Jules Skill

Overview

This skill drives Jules via the jules_cli CLI. All API calls are made through shell commands — no MCP server needed.

Jules is an async coding agent powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro. It clones your repo into a secure Google Cloud VM, generates a multi-step plan, executes it autonomously, and optionally opens a PR.

Prerequisites

Step 1 — Install the CLI (required before any command will work):

npm install -g @l0r3x/jules-cli

This makes the jules_cli command available globally.

Step 2 — Set your API key via one of:

Interactive setup: jules_cli setup (prompts for key, saves to ~/.config/jules/config.json)
Environment variable: export JULES_API_KEY=<your-key>

CLI Command Reference

Command	Description
`jules_cli list [--json]`	List all Jules sessions
`jules_cli show <id> [--json]`	Get session details and state
`jules_cli create --repo owner/repo --prompt "..." [--auto-pr] [--approve-plan] [--json]`	Create a new Jules session
`jules_cli approve <id>`	Approve Jules's plan to proceed
`jules_cli send <id> --message "..." [--json]`	Send feedback or instructions
`jules_cli last-msg <id> [--json]`	Jules's latest outbound message
`jules_cli pr-url <id>`	Get the PR URL from a completed session
`jules_cli setup`	Interactive API key setup

Most Common Pattern: Sweep AWAITING Sessions

When the user mentions Jules activity or asks you to "check Jules", always start here:

1. jules_cli list --json
2. Filter: state contains "AWAITING"
3. For each hit:
   - jules_cli last-msg <id>  → read Jules's question/plan
   - AWAITING_PLAN_APPROVAL  → jules_cli approve <id>  (or jules_cli send <id> --message "..." to cancel)
   - AWAITING_USER_FEEDBACK  → jules_cli send <id> --message "your reply"

If the user says "jules #<ID> updated" or pastes a session ID, go straight to jules_cli show <id> then jules_cli last-msg <id>.

Task-Based Workflow

1. Creating a Session

Autopilot (Jules creates PR automatically):

jules_cli create --repo owner/repo --prompt "Your task" --auto-pr

Interactive (review plan before execution):

jules_cli create --repo owner/repo --prompt "Your task" --approve-plan

2. Listing & Checking Sessions

jules_cli list
jules_cli show <id>

States:

IN_PROGRESS — Jules is actively working
AWAITING_PLAN_APPROVAL — waiting for you to approve the plan
AWAITING_USER_FEEDBACK — Jules has a question mid-execution
COMPLETED — Jules finished (PR may or may not exist)
FAILED — unrecoverable error
WAITING_FOR_USER_INPUT — alias for AWAITING_USER_FEEDBACK (older sessions)

3. Responding to Jules

# Approve a plan
jules_cli approve <id>

# Answer a question or send instructions
jules_cli send <id> --message "Your reply here"

# Read Jules's latest message first
jules_cli last-msg <id>

4. Getting the PR

jules_cli pr-url <id>

Autonomous Monitoring Loop

1. jules_cli list --json  → filter where state starts with "AWAITING"
2. For each AWAITING session:
   a. jules_cli show <id>  to confirm current state
   b. AWAITING_PLAN_APPROVAL → jules_cli last-msg <id> to review → jules_cli approve <id> or jules_cli send <id> --message "..." to cancel
   c. AWAITING_USER_FEEDBACK → jules_cli last-msg <id> to read Jules's question → jules_cli send <id> --message "reply"
3. Repeat on a schedule (e.g. every 10–15 min)

last-msg caveat: returns Jules's last outbound message, which may be stale. Always check state first — if state just changed to AWAITING_USER_FEEDBACK, the message is fresh. If you already replied and state is still AWAITING, Jules hasn't processed your answer yet.

Decision Heuristics

Situation	Action
Jules reports an import / symbol IS used	Close without changes — issue is stale
Jules reports tests already exist	Close without changes — issue is stale
Jules asks about scope ("should I also fix X?")	Reply: strictly scope to the one file/import listed
Jules asks "class method or standalone function?"	Match the existing file structure
Jules asks about trailing whitespace preservation	No need to preserve — clean output preferred
Jules asks about benchmark scripts	Not needed — correctness changes don't need benchmarks
Jules's plan matches the task description	`jules_cli approve <id>`
Two sessions targeting the same file+lines	Approve the first, tell the second to stand down
Jules asks to confirm PR creation	Reply: "Yes, create the PR now."
Jules asks "do you approve this approach?" for no-op	Reply: "Yes, approved."

Prompt Engineering Tips

Be specific: Include file names, function names, and expected outcomes.
Scope tightly: Jules works best on self-contained tasks.
Use --approve-plan for non-trivial or risky tasks.

Always append constraints relevant to your project:

Constraints:
- Do NOT commit one-time patch/migration scripts.
- Only include files directly required by the task.
- Do not add docstrings or comments to code you didn't change.

Prompt Templates

Debugging

// Help me fix {specific error} in {file}:{function}
// Trace why {value} is undefined in {file}

Refactoring

// Refactor {file} from {x} to {y}
// Convert this callback-based code into async/await in {file}

Testing

// Add integration tests for {endpoint} in {file}
// Write a Pytest fixture to mock {external API call}

Onboarding

// What's going on in this repo?

AGENTS.md

Jules automatically reads AGENTS.md from the repo root. Keep it up to date with testing patterns, coding conventions, and environment setup — it's Jules's primary source of project context.

Resources

jules_cli: npm install -g @l0r3x/jules-cli or npx @l0r3x/jules-cli
Jules: jules.google.com

jules-skill

Safety Notice

Copy this and send it to your AI assistant to learn