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name: contexts-and-configuration description: "Choose and configure Great Expectations Data Contexts, metadata stores, credentials, Data Docs, analytics, and import sanity checks." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: Apache 2.0

Contexts and Configuration

Use this sub-skill when a task needs a Great Expectations (GX Core) Data Context, project configuration, safe credential substitution, metadata-store/Data Docs settings, analytics toggles, or a quick import/context sanity check.

Start Here

1. Choose the context deliberately: gx.get_context(mode="ephemeral") for temporary in-memory work, gx.get_context(mode="file", project_root_dir=...) or context_root_dir=... for persisted projects, and avoid Cloud mode in this GX Core line because Cloud construction raises a shutdown error.
2. Keep context setup separate from downstream work: route data connections to ../datasources-and-assets/SKILL.md, expectation suites to ../expectations-and-suites/SKILL.md, validation runs to ../validations-and-results/SKILL.md, and checkpoint/Data Docs action orchestration to ../checkpoints-actions-and-data-docs/SKILL.md.
3. For file-backed projects, edit context.variables.config, call context.variables.save(), and re-initialize the context so stores, Data Docs sites, analytics, and substitutions take effect.
4. Never hardcode credentials in skill outputs or committed project config; use environment variables, config_variables.yml, runtime_environment, or supported secret-manager references.

Reference Map

• Context types and stores: read when choosing gx.get_context arguments, diagnosing file-vs-ephemeral persistence, or understanding context managers and stores.
• Configuration and credentials: read when configuring DataContextConfig, config variables, environment substitutions, store paths, Data Docs sites, or analytics toggles.
• Troubleshooting: read when imports fail, the wrong context type appears, config variables do not substitute, Cloud mode is triggered, or store/Data Docs paths behave unexpectedly.
• Inspect context script: run for a safe local smoke check of GX import/version, gx.get_context, context mode/type, managers, store names, and optional file-context scaffolding.

Safe Inspection

From this sub-skill directory, run the bundled helper with no arguments for an ephemeral context sanity check:

python scripts/inspect_context.py

From the root great-expectations/ skill directory, use the full sub-skill path:

python sub-skills/contexts-and-configuration/scripts/inspect_context.py

Run it against a disposable or intended file project root when you need to prove file-mode scaffolding/loading works:

python sub-skills/contexts-and-configuration/scripts/inspect_context.py --mode file --project-root-dir ./gx-project

The helper prints a compact JSON summary and does not print absolute project paths or credentials.