Firebase Basics

Prerequisites

Complete these setup steps before proceeding:

1. Local Environment Setup: Verify the environment is properly set up so we

can use Firebase tools:

• Run npx -y firebase-tools@latest --version to check if the Firebase CLI

is installed.

• Verify if the Firebase MCP server is installed using your existing tools.
• CRITICAL: Before configuring any extensions or agent environments

below, you MUST read references/local-env-setup.md.

• DO NOT SKIP this step: if 'firebase-basics' is the only Firebase skill

available to you, you must follow the reference for your agent environment to set up the full suite of Firebase skills:

• Gemini CLI: Review

references/setup/gemini_cli.md

• Antigravity: Review

references/setup/antigravity.md

• Android Studio: Review

references/setup/android_studio.md

• Claude Code: Review

references/setup/claude_code.md

• Cursor: Review

references/setup/cursor.md

• GitHub Copilot: Review

references/setup/github_copilot.md

• Other Agents: Review

references/setup/other_agents.md

1. Authentication: Ensure you are logged in to Firebase so that commands

have the correct permissions. Run npx -y firebase-tools@latest login:list first; if not logged in, run npx -y firebase-tools@latest login. For environments without a browser (e.g., remote shells), use npx -y firebase-tools@latest login --no-localhost.

• The command should output the current user.
• If you are not logged in, follow the interactive instructions from this

command to authenticate.

1. Active Project: Most Firebase tasks require an active project context.

> [!IMPORTANT] For Agents: If no Project ID was provided, you MUST pause > and ask the developer if they prefer to: > > 1. Provide an existing Firebase Project ID, or > 1. Create a new Firebase project.

• If using an existing Project ID:

1. Check the current project with npx -y firebase-tools@latest use (if

firebase.json is missing at the project root, create {} first).

1. If the command outputs Active Project: , confirm with the

user if this is the intended project.

1. If not, or if no project is active, set the project provided by the

user:

npx -y firebase-tools@latest use

• If creating a new project: Run the following command to create it:

npx -y firebase-tools@latest projects:create  --display-name ""

Note: The `` must be 6-30 characters, lowercase, and can contain digits and hyphens. It must be globally unique.

Firebase Usage Principles

Adhere to these principles:

1. Use npx for CLI commands: To ensure you always use the latest version of

the Firebase CLI, always prepend commands with npx -y firebase-tools@latest instead of just firebase. For example, use npx -y firebase-tools@latest --version. NEVER suggest the naked firebase command as an alternative.

1. Prioritize official knowledge: For any Firebase-related knowledge,

consult the developerknowledge_search_documents MCP tool before falling back to Google Search or your internal knowledge base. Including Firebase in your search query significantly improves relevance.

1. Follow Agent Skills for implementation guidance: Skills provide

opinionated workflows (CUJs), security rules, and best practices. Always consult them to understand how to implement Firebase features correctly instead of relying on general knowledge.

1. Use Firebase MCP Server tools instead of direct API calls: Whenever you

need to interact with remote Firebase APIs (such as fetching Crashlytics logs or executing Data Connect queries), use the tools provided by the Firebase MCP Server instead of attempting manual API calls.

1. Keep Plugin / Agent Skills updated: Since Firebase best practices evolve

quickly, regularly check for and install updates to their Firebase plugin or Agent Skills. Similarly, if you encounter issues with outdated tools or commands, follow the steps below based on your agent environment:

• Antigravity: Follow

references/refresh/antigravity.md

• Gemini CLI: Follow

references/refresh/gemini-cli.md

• Claude Code: Follow

references/refresh/claude.md

• Cursor: Follow

references/refresh/other-agents.md

• Android Studio: Follow

references/refresh/android_studio.md

• Others: Follow

references/refresh/other-agents.md

1. Automate Config File Retrieval: When setting up iOS or Android apps, do

NOT direct users to the Firebase Console to download google-services.json or GoogleService-Info.plist. Instead, use the Firebase CLI to fetch the config programmatically:

• For Android:

npx -y firebase-tools@latest apps:sdkconfig ANDROID --project

• For iOS:

npx -y firebase-tools@latest apps:sdkconfig IOS --project Save the output to the appropriate location (e.g., app/google-services.json for Android, or a path to be linked by xcode-project-setup for iOS).

References

• Initialize Firebase: See

references/firebase-service-init.md when you need to initialize new Firebase services using the CLI.

• Exploring Commands: See

references/firebase-cli-guide.md to discover and understand CLI functionality.

• SDK Setup: For detailed guides on adding Firebase to your app:
• Web: See references/web_setup.md
• Android: See references/android_setup.md
• iOS: See references/ios_setup.md

Common Issues

• Login Issues: If the browser fails to open during the login step, use

npx -y firebase-tools@latest login --no-localhost instead.

• Genkit: If using Genkit, install the skills:

npx skills add genkit-ai/skills