DFCX to CXAS Migration
Four small scripts, one persistent IR bundle:
| Script | What it does | Runtime | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
migrate.py |
1:1 conversion of every selected playbook/flow into the IR, and deploys base resources only (app, variables, tools). Agent deployment is DEFERRED to stage_1.py so large sources don't exceed the CXAS 100-agent cap — the compiled agents are saved in <target>_ir.json, not pushed. Pass --no-consolidate to push the full 1:1 agent set immediately (only safe below ~100 agents). |
~30 min for ~40 flows | <target>_ir.json, <target>_migration_report.md, <target>_unit_tests.json |
stage_1.py |
Loads the IR bundle, runs CXASOptimizer.optimize_stage1 (variable dedup) and Gemini structural consolidation (N→M agent grouping). This is the first agent push to CXAS — only the consolidated (N→M) agents are deployed; the raw 1:1 originals are never pushed (consolidate() drops them and the pre-consolidation snapshot is used transiently for the integrity check only, never persisted). CXAS Version 0.0.2 (dedup) and 0.0.3 (consolidation). |
~15 min | Updated <target>_ir.json, <target>_grouping.json |
stage_2.py |
Loads the IR bundle, runs CXASOptimizer.optimize_stage2 (instruction state machines + tool mocks). Pushes via update-pass deploys. CXAS Version 0.0.4. Re-generates unit tests. Lints. Writes the audit report. |
~10 min | Updated <target>_ir.json, <target>_optimization_report.md, regenerated <target>_unit_tests.json |
stage_3.py |
Only after Stage 1 consolidation. Rewires the consolidated agents' parent → children topology by mapping the SOURCE DFCX dep graph onto the new groups (rather than relying on what the synthesized PIF XML happened to reference) according to Spoke-Hub architecture style. Sets app root_agent to the is_root group. Idempotent — safe to re-run. CXAS Version 0.0.5. |
~10 sec | Updated <target>_ir.json stage history; CXAS app's child_agents set per group |
State flows through <target>_ir.json (a Pydantic IRBundle containing the MigrationConfig, source DFCXAgentIR, target MigrationIR, stage history, and version checkpoints). Each stage loads it from disk, mutates it, and writes it back. No re-fetching or re-compiling between stages.
When to use this skill vs. the CLI directly
This skill (InquirerPy prompts + HTML pre-flight preview + Gemini model picker) is the right entry when you want to interactively drive a migration with rich pre-flight context. The same MigrationService.run_stage* methods this skill calls are also exposed via the canonical CLI for scripted / CI use:
# Same E2E plumbing, non-interactive (standard optimized profile by default):
cxas migrate dfcx --run --source-agent-id … --project-id … --target-name …
# Non-interactive Stage Checkpoint optimization runs:
cxas migrate dfcx --optimize --stage 1 --target-name my_app
cxas migrate dfcx --optimize --stage 2 --target-name my_app
cxas migrate dfcx --optimize --stage 3 --target-name my_app --architecture hub-and-spoke
cxas migrate dfcx --optimize --stage resume --target-name my_app # interactive stage picker
The skill, the dashboard, and the E2E / Checkpoint commands all go through the same MigrationService.run_stage_1/run_stage_2/run_stage_3 methods — pick whichever entry point matches your workflow.
Prerequisites
# Ensure cxas_scrapi is installed editable (so this skill picks up local changes)
pip install -e .
# Auth
gcloud auth application-default login
gcloud auth list # confirm the account has read on source + admin on target
InquirerPy is required for the interactive prompts (matches the agent-foundry skill):
pip install InquirerPy
Driving the flow interactively (from Claude)
When invoked through Claude, lead the user through one question at a time. The scripts will prompt for missing inputs via InquirerPy, but you should pre-collect:
- GCP project ID (target — where the new CXAS app will live).
- Location — default
us. Do NOT default toglobal— it does not work for CXAS apps in most projects. - Source agent — DFCX agent ID (full resource name) or path to a local
.zipexport. - Target name — display name for the new CXAS app.
Optional follow-ups: --env (PROD/AUTOPUSH), --model (Gemini), --migration-version (1.0/2.0).
Quick Reference
# 1:1 migration (interactive — InquirerPy will prompt for project + location)
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/migrate.py
# Fully scripted
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/migrate.py \
--source-agent-id "projects/<src_proj>/locations/us/agents/<uuid>" \
--project-id <target_proj> --location us \
--target-name my_cxas_app --yes
# Pre-flight HTML preview only (no migration)
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/migrate.py \
--source-agent-id "<id>" --project-id <proj> --target-name preview_only \
--preview-only --yes
# Stage 1 — variable dedup + Gemini consolidation
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/stage_1.py --target-name my_cxas_app
# Stage 1 — replay a saved grouping JSON
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/stage_1.py \
--target-name my_cxas_app --grouping-json my_cxas_app_grouping.json --yes
# Stage 2 — instruction state machines + tool mocks + lint + report
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/stage_2.py --target-name my_cxas_app
# Stage 3 — rewire consolidated agent parent-child topology (idempotent)
python .agents/skills/cxas-dfcx-migration/scripts/stage_3.py --target-name my_cxas_app --architecture hub-and-spoke
What lives in the skill vs. in cxas_scrapi
The skill is a thin orchestrator. Every migration / optimization step lives in src/cxas_scrapi/migration/ and is reachable via MigrationService.run_stage_* methods, so the same logic powers all three entry points: this skill, cxas migrate dfcx (interactive TUI), and non-interactive command modes (--run / --optimize).
| Operation | src/ entry point |
|---|---|
| Source agent fetch / zip parse | migration/dfcx_exporter.py:ConversationalAgentsAPI |
| 1:1 migration | migration/service.py:MigrationService.run_migration |
| Stage 1 orchestrator (variable dedup + consolidation + integrity + topology link + orphan cleanup + versions + bundle persist) | migration/service.py:MigrationService.run_stage_1 |
| Stage 2 orchestrator (state machines + tool mocks + unit-test regen + lint + audit report + bundle persist) | migration/service.py:MigrationService.run_stage_2 |
| Stage 3 orchestrator (parent-child topology wiring) | migration/service.py:MigrationService.run_stage_3 |
| Bundle persist convenience | migration/service.py:MigrationService.persist_bundle |
| Variable dedup primitive (Stage 1) | migration/optimizer.py:CXASOptimizer.optimize_stage1 |
| Instruction restructuring + tool mocks primitive (Stage 2) | migration/optimizer.py:CXASOptimizer.optimize_stage2 |
| Gemini N→M grouping + per-group PIF XML synthesis | migration/structural_consolidator.py:StructuralConsolidator |
| Pre-deploy integrity checks | migration/integrity_checks.py:check_consolidation_integrity |
| Parent-child topology + orphan cleanup | migration/topology_wirer.py |
| Update-pass redeploys | migration/service.py:MigrationService._deploy_base_resources(is_update_pass=True) + _deploy_pending_agents(is_update_pass=True) |
| Topology link | migration/cxas_topology_linker.py |
| Version checkpoints | core/versions.py:Versions.create_version |
| Topology SVG | migration/graph_visualizer.py:HighLevelGraphVisualizer |
| Per-resource Rich trees | migration/playbook_visualizer.py + migration/flow_visualizer.py |
| Deterministic unit tests | migration/eval_generator.py:DeterministicEvalGenerator |
| Migration report | migration/dfcx_migration_reporter.py |
| Optimization audit report | migration/optimization_reporter.py:OptimizationReporter |
| Grouping review TUI (accept / re-propose / merge / split / rename) | cli/grouping_review.py:interactive_review |
| HTML pre-flight preview | migration/html_preview.py |
| Post-deploy linter | migration/post_deploy_lint.py |
| IR bundle persistence | migration/data_models.py:IRBundle |
Skill-local helpers (UX glue only — InquirerPy prompts + thin
delegations to MigrationCLI):
_prompts.py— InquirerPy prompt library (matches agent-foundry)._shared.py— InquirerPy variants of project/location prompts, source loader, andMigrationConfigassembly; plus pure delegations toMigrationCLIforcheck_auth,run_dependency_analysis,select_resources,show_visualizations.
The stage scripts now import the promoted modules directly:
from cxas_scrapi.migration.data_models import IRBundle
(plus html_preview in migrate.py and phase_tracker) and call sites use the
canonical model names (IRBundle, phase_tracker.PhaseTracker,
html_preview.generate_html_report) — no re-export shim layer.
The skill's stage scripts (migrate.py / stage_1.py / stage_2.py / stage_3.py) are now ~80-200 line shells: parse args → restore service from bundle → call the matching MigrationService.run_stage_* → print summary. There is no orchestration logic left in the skill — only InquirerPy prompts and the HTML preview that's specific to the skill's pre-flight UX.HTML preview that's specific to the skill's pre-flight UX.
IR bundle (<target>_ir.json)
The unit of state shared across the three scripts. Pydantic IRBundle model:
{
"schema_version": "1",
"created_at": "2026-05-14T15:30:00",
"config": { /* MigrationConfig */ },
"source_agent_data": { /* DFCXAgentIR — needed for tool-mock context */ },
"ir": { /* MigrationIR — mutated by each stage */ },
"stage_history": [
{"phase": "migrate", "status": "ok", ...},
{"phase": "stage1", "status": "ok", ...}
],
"app_url": "https://ces.cloud.google.com/...",
"version_checkpoints": [["0.0.1", "Stage 1: ..."]],
"grouping": { /* present if Stage 1 ran consolidation */ }
}
Killing a stage script mid-run leaves the bundle untouched (only persisted on success). Re-running picks up where the last successful stage left off.
Pre-flight HTML preview
migrate.py generates <target>_tree_preview.html in ~5 seconds after source loading. Open it in any browser to see:
- Source overview (resource counts, estimated migration time).
- Topology graph (graphviz SVG when
dotis on PATH; Mermaid fallback otherwise). - Per-playbook and per-flow Rich trees.
migrate.py --preview-only exits after the preview without running the migration.
Troubleshooting
create_appreturns404 / 501 / MethodNotImplemented— your--locationis wrong. CXAS apps in most projects live inus, notglobal. Pass--location us.AlreadyExists: App with same display name— pick a different--target-name. Old runs leave deployed apps behind even on partial failure.- Stage 1 / Stage 2 fail with
No IR bundle found— runmigrate.pyfirst to produce<target>_ir.json, or pass--ir-bundle <path>explicitly. - Synthesis (Stage 1 consolidation) hangs on Gemini — fixed with per-group
asyncio.wait_for(timeout=600s)instructural_consolidator.synthesize_instructions. Override viaSYNTHESIS_TIMEOUT_Senv var. Hung groups fall back to the concatenated instruction. gemini-2.5-flash-001 not foundduring AI augment — the Gemini call useslocations/globalfor the model; sometimes that endpoint is project-restricted. The migration continues with empty AI descriptions. Pick a different--modelif you need them.
Detailed reference
See references/migration-options.md for full parameter / flag descriptions and the IR bundle schema.