crewAI/docs/edge/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/gcp.mdx

---
title: Google Cloud Secret Manager
description: Configure Google Cloud Secret Manager as a secret provider for CrewAI Platform, end-to-end
sidebarTitle: With Static Credentials
icon: "key"
---

## Overview

This guide walks you through configuring Google Cloud Secret Manager as a secret provider for your CrewAI Platform organization, using **service account credentials**. By the end, CrewAI Platform will be able to read secrets stored in your Google Cloud project and inject them as environment variable values at runtime.

<Note>
This guide covers the **static credentials** path — secrets are resolved at deploy time and baked into the deployment image. Rotated values require a re-deploy. If you want rotation-aware secrets that update on every automation kickoff, see [GCP Workload Identity Federation](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/gcp-workload-identity).
</Note>

<Note>
This guide covers the GCP-side configuration and the credential setup in CrewAI Platform. To then reference a secret from an environment variable, see [Using the Secrets Manager](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/usage).
</Note>

## Prerequisites

<Note>
Before starting, make sure you have:

- A Google Cloud project with the **Secret Manager API** enabled. Enable it in the [APIs & Services console](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/secretmanager.googleapis.com) or via `gcloud`:

  ```bash
  gcloud services enable secretmanager.googleapis.com --project=YOUR_PROJECT_ID
  ```

- Permission in the project to create service accounts, grant IAM roles, and (if needed) create secrets.
- A CrewAI Platform organization where your user has the `secret_providers: manage` permission. See [Permissions (RBAC)](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/usage#permissions-rbac).
</Note>

## Step 1 — Create a Service Account

A service account is the GCP-side identity CrewAI Platform will authenticate as.

In the [IAM & Admin → Service Accounts console](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/serviceaccounts), click **Create Service Account**.

- **Service account name:** `crewai-secrets-reader`
- **Service account ID:** auto-fills from the name (e.g. `crewai-secrets-reader@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com`)
- **Description (optional):** "Read-only access to Secret Manager for CrewAI Platform"

Click **Create and Continue**. Skip the optional grants on this screen — you'll attach the role in Step 2. Click **Done**.

For full details, see the GCP documentation: [Create service accounts](https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/service-accounts-create).

{/* SCREENSHOT: GCP "Create service account" form with name "crewai-secrets-reader" → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/01-create-service-account.png */}

## Step 2 — Grant Secret Manager Access

CrewAI Platform needs permission to list and read secrets in your project. Use one of two scopes — **project-wide** for simplicity, or **per-secret** for least privilege.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Project-wide (simpler)">
    In the [IAM console](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/iam), click **Grant Access** and:

    - **New principals:** the service account's email from Step 1.
    - **Role:** **Secret Manager Secret Accessor** (`roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor`).

    Click **Save**.

    Or via `gcloud`:

    ```bash
    gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding YOUR_PROJECT_ID \
      --member="serviceAccount:crewai-secrets-reader@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
      --role="roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor"
    ```

    {/* SCREENSHOT: GCP IAM "Grant access" panel with the service account and Secret Manager Secret Accessor role → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/02-iam-grant-access.png */}
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Per-secret (least privilege)">
    Grant the role only on the specific secrets CrewAI Platform should access. Repeat for each secret:

    ```bash
    gcloud secrets add-iam-policy-binding YOUR_SECRET_NAME \
      --member="serviceAccount:crewai-secrets-reader@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
      --role="roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor" \
      --project=YOUR_PROJECT_ID
    ```

    Or in the console: open each secret in [Secret Manager](https://console.cloud.google.com/security/secret-manager), click **Permissions** in the right panel, and grant **Secret Manager Secret Accessor** to the service account.

    {/* SCREENSHOT: Per-secret "Permissions" panel in Secret Manager with the service account granted accessor role → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/03-per-secret-permissions.png */}
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Tip>
The `roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor` role grants read-only access to secret values. CrewAI Platform also calls `secretmanager.secrets.list` for the autocomplete experience in the env-var form — that permission is included in the role at the project scope, but **not** at the per-secret scope. With per-secret bindings, autocomplete won't suggest secrets; you'll need to type the full secret name.
</Tip>

## Step 3 — Create a Service Account Key

Open the service account from Step 1 in the [IAM & Admin → Service Accounts console](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/serviceaccounts).

- Click the **Keys** tab.
- Click **Add Key** → **Create new key**.
- **Key type:** JSON.
- Click **Create**. The browser downloads a JSON file — keep it secure; it cannot be re-downloaded.

Or via `gcloud`:

```bash
gcloud iam service-accounts keys create ./crewai-secrets-reader.json \
  --iam-account=crewai-secrets-reader@YOUR_PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com
```

<Warning>
The service account key is a long-lived static credential. Store it securely (in a password manager or your own secret store) and rotate it on a regular cadence. To eliminate static credentials entirely, use [GCP Workload Identity Federation](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/gcp-workload-identity) instead.
</Warning>

{/* SCREENSHOT: Service account "Keys" tab with the "Create new key" → JSON option → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/04-create-service-account-key.png */}

## Step 4 — Add the Credential in CrewAI Platform

In CrewAI Platform, navigate to **Settings** → **Secret Provider Credentials** and click **Add Credential**.

{/* SCREENSHOT: Sidebar/nav highlighting Settings → Secret Provider Credentials → /images/secrets-manager/usage/01-amp-settings-nav.png */}

Fill the form:

- **Name:** A descriptive name, e.g. `gcp-prod`.
- **Provider:** `Google Cloud Secret Manager`.
- **Project ID:** Your GCP project ID (e.g. `my-crewai-prod`).
- **Service Account JSON:** Paste the entire contents of the JSON file you downloaded in Step 3.
- (Optional) Check **Set as default credential for this provider**. The default credential is used by environment variables that reference GCP secrets without specifying a credential explicitly.

Click **Create**.

{/* SCREENSHOT: "Add Secret Provider Credential" form with GCP fields filled in → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/05-amp-add-credential-form-gcp.png */}

## Step 5 — Create at Least One Secret in GCP

If you don't already have secrets in GCP Secret Manager, create one now so you can verify the connection in Step 6.

In the [Secret Manager console](https://console.cloud.google.com/security/secret-manager), click **Create secret**.

- **Name:** A unique name, e.g. `openai-api-key`.
- **Secret value:** Either paste a raw value or upload a file.
- Leave the rotation, replication, and other settings at their defaults unless you have a specific requirement.

Click **Create secret**.

Or via `gcloud`:

```bash
echo -n "sk-your-actual-key" | gcloud secrets create openai-api-key \
  --data-file=- \
  --project=YOUR_PROJECT_ID \
  --replication-policy=automatic
```

<Note>
**JSON-key reference syntax.** GCP Secret Manager treats secret values as opaque blobs. If your secret value happens to be a JSON string, CrewAI Platform can extract a single field using the `secret-name#json_key` syntax (e.g. `database-credentials#password`). See [Using the Secrets Manager](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/usage#referencing-secrets-in-environment-variables) for details.
</Note>

For full details, see the GCP documentation: [Create a secret](https://cloud.google.com/secret-manager/docs/create-secret-quickstart).

{/* SCREENSHOT: GCP "Create secret" form with name and value → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/06-create-secret.png */}

## Step 6 — Test the Connection

Back in CrewAI Platform, on the **Secret Provider Credentials** page, find the credential you just created and click **Test Connection**.

A success toast confirms that CrewAI Platform can authenticate to GCP and read secrets from your project.

{/* SCREENSHOT: Success toast after clicking "Test Connection" on the GCP credential → /images/secrets-manager/gcp/07-test-connection-success.png */}

If the test fails, check the most common causes:

| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| `PERMISSION_DENIED` on listing secrets | Service account is missing `roles/secretmanager.secretAccessor`, or you scoped it per-secret (`list` is not granted). Re-check Step 2. |
| `PERMISSION_DENIED` on `secretmanager.secrets.access` | Same as above, but for a specific secret. Confirm the service account has accessor role on the secret in question. |
| `unauthorized_client` / `invalid_grant` | The pasted Service Account JSON is invalid, expired, or for a deleted service account. Re-create the key (Step 3) and re-paste. |
| `Project ID does not match` | The Project ID field in CrewAI Platform doesn't match the project that owns the service account / secrets. Re-check Step 4. |
| `API not enabled` | Secret Manager API isn't enabled on the project. See Prerequisites. |

## Next Steps

Now that GCP is connected, head to [Using the Secrets Manager](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/usage) to:

- Grant org members the right permissions to use (or manage) Secrets Manager.
- Reference your GCP secrets from CrewAI Platform environment variables.

If you want **rotation-aware** secrets that propagate without re-deploying, switch to [GCP Workload Identity Federation](/en/enterprise/features/secrets-manager/gcp-workload-identity) — same secret store, no static credentials, secrets are fetched per kickoff.