firebase-basics Skill for Claude: Set Up the Firebase CLI and a Project

firebase-basics, from Google's Firebase team, gets your agent set up for Firebase: CLI, login, project choice and app config files.

Installs: 179.4K; on skills.sh
Stars: 497; on GitHub
Files: 19; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

firebase-basics is the base skill of Google's Firebase set. It checks that the Firebase CLI runs, that you are logged in, and that a project is active. If you give no project ID, it stops and asks whether to use an existing one or create a new one.

It also tells the agent to prefix every CLI command with npx -y firebase-tools@latest, to fetch google-services.json and GoogleService-Info.plist with the CLI instead of sending you to the console, and to look things up through the Firebase MCP server before it falls back to web search. Use it only for login, project creation and switching, or config files. Hosting, Firestore, Auth, App Hosting, Data Connect, Crashlytics and Remote Config have their own skills.

If firebase-basics is the only Firebase skill installed, it walks the agent through setup guides for Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Android Studio, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot or other agents so the full set and the MCP server get installed.

Good for

Developers starting a new Firebase project from Claude Code
Mobile developers who need google-services.json or GoogleService-Info.plist fetched for them
Anyone installing the rest of the Firebase skills, which point back to this one

Install firebase-basics

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the firebase-basics skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

claude plugin marketplace add firebase/agent-skills
claude plugin install firebase@firebase

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js 20+, Google account.

The plugin route is the one the Firebase skills recommend for Claude Code. It installs all 13 skills in the repo and a Firebase MCP server, which .mcp.json starts with npx -y firebase-tools@15.32.1 mcp --dir . (version at review time). Restart Claude Code afterwards. The skills CLI route installs only the skills named. Every route needs Node.js 20 or newer, and the skills run the Firebase CLI through npx, so you also sign in to Firebase with a Google account. The README writes the marketplace as firebase/skills; the repository is firebase/agent-skills, the name the vendor Claude Code setup guide uses.

From the vendor's docs. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Provides foundational Firebase CLI setup, CLI installation, version checks (`firebase-tools@latest --version`), CLI login (including --no-localhost), project creation, project selection (`firebase use`), and app config file downloads (`google-services.json`, `GoogleService-Info.plist`). Use ONLY for CLI login, project creation/switching, or downloading app config files. Don't use for Firebase Hosting deploy, Firestore, Auth, App Hosting, Data Connect, Crashlytics, or Remote Config.

Key facts

Author: firebase (GitHub: firebase)
Repo: firebase/agent-skills
License: Apache-2.0 (LICENSE and README); the Claude plugin.json says MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 179,400 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars (whole repo): 497 as of 2026-11-02
Last repo commit: 2026-10-30
Files: 20 files including SKILL.md (19 reference guides), no scripts
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket warn, Snyk pass
Made by: Google LLC (SKILL.md metadata); the Claude plugin calls itself the official Claude plugin for Firebase
Category: CloudInfrastructureAndServices

What it includes

CLI, MCP server, login, active project
Runs npx -y firebase-tools@latest --version, looks for the Firebase MCP server, checks login with login:list (login if needed, --no-localhost for remote shells), then checks the active project with firebase use.
Runs code · Prerequisites check
Use an existing project ID or create a new one
If no project ID is given, the agent pauses and asks. For a new project it runs projects:create with an ID of 6 to 30 lowercase letters, digits and hyphens.
Runs code · Project choice
Fetches google-services.json and the iOS plist
Uses apps:sdkconfig ANDROID or IOS to save the config file straight into the project, instead of pointing you to the console.
Write · App config files
npx for all CLI calls, MCP and skills before guessing
Always npx -y firebase-tools@latest, never the bare firebase command. Search Firebase docs through the MCP tool first. Follow the other Firebase skills for how to implement features.
Usage principles
Per-agent steps to install the full skill set and MCP
Seven guides: Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Android Studio, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and other agents. A local-env guide checks Node.js 20 or newer first.
Runs code · Agent setup guides
Update the plugin or skills later
For Claude Code the refresh guide uses claude plugin update firebase@firebase. Other agents have their own guides.
Refresh guides
Web, Android, iOS, Flutter guides, plus CLI notes
Guides for adding Firebase to web, Android, iOS and Flutter apps, plus a CLI command guide and a guide to initialising Firebase services.
SDK setup references

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It can create Firebase projects and switch your active one
The skill runs projects:create and firebase use. Give it the project ID you want, and check which project is active before later skills deploy anything. github.com
Setup guides edit agent config and install packages
The setup guides tell the agent to merge a firebase entry into your agent's MCP config file, run npx skills add, and ask you to install nvm and Node.js. Say no to any step you did not expect. github.com
It runs the latest Firebase CLI through npx
Commands use npx -y firebase-tools@latest, which downloads and runs the newest published package each time. You sign in to Firebase with your Google account. github.com
The plugin route adds a Firebase MCP server
The Firebase plugin ships an .mcp.json that starts `npx -y firebase-tools@15.32.1 mcp --dir .` with IS_FIREBASE_MCP=true, so a Firebase MCP server runs in your project folder. The pinned version was 15.32.1 at review time. The skills CLI route does not add it. github.com

Technical details

Talks to	Firebase and Google Cloud through the Firebase CLI
Scopes	Google account signed in to the Firebase CLI

Questions

What does firebase-basics do?

It prepares your coding agent to work with Firebase. It checks the Firebase CLI, logs you in, picks or creates a project, and downloads the app config files.

How do I install firebase-basics in Claude Code?

Use the install box above. The plugin route is the one the skill's own setup guide recommends for Claude Code, because it installs all the Firebase skills and the Firebase MCP server together. The skills CLI route installs just this skill.

Do I need the other Firebase skills?

This skill works alone for login, projects and config files. Its SKILL.md says that if firebase-basics is the only Firebase skill available, the agent should follow the setup guide for your agent to install the full set.

Does it work in Claude.ai or Codex?

Codex has a plugin route in the README. This page documents the plugin and skills CLI routes (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents). The skill runs Firebase CLI commands on your machine, and its setup guides cover coding agents, not the Claude.ai chat.

Does it need an API key?

No API key is named in the SKILL.md. The Firebase CLI signs in with your Google account (npx -y firebase-tools@latest login), and most tasks need an active Firebase project.

Is firebase-basics safe to use?

It runs the Firebase CLI as you, so it can log in, create projects and write config files in your app folder. It asks you before choosing a project. Review each command it runs, and check Node.js 20 or newer is what you want installed.

Why does it use npx instead of the firebase command?

The SKILL.md says to always prepend npx -y firebase-tools@latest so the latest CLI runs, and never to suggest the bare firebase command.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: firebase/agent-skills
Folder: skills/firebase-basics

firebase/agent-skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 7

agent-skills README · github.com
firebase-basics Claude Code setup · github.com
Firebase plugin .mcp.json · github.com
firebase-basics Cursor setup · github.com
firebase-basics SKILL.md · github.com
firebase-basics local-env-setup.md · github.com
github.com · github.com