gsw (Google Switch)

Switch Google Cloud configurations instantly.

gsw is a lightweight Bash/Zsh plugin that makes switching between Google Cloud SDK configurations effortless. It defaults to Session switching (changing only for the current terminal tab), with an option for Global switching.

Why gsw?

Managing multiple Google Cloud projects usually involves gcloud config configurations activate ..., which changes the global state. This becomes dangerous when you have multiple terminals open—running a command in one terminal might target the wrong project because you switched configs in another tab.

Comparison

Feature	gsw	gcloud activate	direnv
Scope	Session (Current tab)	Global (All tabs)	Directory-based
Switching	Ad-hoc (Anywhere)	Ad-hoc (Anywhere)	Automatic (On cd)
Safety	High (Isolated)	Low (Side effects)	High (Context-aware)
Setup	Zero	Zero	Needs .envrc files

How it works

gsw is a clean wrapper around the CLOUDSDK_ACTIVE_CONFIG_NAME environment variable. When you run gsw <config>, it exports this variable to your current shell session. Since the Google Cloud SDK honors this variable over the global configuration, you get instant, safe isolation without any complex magic.

Features

• 🛡️ Session Isolation: gsw <config> switches only in the current terminal tab (perfect for multi-project workflows).
• ⚡ Global Switch: gsw -g <config> to switch globally when needed.
• 🧠 Auto-Completion: Tab completion for your existing gcloud configurations (Bash & Zsh).
• 📦 Zero Dependencies: Pure Shell functions.

Demo

Installation

gsw is just a shell script. Choose the method that fits your workflow.

Method 1: Zsh Plugin Managers

If you use a plugin manager, this is the cleanest way to keep gsw updated.

zplug:

zplug "sakebook/gsw", use:gsw.sh

sheldon:

[plugins.gsw]
github = "sakebook/gsw"
use = ["gsw.sh"]

Method 2: Manual Install

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone https://github.com/sakebook/gsw.git ~/.gsw

2. Add this to your ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc):

   source ~/.gsw/gsw.sh

Method 3: One-Line Install (Fastest)

Run this command to install gsw to ~/.gsw and update your .zshrc automatically:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sakebook/gsw/main/install.sh | bash

Usage

Session Switch (Default)

Changes the active configuration only for the current shell session. This sets the CLOUDSDK_ACTIVE_CONFIG_NAME environment variable.

gsw my-work-profile

Global Switch (-g)

Changes the active configuration for all open terminals.

gsw -g my-personal-profile

List Configurations

Just run gsw without arguments to see available configurations and usage help.

gsw

license

MIT