Google Cloud Workstations API
Browse all Google APIs✓ Official Vendor SpecCloud InfrastructureComputeoauth220 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Provision Cloud Workstations clusters, configurations, and individual developer environments. Start, stop, and mint connection tokens for managed dev VMs running container-based images.
Use for: Create a workstation cluster in europe-west1, Define a workstation configuration with a custom container image, Start a workstation for a specific developer, Stop an idle workstation to save cost
Not supported: Does not handle source-control hosting, container image building, IDE installation, or production workload hosting — use for provisioning and managing managed developer workstations on Google Cloud only.
The Google Cloud Workstations API provisions and manages fully managed developer environments in Google Cloud. Administrators define workstation clusters and configurations, while individual developers create, start, stop, and connect to workstations that run preconfigured container images with their tools and source. The API exposes the cluster, config, and workstation lifecycle as well as start, stop, and connection-token endpoints, removing the need to manage VMs or local laptops as the source of truth for developer environments.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Cloud Workstations API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Cloud Workstations API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Cloud Workstations API.
Create and manage workstation clusters as the regional fleet boundary
Define reusable workstation configurations including container image, machine type, and idle timeout
Provision, start, and stop individual workstations on behalf of developers
Generate short-lived access tokens for connecting to a running workstation
List clusters, configs, and workstations across regions for fleet visibility
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Cloud Workstations API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Standardised developer environments at scale
Platform engineering teams replace per-laptop dev setups with Cloud Workstations so every engineer joins a project with the same toolchain, source access, and IAM context. Configurations capture the container image, machine type, and persistent home directory; individual workstations inherit those settings. Onboarding time drops from days to minutes and security scope is bounded by IAM rather than by what is on a laptop.
Create a workstationConfig with container image gcr.io/myorg/dev-image:latest, then provision a workstation under that config and start it via POST /v1/{+name}:start.
Cost control through stop/start automation
Idle workstations are an unnecessary cloud cost. Schedulers call POST /v1/{+name}:stop on configurable inactivity windows and rely on persistent disks to preserve the developer's working state. The same automation can start workstations when a developer signs in for the day, balancing responsiveness against spend.
List workstations under a workstationConfig, identify those whose state is RUNNING and have been idle past a threshold, and call POST /v1/{+name}:stop on each.
Per-customer ephemeral environments
Consultancies and implementation teams spin up a workstation per client engagement so that source code and credentials never co-mingle. The cluster and config encode the security boundary; the workstation lifecycle endpoints handle provisioning when work begins and tear-down when it ends. This pattern keeps audit trails clean and aligns with customer security reviews.
Create a workstationCluster, then a workstationConfig and a workstation tied to a specific customer, and finally generate an access token via POST /v1/{+workstation}:generateAccessToken.
Agent-driven environment management through Jentic
An IT or platform agent connected through Jentic can provision new dev environments on request and tear them down when an engineer leaves. Jentic search for create a cloud workstation returns the workstations create operation; the agent fills in the parent config and name and executes. OAuth credentials are isolated inside the Jentic vault.
Through Jentic, create a workstation under a named workstationConfig, start it, and return the access token from POST /v1/{+workstation}:generateAccessToken to the calling system.
Key Endpoints
20 endpoints — the google cloud workstations api provisions and manages fully managed developer environments in google cloud.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/v1/{+parent}/workstationClusters
List workstation clusters
GET
/v1/{+parent}/workstationConfigs
List workstation configurations
POST
/v1/{+name}:start
Start a workstation
POST
/v1/{+name}:stop
Stop a workstation
GET
/v1/{+name}
Get a workstation, config, or cluster
GET
/v1/{+name}/operations
Track long-running operations
GET
/v1/{+parent}/workstationClusters
List workstation clusters
GET
/v1/{+parent}/workstationConfigs
List workstation configurations
POST
/v1/{+name}:start
Start a workstation
POST
/v1/{+name}:stop
Stop a workstation
GET
/v1/{+name}
Get a workstation, config, or cluster
GET
/v1/{+name}/operations
Track long-running operations
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
OAuth 2.0 client credentials are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents execute with scoped access tokens; refresh tokens and client secrets never leave the vault.
Intent-based discovery
Agents call Jentic search with intents like create a cloud workstation or stop a workstation and Jentic returns the matching operation with its full input schema.
Time to first call
Direct integration: 1-2 days for OAuth, IAM, and operation polling. Through Jentic: under an hour to provision and start a workstation.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Cloud Workstations API through Jentic.
What authentication does the Cloud Workstations API use?
OAuth 2.0 (Oauth2 and Oauth2c schemes) scoped to https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-platform. Through Jentic the OAuth credentials are stored encrypted and short-lived access tokens are minted at execution time.
Can I use my own container image?
Yes. The workstationConfig.container.image field accepts any Artifact Registry or public OCI image. The image is launched by the workstation runtime and the container's entrypoint is the developer's environment. Use this to ship a vetted base image with your team's tools, source paths, and IDE pre-installed.
What are the rate limits for the Cloud Workstations API?
Per-project quotas on workstation create, start, and stop calls are configured in the Cloud Console under APIs and Services. The practical limit is concurrent workstations per region, which scales with Compute Engine machine quotas. Heavy provisioning workloads should request a quota increase in advance.
How do I start a workstation through Jentic?
Search Jentic for start a cloud workstation, load the schema for POST /v1/{+name}:start, and execute it with the workstation name. The response is a long-running operation; poll /v1/{+name}/operations until done is true and then generate an access token to connect.
How are connection tokens issued?
Call POST /v1/{+workstation}:generateAccessToken on a running workstation to receive a short-lived token used by the local IDE or browser to connect. Tokens are scoped to the workstation and rotate automatically; they should not be cached beyond their expireTime.
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