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GKE Golden Path Configuration
The golden path is the recommended Autopilot configuration for production clusters. It defines sensible defaults — when the user requests different settings, apply them and note relevant trade-offs.
MCP Tools:get_cluster,create_cluster,update_cluster
Rules
- Default to the golden path. Use golden path values unless the user
requests otherwise. When deviating, note trade-offs but respect the user's choice.
- Day-0 vs Day-1. Flag Day-0 decisions (networking, private nodes,
subnets, IP allocation) prominently — they are hard/impossible to change after creation.
- Tool preference: MCP > gcloud > kubectl. MCP is preferred as it directly
interfaces with GKE APIs with structured data, reducing shell syntax errors and parsing ambiguities. See the gke-basics skill's CLI reference for full coverage matrix and override options. If the user says "use gcloud" or "use kubectl", respect that for the session.
- Document decisions and rationale, especially for Day-0 choices and
golden path deviations.
Required Inputs
If the user is unsure, use golden path defaults.
- Project ID (required)
- Region (required, e.g.,
us-central1) - Cluster name (required)
- Environment type: dev/test or production (defaults to production)
- Networking: bring-your-own VPC/subnet or auto-create (default:
auto-create)
- Scale expectations: expected node/pod count, workload types
- Cost constraints: Spot VM tolerance, budget considerations
Always-Apply Defaults
Recommended best practices applied by default. If the user requests a different setting, apply it and briefly note the security or operational trade-off.
| Setting | Golden Path Value |
|---|---|
autopilot.enabled | true |
privateClusterConfig.enablePrivateNodes | true |
masterAuthorizedNetworksConfig.privateEndpointEnforcementEnabled | true |
secretManagerConfig.enabled + rotationInterval: 120s | true |
rbacBindingConfig.enableInsecureBinding* | false (both) |
workloadIdentityConfig.workloadPool | enabled |
networkConfig.datapathProvider | ADVANCED_DATAPATH |
networkConfig.dnsConfig.clusterDns | CLOUD_DNS |
autoscaling.autoscalingProfile | OPTIMIZE_UTILIZATION |
verticalPodAutoscaling.enabled | true |
monitoringConfig components | SYSTEMCOMPONENTS, STORAGE, POD, DEPLOYMENT, STATEFULSET, DAEMONSET, HPA, JOBSET, CADVISOR, KUBELET, DCGM, APISERVER, SCHEDULER, CONTROLLERMANAGER |
loggingConfig components | SYSTEM_COMPONENTS, WORKLOADS (enabled by default) |
advancedDatapathObservabilityConfig.enableMetrics | true |
nodeConfig.shieldedInstanceConfig.enableSecureBoot | true |
nodeConfig.workloadMetadataConfig.mode | GKE_METADATA |
nodeConfig.gcfsConfig.enabled / gvnic.enabled | true / true |
addonsConfig.statefulHaConfig.enabled | true |
| Storage CSI drivers (Filestore, GCS FUSE, Parallelstore) | enabled |
| Pod Security Standards | restricted on production namespaces |
Customer-Configurable Settings
These have golden path defaults but customers may deviate with valid justification. Ask before changing.
| Setting | Default | Why Deviate |
|---|---|---|
dnsEndpointConfig.allowExternalTraffic | true | Restrict if cluster only accessed from within VPC |
autoIpamConfig / createSubnetwork | true / true | Customer has pre-existing VPC/subnets |
maxPodsPerNode | 48 | 110 for high pod-density (costs more CIDR space) |
subnetwork | auto-created | Customer brings existing subnets |
| Maintenance exclusion windows | configured (NOMINORUPGRADES, 1yr) | Customer-specific scheduling |
nodeConfig.bootDisk.diskType | pd-balanced | pd-ssd for I/O-intensive, pd-standard for cost |
nodeConfig.machineType | ek-standard-8 (Autopilot) | Varies by workload; use ComputeClasses |
Guardrails
- Do not request or output secrets (tokens, keys, service account JSON).
- Discover project/cluster context via MCP tools or `gcloud config get-value
project` — don't ask users to paste project IDs.
- For Day-0 decisions, always ask clarifying questions before proceeding.
- For Day-1 features, propose golden path defaults with trade-offs and let the
customer confirm.
- Do not promise zero downtime; advise PDBs, health probes, replicas, and
staged upgrades.
- When auditing existing clusters, compare against golden path and report
deviations with severity and remediation.
Golden Path Config
See golden-path-autopilot.yaml for the full cluster-level policy settings.
