MCPInstall

setting-up-astro-project

by astronomer Official

Initialize and configure Astro/Airflow projects. Use when the user wants to create a new project, set up dependencies, configure connections/variables, or understand project structure. For running the local environment, see managing-astro-local-env.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/astronomer/agents --skill setting-up-astro-project
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads setting-up-astro-project automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Astro Project Setup

This skill helps you initialize and configure Airflow projects using the Astro CLI.

To run the local environment, see the managing-astro-local-env skill. To write DAGs, see the authoring-dags skill. Open-source alternative: If the user isn't on Astro, guide them to Apache Airflow's Docker Compose quickstart for local dev and the Helm chart for production. For deployment strategies, use the deploying-airflow skill.

Initialize a New Project

astro dev init

Don't pass --airflow-version or --runtime-version unless the user explicitly asks for a specific pin. Plain astro dev init resolves to the latest Astro Runtime — that's the right default. Specifying a version risks pinning to a stale value from training data. If the user wants to know what was installed, read the generated Dockerfile afterward instead of guessing.

Creates this structure:

project/
├── dags/                # DAG files
├── include/             # SQL, configs, supporting files
├── plugins/             # Custom Airflow plugins
├── tests/               # Unit tests
├── Dockerfile           # Image customization
├── packages.txt         # OS-level packages
├── requirements.txt     # Python packages
└── airflow_settings.yaml # Connections, variables, pools

Adding Dependencies

Python Packages (requirements.txt)

apache-airflow-providers-snowflake==5.3.0
pandas==2.1.0
requests>=2.28.0

OS Packages (packages.txt)

gcc
libpq-dev

Custom Dockerfile

For complex setups (private PyPI, custom scripts):

FROM quay.io/astronomer/astro-runtime:12.4.0

RUN pip install --extra-index-url https://pypi.example.com/simple my-package

After modifying dependencies: Run astro dev restart

Configuring Connections & Variables

airflow_settings.yaml

Loaded automatically on environment start:

airflow:
  connections:
    - conn_id: my_postgres
      conn_type: postgres
      host: host.docker.internal
      port: 5432
      login: user
      password: pass
      schema: mydb

  variables:
    - variable_name: env
      variable_value: dev

  pools:
    - pool_name: limited_pool
      pool_slot: 5

Export/Import

# Export from running environment
astro dev object export --connections --file connections.yaml

# Import to environment
astro dev object import --connections --file connections.yaml

Validate Before Running

Parse DAGs to catch errors without starting the full environment:

astro dev parse

Related Skills

  • managing-astro-local-env: Start, stop, and troubleshoot the local environment
  • authoring-dags: Write and validate DAGs (uses MCP tools)
  • testing-dags: Test DAGs (uses MCP tools)
  • deploying-airflow: Deploy DAGs to production (Astro, Docker Compose, Kubernetes)

FAQ

What does the setting-up-astro-project skill do?

Initialize and configure Astro/Airflow projects. Use when the user wants to create a new project, set up dependencies, configure connections/variables, or understand project structure. For running the local environment, see managing-astro-local-env.

How do I install setting-up-astro-project?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/astronomer/agents --skill setting-up-astro-project in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/setting-up-astro-project/ (personal) or .claude/skills/setting-up-astro-project/ (project).

Which AI agents can use setting-up-astro-project?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is setting-up-astro-project safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains setting-up-astro-project?

It is published by astronomer in astronomer/agents, and it is an official skill from the maker of the technology it covers. It has 1,061 recorded installs.

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