Troubleshooting complex Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) issues can be time-consuming,
even with standard tools. Deciphering cryptic error messages or identifying
subtle patterns in logs and metrics often requires deep expertise.
Use this page to see how Gemini Cloud Assist accelerates the diagnosis
of complex problems by analyzing error messages, recommending solutions, and
performing automated investigations to help you find the root cause faster.
This information is important for Platform admins and operators seeking to
quickly understand and resolve cluster or node-level issues, for
Application developers needing to debug application errors and interpret
complex stack traces, and for Security specialists looking to use AI-powered
analysis to identify potential security-related anomalies or misconfigurations.
For more information about the common roles and example tasks that we reference
in Google Cloud content, seeCommon GKE user roles and tasks.
Access Gemini Cloud Assist
To access Gemini Cloud Assist, complete the following steps:
In the Google Cloud console, go to any page.
In the Google Cloud console toolbar, clicksparkOpen or close Gemini Cloud Assist chat.
TheCloud Assistpanel opens. You can click example prompts if they are
displayed, or you can enter a prompt in theEnter a promptfield.
Explore example prompts
To help you understand how Gemini Cloud Assist can help you, here
are some example prompts:
Theme
Scenario
Example prompt
How Gemini Cloud Assist can help
Confusing error message
A Pod has theCrashLoopBackoffstatus, but the error message is hard to understand.
What does this GKE Pod error mean and what are common causes:panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference?
Gemini Cloud Assist analyzes the message and explains it in clear terms. It also offers potential causes and solutions.
Performance issues
Your team notices high latency for an app that runs in GKE.
Myapi-gatewayservice in theprodGKE cluster is experiencing high latency. What metrics should I check first, and can you suggest some common GKE-related causes for this?
Gemini Cloud Assist suggests key metrics to examine, explores potential issues (for example, resource constraints, or network congestion), and recommends tools and techniques for further investigation.
Node issues
A GKE node is stuck with a status ofNotReady.
One of my GKE nodes (node-xyz) is showing aNotReadystatus. What are the typical steps to troubleshoot this?
Gemini Cloud Assist provides a step-by-step investigation plan, explaining concepts like node auto-repair and suggesting relevantkubectlcommands.
Understanding GKE
You're unsure about a specific GKE feature or how to implement a best practice.
What are the best practices for securing a GKE cluster? Is there any way I can learn more?
Gemini Cloud Assist provides clear explanations of GKE best practices. ClickShow related contentto see links to official documentation.
For more information, see the following resources:
In addition to interactive chat, Gemini Cloud Assist can perform more
automated, in-depth analysis through Gemini Cloud Assist
Investigations. This feature is integrated directly into workflows like
Logs Explorer, and is a powerful root-cause analysis tool.
When you initiate an investigation from an error or a specific resource,
Gemini Cloud Assist analyzes logs, configurations, and metrics.
It uses this data to produce ranked observations and hypotheses about probable
root causes, and then provides you with recommended next steps. You can also
transfer these results to a Google Cloud support case to provide valuable
context that can help you resolve your issue faster.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-10 UTC."],[],[],null,["[Autopilot](/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/autopilot-overview) [Standard](/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/choose-cluster-mode)\n\n*** ** * ** ***\n\n|\n| **Preview**\n|\n|\n| This product or feature is\n|\n| subject to the \"Pre-GA Offerings Terms\" in the General Service Terms section of the\n| [Service Specific Terms](/terms/service-terms#1).\n|\n| Pre-GA products and features are available \"as is\" and might have limited support.\n|\n| For more information, see the\n| [launch stage descriptions](/products#product-launch-stages).\n\nTroubleshooting complex Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) issues can be time-consuming,\neven with standard tools. Deciphering cryptic error messages or identifying\nsubtle patterns in logs and metrics often requires deep expertise.\n\nUse this page to see how Gemini Cloud Assist accelerates the diagnosis\nof complex problems by analyzing error messages, recommending solutions, and\nperforming automated investigations to help you find the root cause faster.\n\nThis information is important for Platform admins and operators seeking to\nquickly understand and resolve cluster or node-level issues, for\nApplication developers needing to debug application errors and interpret\ncomplex stack traces, and for Security specialists looking to use AI-powered\nanalysis to identify potential security-related anomalies or misconfigurations.\nFor more information about the common roles and example tasks that we reference\nin Google Cloud content, see\n[Common GKE user roles and tasks](/kubernetes-engine/enterprise/docs/concepts/roles-tasks).\n| As an early-stage technology, Gemini for Google Cloud\n| products can generate output that seems plausible but is factually incorrect. We recommend that you\n| validate all output from Gemini for Google Cloud products before you use it.\n| For more information, see\n| [Gemini for Google Cloud and responsible AI](/gemini/docs/discover/responsible-ai).\n\nAccess Gemini Cloud Assist\n\nTo access Gemini Cloud Assist, complete the following steps:\n\n1. In the Google Cloud console, go to any page.\n2. In the Google Cloud console toolbar, click\n spark **Open or close Gemini Cloud Assist chat**.\n\n The **Cloud Assist** panel opens. You can click example prompts if they are\n displayed, or you can enter a prompt in the **Enter a prompt** field.\n\nExplore example prompts\n\nTo help you understand how Gemini Cloud Assist can help you, here\nare some example prompts:\n\n| **Theme** | **Scenario** | **Example prompt** | **How Gemini Cloud Assist can help** |\n|-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| Confusing error message | A Pod has the `CrashLoopBackoff` status, but the error message is hard to understand. | What does this GKE Pod error mean and what are common causes: `panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference`? | Gemini Cloud Assist analyzes the message and explains it in clear terms. It also offers potential causes and solutions. |\n| Performance issues | Your team notices high latency for an app that runs in GKE. | My `api-gateway` service in the `prod` GKE cluster is experiencing high latency. What metrics should I check first, and can you suggest some common GKE-related causes for this? | Gemini Cloud Assist suggests key metrics to examine, explores potential issues (for example, resource constraints, or network congestion), and recommends tools and techniques for further investigation. |\n| Node issues | A GKE node is stuck with a status of `NotReady`. | One of my GKE nodes (`node-xyz`) is showing a `NotReady` status. What are the typical steps to troubleshoot this? | Gemini Cloud Assist provides a step-by-step investigation plan, explaining concepts like node auto-repair and suggesting relevant `kubectl` commands. |\n| Understanding GKE | You're unsure about a specific GKE feature or how to implement a best practice. | What are the best practices for securing a GKE cluster? Is there any way I can learn more? | Gemini Cloud Assist provides clear explanations of GKE best practices. Click **Show related content** to see links to official documentation. |\n\nFor more information, see the following resources:\n\n- Learn how to [write better prompts](/gemini/docs/discover/write-prompts).\n- Learn how to use the [Gemini Cloud Assist panel](/gemini/docs/cloud-assist-panel).\n- Read [Gemini for Google Cloud overview](/gemini/docs/overview).\n- Learn [how Gemini for Google Cloud uses your data](/gemini/docs/discover/data-governance).\n\nUse Gemini Cloud Assist Investigations\n\nIn addition to interactive chat, Gemini Cloud Assist can perform more\nautomated, in-depth analysis through Gemini Cloud Assist\nInvestigations. This feature is integrated directly into workflows like\nLogs Explorer, and is a powerful root-cause analysis tool.\n\nWhen you initiate an investigation from an error or a specific resource,\nGemini Cloud Assist analyzes logs, configurations, and metrics.\nIt uses this data to produce ranked observations and hypotheses about probable\nroot causes, and then provides you with recommended next steps. You can also\ntransfer these results to a Google Cloud support case to provide valuable\ncontext that can help you resolve your issue faster.\n\nFor more information, see\n[Gemini Cloud Assist Investigations](/gemini/docs/cloud-assist/investigations)\nin the Gemini documentation.\n\nWhat's next\n\n- Read\n [Put it all together: Example troubleshooting scenario](/kubernetes-engine/docs/troubleshooting/introduction-example)\n (the next page in this series).\n\n- For advice about resolving specific problems, review\n [GKE's troubleshooting guides](/kubernetes-engine/docs/troubleshooting).\n\n- If you can't find a solution to your problem in the documentation, see\n [Get support](/kubernetes-engine/docs/getting-support) for further help,\n including advice on the following topics:\n\n - Opening a support case by contacting [Cloud Customer Care](/support-hub).\n - Getting support from the community by [asking questions on StackOverflow](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/google-kubernetes-engine) and using the `google-kubernetes-engine` tag to search for similar issues. You can also join the [`#kubernetes-engine` Slack channel](https://googlecloud-community.slack.com/messages/C0B9GKTKJ/) for more community support.\n - Opening bugs or feature requests by using the [public issue tracker](/support/docs/issue-trackers)."]]
