Recipe Reference Guide

Recipes are reusable Goose configurations that package up a specific setup so it can be easily shared and launched by others.

Recipe File Format

Recipes can be defined in either:

• .yaml files (recommended)
• .json files

Files should be named either:

• recipe.yaml/recipe.json
• <recipe_name>.yaml/<recipe_name>.json

After creating recipe files, you can use goose CLI commands to run or validate the files and to manage recipe sharing.

CLI and Desktop Formats

The Goose CLI supports CLI and Desktop recipe formats:

• CLI Format: Recipe fields (like title, description, instructions) are at the root level of the YAML/JSON file
• Desktop Format: Recipe fields are nested inside a recipe object, with additional metadata fields at the root level

The CLI automatically detects and handles both formats when running goose run --recipe <file> and goose recipe commands.

Format Examples

CLI Format:

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Code Review Assistant"
description: "Automated code review with best practices"
instructions: "You are a code reviewer..."
prompt: "Review the code in this repository"
extensions: []

Desktop Format:

name: "Code Review Assistant"
recipe:
  version: "1.0.0"
  title: "Code Review Assistant"
  description: "Automated code review with best practices"
  instructions: "You are a code reviewer..."
  prompt: "Review the code in this repository"
  extensions: []
isGlobal: true
lastModified: 2025-07-02T03:46:46.778Z
isArchived: false

note

Goose automatically adds metadata fields to recipes saved from the Desktop app.

Recipe Structure

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
version	String	The recipe format version (e.g., "1.0.0")
title	String	A short title describing the recipe
description	String	A detailed description of what the recipe does

Optional Fields

Field	Type	Description
instructions	String	Template instructions that can include parameter substitutions
prompt	String	A template prompt that can include parameter substitutions; required in headless (non-interactive) mode
parameters	Array	List of parameter definitions
extensions	Array	List of extension configurations
settings	Object	Configuration for model provider, model name, and other settings
sub_recipes	Array	List of sub-recipes
response	Object	Configuration for structured output validation
retry	Object	Configuration for automated retry logic with success validation

Desktop Format Metadata Fields

When recipes are saved from Goose Desktop, additional metadata fields are included at the top level (outside the recipe key). These fields are used by the Desktop app for organization and management but are ignored by CLI operations.

Field	Type	Description
name	String	Display name used in Desktop Recipe Library
isGlobal	Boolean	Whether the recipe is available globally or locally to a project
lastModified	String	ISO timestamp of when the recipe was last modified
isArchived	Boolean	Whether the recipe is archived in the Desktop interface

Parameters

Each parameter in the parameters array has the following structure:

Required Parameter Fields

Field	Type	Description
key	String	Unique identifier for the parameter
input_type	String	Type of input (e.g., "string")
requirement	String	One of: "required", "optional", or "user_prompt"
description	String	Human-readable description of the parameter

Optional Parameter Fields

Field	Type	Description
default	String	Default value for optional parameters

Parameter Requirements

• required: Parameter must be provided when using the recipe
• optional: Can be omitted if a default value is specified
• user_prompt: Will interactively prompt the user for input if not provided

The required and optional parameters work best for recipes opened in Goose Desktop. If a value isn't provided for a user_prompt parameter, the parameter won't be substituted and may appear as literal {{ parameter_name }} text in the recipe output.

important

• Optional parameters MUST have a default value specified
• Required parameters cannot have default values
• Parameter keys must match any template variables used in instructions or prompt

Extensions

The extensions field allows you to specify which Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and other extensions the recipe needs to function. Each extension in the array has the following structure:

Extension Fields

Field	Type	Description
type	String	Type of extension (e.g., "stdio")
name	String	Unique name for the extension
cmd	String	Command to run the extension
args	Array	List of arguments for the command
env_keys	Array	(Optional) Names of environment variables required by the extension
timeout	Number	Timeout in seconds
bundled	Boolean	(Optional) Whether the extension is bundled with Goose
description	String	Description of what the extension does

Example Extension Configuration

extensions:
  - type: stdio
    name: codesearch
    cmd: uvx
    args:
      - mcp_codesearch@latest
    timeout: 300
    bundled: true
    description: "Query https://codesearch.sqprod.co/ directly from goose"
  
  - type: stdio
    name: presidio
    timeout: 300
    cmd: uvx
    args:
      - 'mcp_presidio@latest'

  - type: stdio
    name: github-mcp
    cmd: github-mcp-server
    args: []
    env_keys:
      - GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN
    timeout: 60
    description: "GitHub MCP extension for repository operations"

Extension Secrets

This feature is only available through the CLI.

If a recipe uses an extension that requires a secret, Goose can prompt users to provide the secret when running the recipe:

1. When a recipe is loaded, Goose scans all extensions (including those in sub-recipes) for env_keys fields
2. If any required environment variables are missing from the secure keyring, Goose prompts the user to enter them
3. Values are stored securely in the system keyring and reused for subsequent runs

To update a stored secret, remove it from the system keyring and run the recipe again to be re-prompted.

info

This feature is designed to prompt for and securely store secrets (such as API keys), but env_keys can include any environment variable needed by the extension (such as API endpoints, configuration values, etc.).

Users can press ESC to skip entering a variable if it's optional for the extension.

Settings

The settings field allows you to configure the AI model and provider settings for the recipe. This overrides the default configuration when the recipe is executed.

Settings Fields

Field	Type	Description
goose_provider	String	(Optional) The AI provider to use (e.g., "anthropic", "openai")
goose_model	String	(Optional) The specific model name to use
temperature	Number	(Optional) The temperature setting for the model (typically 0.0-1.0)

Example Settings Configuration

settings:
  goose_provider: "anthropic"
  goose_model: "claude-3-5-sonnet-latest"
  temperature: 0.7

settings:
  goose_provider: "openai"
  goose_model: "gpt-4o"
  temperature: 0.3

note

Settings specified in a recipe will override your default Goose configuration when that recipe is executed. If no settings are specified, Goose will use your configured defaults.

Sub-Recipes

The sub_recipes field specifies the sub-recipes that the main recipe calls to perform specific tasks. Each sub-recipe in the array has the following structure:

Sub-Recipe Fields

Field	Type	Description
name	String	Unique identifier for the sub-recipe
path	String	Relative or absolute path to the sub-recipe file
values	Object	(Optional) Pre-configured parameter values that are passed to the sub-recipe
sequential_when_repeated	Boolean	(Optional) Forces sequential execution of multiple sub-recipe instances. See Running Sub-Recipes In Parallel for details

Example Sub-Recipe Configuration

sub_recipes:
  - name: "security_scan"
    path: "./sub-recipes/security-analysis.yaml"
    values:  # in key-value format: {parameter_name}: {parameter_value}
      scan_level: "comprehensive"
      include_dependencies: "true"
  
  - name: "quality_check"
    path: "./sub-recipes/quality-analysis.yaml"

Automated Retry with Success Validation

The retry field enables recipes to automatically retry execution if success criteria are not met. This is useful for recipes that might need multiple attempts to achieve their goal, or for implementing automated validation and recovery workflows.

Retry Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Description
max_retries	Number	Maximum number of retry attempts (required)
timeout_seconds	Number	(Optional) Timeout for success check commands (default: 300 seconds)
on_failure_timeout_seconds	Number	(Optional) Timeout for on_failure commands (default: 600 seconds)
checks	Array	List of success check configurations (required)
on_failure	String	(Optional) Shell command to run when a retry attempt fails

Success Check Configuration

Each success check in the checks array has the following structure:

Field	Type	Description
type	String	Type of check - currently only "shell" is supported
command	String	Shell command to execute for validation (must exit with code 0 for success)

How Retry Logic Works

1. Recipe Execution: The recipe runs normally with the provided instructions
2. Success Validation: After completion, all success checks are executed in order
3. Retry Decision: If any success check fails and retry attempts remain:
   • Execute the on_failure command (if configured)
   • Reset the agent's message history to initial state
   • Increment retry counter and restart execution
4. Completion: Process stops when either:
   • All success checks pass (success)
   • Maximum retry attempts are reached (failure)

Basic Retry Example

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Counter Increment Task"
description: "Increment a counter until it reaches target value"
prompt: "Increment the counter value in /tmp/counter.txt by 1."

retry:
  max_retries: 5
  timeout_seconds: 10
  checks:
    - type: shell
      command: "test $(cat /tmp/counter.txt 2>/dev/null || echo 0) -ge 3"
  on_failure: "echo 'Counter is at:' $(cat /tmp/counter.txt 2>/dev/null || echo 0) '(need 3 to succeed)'"

Advanced Retry Example

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Service Health Check"
description: "Start service and verify it's running properly"
prompt: "Start the web service and verify it responds to health checks"

retry:
  max_retries: 3
  timeout_seconds: 30
  on_failure_timeout_seconds: 60
  checks:
    - type: shell
      command: "curl -f http://localhost:8080/health"
    - type: shell  
      command: "pgrep -f 'web-service' > /dev/null"
  on_failure: "systemctl stop web-service || killall web-service"

Environment Variables

You can configure retry behavior globally using environment variables:

• GOOSE_RECIPE_RETRY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: Global timeout for success check commands
• GOOSE_RECIPE_ON_FAILURE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: Global timeout for on_failure commands

These environment variables are overridden by recipe-specific timeout configurations.

Structured Output with response

The response field enables recipes to enforce a final structured JSON output from Goose. When you specify a json_schema, Goose will:

1. Validate the output: Validates the output JSON against your JSON schema with basic JSON schema validations
2. Final structured output: Ensure the final output of the agent is a response matching your JSON structure

This enables automation by returning consistent, parseable results for scripts and workflows. Recipes can produce structured output when run from either the Goose CLI or Goose Desktop. See use cases and ideas for automation workflows.

Basic Structure

response:
  json_schema:
    type: object
    properties:
      # Define your fields here, with their type and description
    required:
      # List required field names

Simple Example

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Task Summary"
description: "Summarize completed tasks"
prompt: "Summarize the tasks you completed"
response:
  json_schema:
    type: object
    properties:
      summary:
        type: string
        description: "Brief summary of work done"
      tasks_completed:
        type: number
        description: "Number of tasks finished"
      next_steps:
        type: array
        items:
          type: string
        description: "Recommended next actions"
    required:
      - summary
      - tasks_completed

Template Support

Recipes support Jinja-style template syntax in both instructions and prompt fields:

instructions: "Follow these steps with {{ parameter_name }}"
prompt: "Your task is to {{ action }}"

Advanced template features include:

• Template inheritance using {% extends "parent.yaml" %}
• Blocks that can be defined and overridden:

  {% block content %}
  Default content
  {% endblock %}
• indent() template filter

indent() Filter For Multi-Line Values

Use the indent() filter to ensure multi-line parameter values are properly indented and can be resolved as valid JSON or YAML format. This example uses {{ raw_data | indent(2) }} to specify an indentation of two spaces when passing data to a sub-recipe:

sub_recipes:
  - name: "analyze"
    path: "./analyze.yaml"
    values:
      content: |
        {{ raw_data | indent(2) }}

Built-in Parameters

Parameter	Description
recipe_dir	Automatically set to the directory containing the recipe file

Complete Recipe Example

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Example Recipe"
description: "A sample recipe demonstrating the format"
instructions: "Follow these steps with {{ required_param }} and {{ optional_param }}"
prompt: "Your task is to use {{ required_param }}"
parameters:
  - key: required_param
    input_type: string
    requirement: required
    description: "A required parameter example"
  
  - key: optional_param
    input_type: string
    requirement: optional
    default: "default value"
    description: "An optional parameter example"
  
  - key: interactive_param
    input_type: string
    requirement: user_prompt
    description: "Will prompt user if not provided"

extensions:
  - type: stdio
    name: codesearch
    cmd: uvx
    args:
      - mcp_codesearch@latest
    timeout: 300
    bundled: true
    description: "Query codesearch directly from goose"

settings:
  goose_provider: "anthropic"
  goose_model: "claude-3-5-sonnet-latest"
  temperature: 0.7

retry:
  max_retries: 3
  timeout_seconds: 30
  checks:
    - type: shell
      command: "echo 'Task validation check passed'"
  on_failure: "echo 'Retry attempt failed, cleaning up...'"

response:
  json_schema:
    type: object
    properties:
      result:
        type: string
        description: "The main result of the task"
      details:
        type: array
        items:
          type: string
        description: "Additional details of steps taken"
    required:
      - result
      - status

Template Inheritance

Parent recipe (parent.yaml):

version: "1.0.0"
title: "Parent Recipe"
description: "Base recipe template"
prompt: |
  {% block prompt %}
  Default prompt text
  {% endblock %}

Child recipe:

{% extends "parent.yaml" %}
{% block prompt %}
Modified prompt text
{% endblock %}

Recipe Location

Recipes can be loaded from:

1. Local filesystem:
   • Current directory
   • Directories specified in GOOSE_RECIPE_PATH environment variable
2. GitHub repositories:
   • Configure using GOOSE_RECIPE_GITHUB_REPO configuration key
   • Requires GitHub CLI (gh) to be installed and authenticated

Validation Rules

The following rules are enforced when loading recipes:

1. All template variables must have corresponding parameter definitions
2. Optional parameters must have default values
3. Parameter keys must be unique
4. Recipe files must be valid YAML or JSON
5. Required fields (version, title, description) must be present

Error Handling

Common errors to watch for:

• Missing required parameters
• Optional parameters without default values
• Template variables without parameter definitions
• Invalid YAML/JSON syntax
• Missing required fields
• Invalid extension configurations
• Invalid retry configuration (missing required fields, invalid shell commands)

When these occur, Goose will provide helpful error messages indicating what needs to be fixed.

Retry-Specific Errors

• Invalid success checks: Shell commands that cannot be executed or have syntax errors
• Timeout errors: Success checks or on_failure commands that exceed their timeout limits
• Max retries exceeded: When all retry attempts are exhausted without success
• Missing required retry fields: When max_retries or checks are not specified

Learn More

Check out the Goose Recipes guide for more docs, tools, and resources to help you master Goose recipes.