed)
python3 scripts/fetch_swagger.py --service <ServiceCode> --action <ActionName>

# List all APIs for a service
python3 scripts/fetch_swagger.py --service <ServiceCode> --list

Always pass the base service name to scripts/fetch_swagger.py (e.g., --service iam, not iam20210801) — the script auto-detects the version.

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4. Execute API Calls

Basic Format

ve <ServiceCode> <ActionName> --ParamName "value"

Parameter Passing Rules

Determine the format from --help output:

• Flat parameter format: --help lists individual --Key type entries (e.g., ECS, VPC, IAM) -> pass with --Key "value"
• JSON format: --help only 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 --Placement.ZoneId "cn-beijing-a"
ve ecs RunInstances --NetworkInterfaces.1.SubnetId "subnet-xxxx"
ve ecs RunInstances --Tags.1.Key "env" --Tags.2.Key "app"

# JSON format (when --help only shows --body)
ve redis CreateDBInstance --body '{"InstanceName":"demo", "RegionId":"cn-beijing", ...}'

Response Format

// Success
{ "ResponseMetadata": { "RequestId": "..." }, "Result": { ... } }

// Failure
{ "ResponseMetadata": { "Error": { "Code": "...", "Message": "..." } } }

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 seconds until the target status is reached
while true; do
  cur_status=$(ve <svc> Describe<Resource> --<IdParam> "xxx" 2>&1 | grep -o '"Status":"[^"]*"')
  echo "$(date +%H:%M:%S) $cur_status"
  echo "$cur_status" | grep -q '"Status":"Running"' && break
  sleep 30
done

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5. End-to-End Execution Flow (Summary)

1. Initialize: verify credentials -> GetCallerIdentity -> confirm region
2. Understand the task: is the user querying or making changes?
3. Locate the API: ve --help first -> Python helpers as fallback
4. Query dependent resources: use Describe*/List* to obtain required IDs
5. Read operation -> execute directly and display results
   Write operation -> show command -> DryRun (if supported) -> user confirmation -> execute
6. Parse the response and report results to the user

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6. Service-Specific Notes

Consult or update the corresponding notes file when encountering service-specific issues:

• ECS: notes/ecs.md
• IAM: notes/iam.md
• Redis: notes/redis.md