How do I install the Adk Unit Design skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add google/adk-unit-design in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Adk Unit Design safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Adk Unit Design?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Adk Unit Design free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Adk Unit Design?

Google (@google) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Adk Unit Design by google — Agent Skill

Name: Adk Unit Design
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: Google

Adk Unit Design

Writes an as-built architecture document for one ADK code unit — purpose, execution flow, data flow, cross-class dependencies, extension points, and the parts that must not change — to `docs/design/{topic}/{unit}/index.md`. It describes the code as implemented, not a proposed design, and its reader is a developer about to change or extend that unit. Use when asked to "write a design doc for {file}", "document the architecture of {class}", "document the extension points of {unit}", or after adding a core class, node type, or plugin base. Don't use for documentation aimed at developers who only call the unit from their own application — that is a usage guide with runnable examples under `docs/guides/` (use `adk-unit-guide`). Don't use to answer a framework-wide architecture question (use `adk-architecture`).

Google Updated Sep 9, 2026 14.4k repo stars

File contents

ADK code unit design

A unit design documents a code unit as implemented, the way a unit test exercises it as implemented. Nothing proposed or aspirational belongs in one. The reader is deciding what they may safely change, so answer "what breaks if I touch this?" — not "how do I call this?".

Inputs

Require the source file, or a class or method named inside it. Also read, when they exist: the base classes and interfaces the unit implements, its unit tests (the best evidence of intended behaviour), and example usage.

Analyse before writing

Answer each of these from the source. Anything the code does not show stays out of the document — do not infer a design intent from a name.

Purpose and intended use of the unit.
Execution flow, and the data that flows in and out.
Upstream dependencies, and which classes depend on this unit.
Extension surfaces: abstract methods, hooks, callbacks, configurable fields.
Constraints — what a subclass or caller must not change, and why.
Operational limitations.

Where the document goes

Mirror the source path under docs/design/, one directory per unit, document named index.md. Drop the leading underscore of a private module:

Source	Design document
`src/google/adk/workflow/_function_node.py`	`docs/design/workflow/function_node/index.md`
`src/google/adk/events/event.py`	`docs/design/events/event/index.md`

If a document already exists at that path, update it in place and keep the existing wording wherever the code has not changed, so the diff shows only what the change actually altered.

docs/design/ does not exist in this repository yet — the first design document creates it. docs/guides/ is the established sibling tree; match its directory shape.

Link to GitHub, not to local paths

These documents render on GitHub, where a local filesystem path is dead. Rewrite {repo_root}/src/google/adk/{topic}/{unit}.py#L93 as https://github.com/google/adk-python/blob/main/src/google/adk/{topic}/{unit}.py#L93.

Structure

Follow references/design-template.md section by section.

---name: adk-unit-designdescription: Writes an as-built architecture document for one ADK code unit — purpose, execution flow, data flow, cross-class dependencies, extension points, and the parts that must not change — to `docs/design/{topic}/{unit}/index.md`. It describes the code as implemented, not a proposed design, and its reader is a developer about to change or extend that unit. Use when asked to "write a design doc for {file}", "document the architecture of {class}", "document the extension points of {unit}", or after adding a core class, node type, or plugin base. Don't use for documentation aimed at developers who only call the unit from their own application — that is a usage guide with runnable examples under `docs/guides/` (use `adk-unit-guide`). Don't use to answer a framework-wide architecture question (use `adk-architecture`).--- # ADK code unit design A unit design documents a code unit **as implemented**, the way a unit test exercises it as implemented. Nothing proposed or aspirational belongs in one. The reader is deciding what they may safely change, so answer "what breaks if I touch this?" — not "how do I call this?". ## Inputs Require the source file, or a class or method named inside it. Also read, when they exist: the base classes and interfaces the unit implements, its unit tests (the best evidence of intended behaviour), and example usage. ## Analyse before writing Answer each of these from the source. Anything the code does not show stays out of the document — do not infer a design intent from a name. - Purpose and intended use of the unit. - Execution flow, and the data that flows in and out. - Upstream dependencies, and which classes depend on this unit. - Extension surfaces: abstract methods, hooks, callbacks, configurable fields. - Constraints — what a subclass or caller must not change, and why. - Operational limitations. ## Where the document goes Mirror the source path under `docs/design/`, one directory per unit, document named `index.md`. Drop the leading underscore of a private module: | Source | Design document | | :--- | :--- | | `src/google/adk/workflow/_function_node.py` | `docs/design/workflow/function_node/index.md` | | `src/google/adk/events/event.py` | `docs/design/events/event/index.md` | If a document already exists at that path, update it in place and keep the existing wording wherever the code has not changed, so the diff shows only what the change actually altered. `docs/design/` does not exist in this repository yet — the first design document creates it. `docs/guides/` is the established sibling tree; match its directory shape. ## Link to GitHub, not to local paths These documents render on GitHub, where a local filesystem path is dead. Rewrite `{repo_root}/src/google/adk/{topic}/{unit}.py#L93` as `https://github.com/google/adk-python/blob/main/src/google/adk/{topic}/{unit}.py#L93`. ## Structure Follow [references/design-template.md](references/design-template.md) section by section.

Frequently asked questions