Splunk Add-on for Google Cloud Platform Setup

Prerequisites

Tool or access	Purpose	Verify
Bash and Python 3	Run bundled setup and validation helpers	bash --version && python3 --version
Required product/platform access	Inspect or configure the selected target	Complete the documented preflight
Credential files for live modes	Keep secrets out of chat	Verify paths only

Workflow Overview

┌───────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌─────────────────┐
│ Preflight │ → │ Render/review │ → │ Apply/handoff │ → │ Validate evidence │
└───────────┘   └───────────────┘   └───────────────┘   └─────────────────┘

When to Activate

• Splunk_TA_google-cloudplatform, the Splunk Add-on for Google Cloud Platform, GCP audit logs, Cloud Logging, Pub/Sub ingestion, or GCP log onboarding in Splunk.
• Preview and review the splunk gcp ta setup workflow before any live apply phase.
• Diagnose failed prerequisites, generated assets, configuration, or validation evidence.

Scope

Follow the documented read-only or render-first path whenever it is available. This skill does not imply permission to mutate live systems. Require explicit apply flags, protected credentials, and operator review for state changes.

Examples

Inspect the supported setup modes before selecting one:

bash skills/splunk-gcp-ta-setup/scripts/setup.sh --help

Expected output: usage, supported modes, and required arguments are displayed without changing the target environment.

Inspect validation modes before running completion checks:

bash skills/splunk-gcp-ta-setup/scripts/validate.sh --help

Expected output: offline, live, and completion options are displayed when the skill supports them; help exits without mutation.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Preflight fails	A required tool or access path is missing	Resolve it before rendering or applying
Rendered assets are incomplete	Required non-secret inputs are absent	Complete intake and render again
Apply is blocked	Review, credentials, or explicit acceptance is missing	Use the documented handoff
Validation is incomplete	Live evidence is unavailable	Record the gap and keep completion open

TA Completion Gate

For every TA/add-on or dashboard companion run, satisfy the shared TA completion gate: configure and enable the data ingest path owned by this skill or its required companion, validate events or metrics in the target indexes/source types, and verify any pre-built/package-shipped dashboards are visible, macro-aligned, and returning data. If the package ships no dashboards, record that evidence explicitly and hand off dashboard use to the consuming app, ES/ITSI/ARI content, or readiness doctor.

Render-first automation for the Splunk Add-on for Google Cloud Platform (Splunk_TA_google-cloudplatform, Splunkbase 3088). This skill centers on the Cloud Logging -> Pub/Sub ingestion path, which is the GCP SIEM/audit feed, and documents the other inputs (Monitoring, Billing, buckets, resource metadata).

The add-on runs on the search tier or a heavy forwarder. Run a given Pub/Sub subscription on a single node to avoid duplicate acknowledgement.

Primary Feed

Input	Source type
google_cloud_pubsub	google:gcp:pubsub:message

Cloud Audit Logs delivered through Pub/Sub are auto-classified into google:gcp:pubsub:audit:admin_activity, :data_access, :system_event, and :policy_denied.

Credentials

Never paste a service-account key in chat or argv. Prefer ADC on a GCE/GKE collector, or upload a JSON key file in the add-on Configuration tab:

bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/gcp_sa_key.json

See the rendered account-setup.md for the service account, IAM roles, and the Cloud Logging sink -> Pub/Sub export steps.

Workflow

1. Render reviewable assets (offline):

bash skills/splunk-gcp-ta-setup/scripts/setup.sh --render \
  --index gcp --project my-gcp-project --subscription splunk-export-sub

2. Install the add-on and create the index:

bash skills/splunk-gcp-ta-setup/scripts/setup.sh --install --create-index --index gcp

3. Configure the credential and the Pub/Sub log export (account-setup.md), then enable the rendered input.

4. Validate:

bash skills/splunk-gcp-ta-setup/scripts/validate.sh --index gcp

See reference.md for the full input catalog, credential model, source types, and placement guardrails. For Cloud Monitoring metrics into Splunk Observability Cloud, use splunk-observability-gcp-integration instead.