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Google IDX

Google IDX
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Overview

This node integrates with Google Cloud Workstations via the Google IDX API, enabling management and status retrieval of cloud-based development workstations. It supports various operations such as getting workstation status, starting/stopping workstations, generating access tokens, running commands remotely, and initializing workstation data.

A common use case is automating the monitoring and control of multiple Google Cloud Workstations within a project, for example:

  • Checking which workstations are running or stopped.
  • Starting or stopping specific workstations programmatically.
  • Running shell commands inside a workstation container using gcloud CLI.
  • Generating access tokens to authenticate sessions.
  • Initializing and caching workstation environment data for efficient workflow execution.

This node is beneficial for DevOps engineers, developers, or teams managing cloud development environments who want to automate workstation lifecycle and status checks within n8n workflows.

Properties

Name Meaning
Project ID Select or enter your Google Cloud project ID. Supports selecting from a list or entering an ID manually.

Note: For the "Get Status Workstation" operation specifically, the only input property relevant is the Project ID.

Output

The output JSON structure depends on the operation performed. For the "Get Status Workstation" operation, the output contains:

{
  "workstations": {
    "STATE_STARTING": ["[IDX] clusterName-workspaceSlug", ...],
    "STATE_RUNNING": ["[IDX] clusterName-workspaceSlug", ...],
    "STATE_STOPPED": ["[IDX] clusterName-workspaceSlug", ...]
  }
}
  • workstations: An object categorizing workstations by their current state.
    • STATE_STARTING: Array of workstation identifiers currently starting.
    • STATE_RUNNING: Array of workstation identifiers currently running.
    • STATE_STOPPED: Array of workstation identifiers currently stopped.

Each workstation identifier is a string combining cluster and workspace slug information for easy identification.

The node can also output binary data if running commands inside a workstation (not applicable for this operation).

Dependencies

  • Requires an OAuth2 API credential configured in n8n for authenticating with Google IDX services.
  • Uses Google Cloud Workstations API endpoints.
  • For some operations (like running commands), requires access to a Docker container running the gcloud CLI.
  • The node uses internal helper methods to handle OAuth2 requests and concurrency limits.

Troubleshooting

  • Missing or invalid Project ID: Ensure the Project ID is correctly provided either by selecting from the list or entering a valid string.
  • Authentication errors: Verify that the OAuth2 credentials are properly set up and have sufficient permissions to access Google Cloud Workstations APIs.
  • API rate limits or transient errors (HTTP 503/504): The node implements retries with exponential backoff; however, persistent failures may require checking Google Cloud service status or increasing quota.
  • Invalid input format for manual commands: When using manual workstation commands, ensure the input matches the expected pattern /[run|start|stop|status|token] -a USER -ws SLUG[,SLUG2] [-c COMMAND].
  • Docker or gcloud CLI issues: For command execution, confirm that the specified Docker container with gcloud CLI is running and accessible.

Common error messages include:

  • "Unsupported operation": Indicates the selected operation is not implemented.
  • "Missing or invalid input": Input parameters are missing or malformed.
  • "Failed after retries": Network or API call failed repeatedly; check connectivity and API availability.

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