Instead of manually editing configuration files, you can use AI coding assistants to create and modify GeoEngine workers from natural language prompts. This page provides ready-to-use prompts for popular AI coder tools.
For the full manual workflow, see Creating a Worker.
Prerequisites
- GeoEngine is installed and logged in
- Docker is running
- An AI coding assistant of your choice (see supported tools below)
| Tool | Provider | How to Use |
|---|
| Claude Code (recommended) | Anthropic | Run from terminal in your script directory |
| Cursor | Cursor | Open your script folder as a project |
| GitHub Copilot | GitHub / OpenAI | Use in VS Code, JetBrains, or CLI |
| Windsurf | Codeium | Open your script folder as a project |
| Codex | OpenAI | Run from terminal in your script directory |
| Antigravity IDE | Google | Open your script folder as workspace |
GeoEngine AI Agent Skills
GeoEngine ships with built-in AI agent skills that give your AI coder structured knowledge of the GeoEngine workflow. If you ran geoengine patch --init during installation, the following skills are already available to your agent:
| Skill | Description |
|---|
use-geoengine | Master routing skill — handles any GeoEngine request and routes to the correct sub-skill or CLI command |
make-geoengine-worker | End-to-end workflow: creates a new GeoEngine worker from scratch, including init, argparse, YAML, pixi.toml, and apply |
write-geoengine-yaml | Writes or updates the geoengine.yaml configuration file for a worker |
write-argparse | Adds CLI argument parsing to a script so GeoEngine can pass --name value flags at runtime |
write-pixi-toml | Writes or updates the pixi.toml dependency file for a worker |
With these skills installed, even short prompts like “Make this script a GeoEngine worker” will trigger the full automated workflow. Without skills, the prompts on this page still work — the AI coder will use the GeoEngine CLI directly based on your instructions.
Give the AI Coder Access to Your Script
Allow your AI coder access to the directory that contains your script:
- Claude Code / Codex — run the agent from the terminal inside the script’s directory
- Cursor / Windsurf / GitHub Copilot — open the script folder as a project in the IDE
- Antigravity — open the project folder as the workspace
The AI coder needs to be able to read and write files in that directory to create and edit geoengine.yaml, pixi.toml, and your script.
Creating a New Worker
Describe your script, its inputs, and its outputs. The AI coder will handle the rest — initialising the worker, writing the config files, and building the container.
Prompt Template
I have a [Python/R] script called [script-name] in this directory that [describe what the script does].
Make it a GeoEngine worker called [worker-name] with these inputs and outputs:
Inputs:
- [name]: [type] — [description]
- [name]: [type] — [description]
Outputs:
- [name]: [type] — [description]
[Optional: Enable the QGIS/ArcGIS Pro plugin.]
file, folder, string, number, boolean, enum, datetime.
Example: GeoTIFF to COG Conversion Worker
I have a Python script called main.py in this directory that converts a GeoTIFF raster
to a Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) using rasterio.
Make it a GeoEngine worker called geotiff-to-cog with these inputs and outputs:
Inputs:
- input-file: file (.tif, .tiff) — the source GeoTIFF raster to convert
- compression: enum (deflate, lzw, zstd, none) — compression method, default deflate
- overview-levels: string — overview levels to generate, default "2 4 8 16"
Outputs:
- output-folder: folder — directory where the converted COG will be saved
Enable the QGIS plugin.
Modifying an Existing Worker
Describe what you want to change. The AI coder will update the script, config files, and dependencies as needed.
Prompt Template
I have an existing GeoEngine worker in this directory. [Describe the change you want to make.]
Examples
Add a new boolean input called "overwrite" to my GeoEngine worker that controls whether
existing output files should be replaced. Default to false.
Add the numpy and scipy packages to my GeoEngine worker's dependencies.
My GeoEngine worker currently outputs a single GeoJSON file. Change it so it also
outputs a summary CSV with per-feature statistics.
Debugging with AI Coder
Prompt: Fix a Build Failure
My GeoEngine worker failed to build. Here is the error output:
[paste the error output from geoengine apply]
Please diagnose the issue and fix it. Common causes include missing dependencies in pixi.toml, incorrect pixi.toml syntax, or script import errors.
Prompt: Fix a Runtime Error
My GeoEngine worker builds successfully but fails when I run it. Here is the error:
[paste the error output from geoengine run or the GIS log panel]
Please diagnose and fix the issue. Then run `geoengine apply --dev` to rebuild.
Prompt: Inspect and Explain a Worker
Explain what this GeoEngine worker does. Read the geoengine.yaml, pixi.toml, and the main script in this directory and give me a summary of:
- What inputs it accepts
- What it does with them
- What outputs it produces
- What dependencies it needs
Tips for Best Results
- Be specific about inputs and outputs — mention file types (
.tif, .geojson, .csv), whether inputs are read-only or writable outputs, and any optional parameters so the AI sets up geoengine.yaml correctly
- Bounce with the agent — AI agents are not perfect. It is unlikely that the agent will succeed on first try. Paste error logs into the prompt to get the agent to fix, before trying again
- Iterate with
--dev — always use geoengine apply --dev during development to skip version checks; run geoengine apply (without --dev) when ready for a production release
- Review generated files — check that
geoengine.yaml inputs match your script’s argparse arguments
- Mention GIS plugins — if you need QGIS or ArcGIS Pro support, include that in your prompt (e.g. “enable this for QGIS”)
Next Steps
