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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Genkit Dart Developer Guide agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The developing-genkit-dart skill is a bundle of instructions and reference documents that you add to an AI coding agent, such as Claude, so it knows the Genkit Dart SDK (version 1.0 and later) well enough to write working code. It is for Dart and Flutter developers who want to add LLM features, flows, tools or agents to an app. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for help in a way that triggers it, and what to check before you trust the output.

Genkit Dart Developer Guidegoogle/skills · Apache-2.0

Quick start

  1. 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it so the folder is named developing-genkit-dart with SKILL.md at its top.
  2. 2Place the folder. Move it to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to your project's .claude/skills/ for one project. Or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
  3. 3Set up Dart and genkit. Make sure the Dart SDK is installed and your project depends on the genkit package at ^1.0.0.
  4. 4Ask with Genkit or Dart in the request. Describe the feature you want, such as a flow, tool, prompt file or agent, and name your model provider.
  5. 5Review the generated code. Check model calls, API key handling and any experimental agent imports before you run it.
  6. 6Trace the run. Optionally run genkit start -- dart run main.dart to capture traces and confirm tools were called.

What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?

An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent loads when a request matches the skill's description. This one is published under the name developing-genkit-dart and is licensed Apache-2.0.

Once installed, the agent knows the Genkit Dart SDK. It can write code that calls AI models, defines tools and flows, manages prompt files (Dotprompt), builds experimental multi-turn agents with sessions and human approval steps, and adds A2UI interactive UI to Flutter apps. The skill also warns about pre-1.0 API names that older code and training data often use, which no longer compile.

  • Initialise Genkit, generate content, define tools and flows, embed text, and stream responses.
  • Keep prompts in .prompt files and load them with promptDir and ai.prompt().
  • Build agents with sessions, interrupts, branching, background runs, state, artifacts and multi-agent delegation.
  • Add A2UI surfaces (cards, lists, forms, buttons) to a Flutter client using genui.
  • Suggest the Genkit CLI to trace what a program actually does.

Install the skill from the ZIP download

Download the ZIP for the skill from this page and unzip it. The folder must be named developing-genkit-dart and contain SKILL.md at its top level, along with the references folder.

For a personal install that works in every project, place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

  • Personal: ~/.claude/skills/developing-genkit-dart/
  • Project only: <your-project>/.claude/skills/developing-genkit-dart/
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills → upload
~/.claude/skills/developing-genkit-dart/SKILL.md

Trigger the skill with a natural request

You do not need a special command. The agent decides to use the skill when your request matches its description: building AI agents in Dart, using Genkit flows, or integrating LLMs into Dart or Flutter applications. Name Genkit or Dart in your request so the match is clear.

The more specific you are about the task, the more useful the output. State the goal, the model provider you plan to use, and whether the code runs on a server or in a Flutter app.

  • "Add a Genkit flow in my Dart server that summarises an article using Gemini."
  • "Convert this older Genkit Dart code to the 1.0 API."
  • "Create a Genkit agent with sessions that asks me to approve before it sends an email tool call."
  • "Show how to render A2UI cards from a Genkit agent in my Flutter app."

What you need before you start

The skill writes code, but it does not supply credentials or run your program. You need the Dart SDK and the genkit Dart package (^1.0.0). You also need an API key or account for whichever LLM you use, such as Google AI or Anthropic, and you provide it yourself.

Some features need extra packages. Agent features use genkit_middleware, and A2UI uses genkit_a2ui and genui. If you use FirestoreSessionStore, you need Firestore. The Genkit CLI is optional but useful for tracing.

  • Required: Dart SDK and genkit package ^1.0.0
  • Required: model provider API key or account, supplied by you
  • Optional: Genkit CLI (curl script, npm install -g genkit-cli, or npx)
  • Optional for agents: genkit_middleware; for A2UI: genkit_a2ui and genui
  • Optional: Firestore, only if using FirestoreSessionStore

Use the Genkit CLI to check what your program does

The skill can suggest the Genkit CLI. Running your app with plain dart run skips trace capture, so you cannot see which tools were called or inspect model input and output. Prefixing the run command with genkit start -- collects those traces while your program runs unchanged.

genkit start keeps running until you press Ctrl+C. That is the expected behaviour for a server or an interactive app. It is not a one-shot command, so do not use it as a blocking step in scripts or CI. Use flow:run for that case.

  • Check the install with genkit --version.
  • The Developer UI usually runs at http://localhost:4000.
  • Use --noui to hide the Dev UI; the process still keeps running.
genkit start -- dart run main.dart

Safety notes: scripts and network

The skill itself runs no scripts and makes no network requests. It is a set of instructions and documents. The code the agent writes for you may call model providers over the network, and the CLI setup is a separate install step you choose to run.

Review any install command before you run it, and keep API keys out of source control. Read generated code before you deploy it, especially agent code that can call tools or pause for approval.

  • The skill: no scripts run, no network use.
  • Agents and flows you build will contact the LLM provider you configure.
  • Agent and session APIs are marked experimental and may change.

What people use it for

  • Adding a Genkit flow to a Dart server that calls an LLM and returns structured output.
  • Migrating older Genkit Dart code from pre-1.0 names such as startFlowServer to the 1.0 API.
  • Building a conversational agent with sessions and a human approval step using interrupts.
  • Rendering interactive A2UI surfaces from an agent inside a Flutter app.
  • Moving prompt text out of Dart code into .prompt files managed with Dotprompt.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the developing-genkit-dart skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it so the folder is named developing-genkit-dart. Place it in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in your project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What do I need to use the Genkit Dart skill?

You need the Dart SDK and the genkit Dart package at version ^1.0.0, plus an API key or account for the model provider you use, such as Google AI or Anthropic. Agent features also need genkit_middleware, A2UI needs genkit_a2ui and genui, and FirestoreSessionStore needs Firestore.

Is the Genkit Dart skill free?

The skill is published under the Apache-2.0 licence. The source does not state pricing for model providers, which you pay for directly if you use a paid API.

Does this skill work with Flutter?

Yes. The skill covers the Genkit Dart SDK in Flutter apps, including the remoteAgent client and A2UI surfaces rendered with the genui package.

Why does the agent suggest old API names that don't compile?

Older code and training data often use pre-1.0 names. The skill is written for version 1.0 and flags these names, such as startFlowServer and ExecutablePrompt, so the agent uses the current equivalents instead.

Are the agent APIs stable enough for production?

The agent, session and snapshot APIs are marked experimental and may change. Use them only if you accept that risk, and check the current references before relying on them.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you build with Genkit in Dart or Flutter and want an agent that knows the 1.0 API and avoids outdated names. Pick a language-matched skill instead if your project is not in Dart, and be cautious about shipping experimental agent APIs to production without accepting that they may change.

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