Agent-Ready SDK Quickstart: Template and Verification Checklist

TL;DR

Give agents a copyable install, configure, run, and verify path. State supported versions and make the install command match the documented SDK release.
Mark product-specific values as placeholders in the template, then replace them with tested values before publishing your quickstart. Preserve required human approval before paid, destructive, or production access.
Show one runnable operation, its expected output, and exact recovery steps for errors in that example. An installed package does not prove an API call succeeded or that working code remains in the repository.
Use the verification checklist, then repeat the same coding task with Gauge Agents. Check which docs agents fetch and whether they leave verified working code.

Why most quickstarts stop short of proof

A package install proves only that the package manager downloaded a dependency. Authentication, client initialization, and the first API request remain untested. Even a successful request may leave no working integration if the agent never saves runnable code. An agent can install a package and remove it later, so the final repository matters more than the install log.

Define the correct result before writing the quickstart. For a sandbox task, you might require the documented SDK version, the expected initialization call, secrets kept out of source control, and a verifiable result at a test endpoint. Preserve any required human approval for account access, billing, or production permissions. With approved sandbox access, an agent can complete the task without another handoff unless the operation triggers a required approval.

The quickstart should enforce three separate checkpoints. The package must remain installed, an authenticated API call must succeed, and code saved in the repository must reproduce the documented expected output when you run the verification task. A clean exit without the expected result does not pass the final checkpoint.

How retrieval shapes what belongs near the top

Claude Code may miss instructions buried deep in a quickstart because its page-retrieval process can filter what the agent sees. Put the working path near the top rather than relying on the agent to read the entire page. Put the supported SDK version, exact install command, and verification task before conceptual background so the agent is more likely to see them when it fetches the page. Gauge's account of Claude Code's retrieval process also notes that extraction can leave out content it considers unrelated to the agent's request.

Keep the working path on one page. Gauge's breakdown of documentation fetches reports that setup pages, READMEs, and quickstarts accounted for 59% of fetches in its tracked coding-agent runs. That sample does not predict which page an individual agent will open, so keep the working path together. A quickstart should let the agent install, configure, run, and check the first operation without hunting through separate pages.

The agent-ready SDK quickstart template

Paste the template below into your SDK docs and replace each bracketed placeholder with a tested value for the release you support. Keep the complete working path on one page so a coding agent can reach a checkable result without guessing which instructions apply.

Prerequisites and supported versions

State prerequisites as requirements an agent can check before installing the SDK. Replace every bracketed field with your product's actual values, and remove fields that do not apply.

The example requires [RUNTIME] version [TESTED_RUNTIME_VERSION] and supports [TESTED_RUNTIME_RANGE].
The example uses [SDK] version [SDK_VERSION] and supports [TESTED_SDK_RANGE]. For [INTEGRATION], it also requires [FRAMEWORK] version [TESTED_FRAMEWORK_VERSION].
The example runs in [SUPPORTED_ENVIRONMENTS] against API version [TESTED_API_VERSION].
Authentication requires [CREDENTIAL_TYPE] with [REQUIRED_SCOPE], supplied through [ENV_VAR].
[OPTION_A] and [OPTION_B] cannot be used together.

Name any known unsupported environments in this block too. An agent can then reject an incompatible setup before it reaches the install command.

Versioned install command

Pin the install command to the SDK release named in your prerequisites. An agent can then install the version your runnable example uses, rather than pulling a newer release with different behavior.

# Replace this pattern with the tested install command for [SDK_VERSION].
[VERSIONED_INSTALL_COMMAND]

Replace every bracketed token with your product's actual package manager, package name, and release before publishing.

Scoped credential handoff with required approvals

Keep credential setup in the quickstart so the agent knows when to act, when to pause, and how to resume. Replace each bracketed field with a documented step for your product.

If your product supports agent-provisioned sandbox resources, the agent uses [APPROVED_SANDBOX_PROVISIONING_METHOD] to create [SANDBOX_RESOURCE]. Otherwise, it requests an approved resource through [HUMAN_HANDOFF_STEP]. Complete any required authentication and approval before provisioning.
The agent pauses for human approval before [paid plan], [billing or legal acceptance], [destructive action], [broad permission], or [production access]. If approval is denied, the agent stops and reports the unmet prerequisite.
After approval, [approved credential method] supplies a token limited to [required scope] and [resource]. Where supported, use a short-lived token exchange and inject the credential into [environment variable] rather than printing it in chat or committing it to the repository.
The agent resumes [quickstart operation] and checks [expected API result].

The handoff must preserve your product's required authorization, billing, and security approvals. A sandbox-first path reduces manual setup, but it never grants permission to skip a required gate.

Runnable code example with placeholders

Use bracketed tokens here to show what the publisher must supply. Before publishing, replace the example with tested SDK code that performs one API request and prints the result your verification task checks.

import os

# Replace these placeholders with tested imports and SDK calls.
from [SDK_PACKAGE] import [CLIENT_CLASS]

client = [CLIENT_CLASS](
    [CREDENTIAL_ARG]=os.environ["[CREDENTIAL_VAR]"],
    [ENDPOINT_ARG]="[ENDPOINT]",
)
result = client.[METHOD_NAME]([REQUEST_ARG]="[REQUEST_VALUE]")
print("api_response=" + str(result.[RESULT_FIELD]))

Adapt the constructor, request arguments, and result access to your SDK. Use an operation with a checkable result, and keep the credential in an environment variable rather than the code block.

Expected output and common errors with recovery steps

Show output that the published example actually prints after a successful API call. If the operation creates an event, show how the verification task checks that event. Replace every bracketed token with a tested value before publishing. Keep credentials out of the output.

api_response=[EXPECTED_SUCCESS_RESPONSE]

Keep recovery steps limited to errors the example can produce. Use your product's exact error messages when you replace the placeholders.

Error	Cause	Fix	Data safety
`[AUTH_ERROR]`	The token is missing, expired, or lacks `[REQUIRED_SCOPE]`.	Check `[CREDENTIAL_VAR]` in the approved secret store. Obtain or renew a scoped token through the normal approval process, then rerun `[RUN_COMMAND]`.	Before retrying a write, check its status through `[REQUEST_STATUS_CHECK]`.
`[INVALID_FIELD_ERROR]`	`[REQUEST_FIELD]` contains `[RECEIVED_VALUE]` instead of an allowed value.	Replace it with `[ALLOWED_VALUE]`, check the first request's status through `[REQUEST_STATUS_CHECK]`, then rerun `[RUN_COMMAND]` if safe.	Do not repeat a write whose status is unknown.
`[EVENT_NOT_FOUND]`	The verification check cannot find `[EXPECTED_EVENT_ID]`.	Check the operation through `[REQUEST_STATUS_CHECK]`. If it completed, fix the event check and rerun `[VERIFY_COMMAND]`. Otherwise, fix the request and rerun it only when safe.	Do not repeat a write until you confirm its status.

A command that exits successfully without producing the expected event fails verification.

Executable verification task

Replace every bracketed token with a tested command before publishing. Configure the task to fail on an API error, compare a stable response field, and check the completed operation separately if the response alone cannot prove it finished.

set -eu
[CHECK_INSTALLED_PACKAGE_COMMAND]
[RUN_EXAMPLE_COMMAND] > example-output.txt
[CHECK_API_SUCCESS_COMMAND]
[COMPARE_EXAMPLE_WITH_EXPECTED_OUTPUT_COMMAND]
[RUN_SAVED_REPOSITORY_CODE_COMMAND] > saved-code-output.txt
[COMPARE_SAVED_CODE_WITH_EXPECTED_OUTPUT_COMMAND]
[CHECK_COMPLETED_OPERATION_COMMAND]
[CHECK_NO_SECRETS_COMMITTED_COMMAND]

Pass only when the package is installed, the example completes a real API call, and the code saved in the repository produces the documented result. A clean exit without the expected response fails. If responses include variable fields such as request IDs, compare only documented stable fields in both runs. Use the service's status check to verify completion rather than treating a matching field as proof.

Verification checklist

Before you ship the quickstart, check that an agent can follow and verify the complete path.

Prerequisites state required runtime, SDK, and supported environment versions as hard requirements.
The install command pins the package version used by the code example.
Credential instructions specify the required scope and keep secrets out of chat and source control. Required human approvals remain in place for paid, destructive, or production access.
Every product-specific command, method, credential name, and expected value uses a clearly marked placeholder until you replace it with tested syntax.
The install step confirms only that the package installed.
The run step confirms that a real API call succeeded and returned the documented output.
The verification task checks that the final repository contains working code, passes its acceptance checks, and keeps secrets out of source control.

Testing the quickstart with repeated real coding-agent sessions

Run Gauge Agents on a representative integration task in an isolated copy of a real repository. Give each coding agent the same task and the quickstart's pass criteria. Run multiple fresh sessions so you can see where agents take different paths rather than relying on one successful attempt.

Inspect each session's trace to see whether the agent fetched the quickstart, followed another document, or hit a broken URL. Record package installation, a successful API call, and verified working code separately. An API response proves the agent reached the service, but the final repository still needs to pass the quickstart's executable check and keep credentials out of source control.

When a trace points to a documentation problem, revise the relevant quickstart instruction and rerun the task. Keep the agent, model, prompt, and starting repository constant so the documentation change remains the variable you are testing. If your Gauge Agents setup supports session forking, you can fork a recorded session at the fetch or failure point and inspect how the agent handles the revised page. Compare the new trace and final verification with the original run, then repeat the full task across fresh sessions before treating the fix as reliable.

Agent-ready SDK quickstart FAQs

Does installing an SDK prove a coding agent completed the API integration?

No. Installation confirms that the package manager downloaded the SDK, while a successful API call confirms that the example can reach the service. Verified working code also requires the final repository to pass the quickstart's acceptance check.

Why should an SDK quickstart mark example commands as placeholders?

Realistic-looking commands can look safe to copy even when they do not belong to your product. Mark every product-specific package, version, method, and output value with a bracketed placeholder. Replace each placeholder with tested syntax before publishing.

Can coding agents get SDK credentials without bypassing human approval?

An agent can receive a narrow, short-lived credential through an approved handoff that keeps secrets out of chat and source control. You must still require human approval for paid plans, broad permissions, destructive actions, and production access. After approval, the agent can continue the quickstart.

When should you rerun coding-agent SDK quickstart verification?

Rerun verification after any change to the quickstart's commands, credentials, example, or expected output. Keep the agent, model, task, and starting repository the same when comparing results. Also rerun a stable test set at a consistent interval.