Create Dify Instance

Provision a Dify instance automatically via Alibaba Cloud OpenAPI. Supports Simple Mode (create all resources from scratch) and Advanced Mode (fine-grained control over each component).

Prerequisites

1. Check Aliyun CLI

[REQUIRED] Verify Aliyun CLI version >= 3.3.1 before proceeding.

aliyun version

If the command is not found or the version is below 3.3.1, install or upgrade:

macOS (Homebrew, recommended)

brew install aliyun-cli
# Upgrade if already installed
brew upgrade aliyun-cli

After installation, enable automatic plugin installation:

aliyun configure set --auto-plugin-install true

2. Observability — Session ID & User-Agent

[REQUIRED] Generate a session-id at the start of every skill session. Use it consistently across ALL CLI commands and Python SDK calls.

Session-ID Generation Rule

• Generate once per session, reuse throughout the entire workflow
• Format: 32-character lowercase hex string (e.g., openssl rand -hex 16)
• Must be consistent across CLI / SDK / Terraform within the same session

export SKILL_SESSION_ID=$(openssl rand -hex 16)

User-Agent Template

AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-dms-data-agent-platform-setup/{session-id}

• Python scripts (detect_dify_instance.py, openAPI_call.py): read SKILL_SESSION_ID from environment automatically
• Aliyun CLI commands: inject via --user-agent flag on each command:

aliyun dms-enterprise <action> \
  --endpoint dms-enterprise.aliyuncs.com \
  --user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-dms-data-agent-platform-setup/${SKILL_SESSION_ID}"

Do NOT use aliyun configure ai-mode set-user-agent (deprecated). Always use per-command --user-agent injection.

3. Configure Alibaba Cloud Credentials

[REQUIRED] Both credential sets must be configured — Aliyun CLI credentials AND Python SDK credentials. Neither can be omitted. NEVER read, echo, or print AK/SK values.

This skill performs two types of operations, each using a different credential method:

• Query instance list (aliyun dms-enterprise list-instances): uses Aliyun CLI credentials
• Provision Dify instance (openAPI_call.py): uses the Alibaba Cloud default credential chain

3a. Configure Aliyun CLI Credentials

aliyun configure list

Confirm that a valid profile exists in the output (AK, STS, or OAuth).

If no valid profile exists, stop and prompt the user to:

1. Obtain an AccessKey from the Alibaba Cloud Console
2. Configure credentials outside of this session to avoid exposing secrets:

   aliyun configure set \
     --mode AK \
     --access-key-id <your-access-key-id> \
     --access-key-secret <your-access-key-secret> \
     --region cn-hangzhou
   

3. Re-run aliyun configure list to confirm the profile is active

3b. Configure Python Script Credentials

openAPI_call.py uses the Alibaba Cloud default credential chain — no environment variables need to be set manually. The SDK automatically resolves credentials in the following order: environment variables, credentials file, instance RAM role, etc.

Configure your credentials by following the official guide: Alibaba Cloud Python SDK v2 — Manage Access Credentials

NEVER hardcode AK/SK values in code or pass them as command-line arguments.

4. Python Environment

It is recommended to use uv to create an isolated virtual environment with pinned dependencies:

uv venv .venv
uv pip install --python .venv/bin/python -r scripts/requirements.txt

requirements.txt is provided in ./scripts/.

Script Location

• ./scripts/detect_dify_instance.py — Check whether the DMS Dify service is available in the target region
• ./scripts/openAPI_call.py — Provision a Dify instance

Run commands from the directory containing this SKILL.md file.

Pre-check: Verify DMS Service Availability

[REQUIRED] Before running openAPI_call.py, run detect_dify_instance.py to verify that the DMS service is accessible in the target region.

.venv/bin/python ./scripts/detect_dify_instance.py <region-id>

Example:

.venv/bin/python ./scripts/detect_dify_instance.py cn-shanghai

• If the API returns an empty list ([]), that is normal — it means no Dify instances exist yet, but the service is available.
• If the API returns an error, prompt the user to enable the DMS service in the Alibaba Cloud Console before proceeding.

Simple Mode

All components (Workspace, database, KV store, vector database) are newly created.

Parameters to Collect from User

Execution Command

.venv/bin/python ./scripts/openAPI_call.py '{
    "VpcId": "<VpcId>",
    "VSwitchId": "<VSwitchId>",
    "BackupVSwitchId": "<BackupVSwitchId>",
    "SecurityGroupId": "<SecurityGroupId>",
    "ZoneId": "<ZoneId>",
    "DataRegion": "<DataRegion>",
    "ResourceQuota": "12CU",
    "WorkspaceOption": "CreateNewInstance",
    "WorkspaceName": "<WorkspaceName>",
    "DatabaseOption": "CreateNewInstance",
    "DbInstanceAccount": "<account>",
    "DbInstancePassword": "<password>",
    "KvStoreOption": "CreateNewInstance",
    "KvStoreAccount": "<account>",
    "KvStorePassword": "<password>",
    "VectordbOption": "CreateNewInstance",
    "VectordbAccount": "<account>",
    "VectordbPassword": "<password>",
    "StorageType": "cloud_essd",
    "NatGatewayOption": "NoNeed",
    "MajorVersion": "1.13.x",
    "Edition": "OpenCommunity",
    "DryRun": true
}'

Advanced Mode

Allows fine-grained control over all parameters, including using existing Workspace, database, KV store, and vector database instances.

Step 1: Collect Base Network Parameters

Ask the user for the following:

Step 2: Confirm WorkspaceOption

Ask the user: use an existing Workspace or create a new one?

• UseExistingInstance: user must provide WorkspaceId (string)
• CreateNewInstance: user must provide WorkspaceName
• Note: WorkspaceId and WorkspaceName are mutually exclusive. If both are provided, prompt the user to correct the input.

Step 3: Confirm Each Sub-Service Option Individually

Ask the user to choose for each of the following independently:

DatabaseOption

• CreateNewInstance: no additional parameters needed; uses default configuration
• UseExistingInstance:
  • Ask the user if they know the DbResourceId (integer)
  • If not, run the following command and find the InstanceId from InstanceList.Instance:

    aliyun dms-enterprise list-instances \
      --endpoint dms-enterprise.aliyuncs.com \
      --user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-dms-data-agent-platform-setup/${SKILL_SESSION_ID}"
    

KvStoreOption

• CreateNewInstance: no additional parameters needed
• UseExistingInstance:
  • Ask the user if they know the KvStoreResourceId (integer)
  • If not, run:

    aliyun dms-enterprise list-instances \
      --endpoint dms-enterprise.aliyuncs.com \
      --user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-dms-data-agent-platform-setup/${SKILL_SESSION_ID}"
    

VectordbOption

• CreateNewInstance: no additional parameters needed
• UseExistingInstance:
  • Ask the user if they know the VectordbResourceId (integer)
  • If not, run:

    aliyun dms-enterprise list-instances \
      --endpoint dms-enterprise.aliyuncs.com \
      --user-agent "AlibabaCloud-Agent-Skills/alibabacloud-dms-data-agent-platform-setup/${SKILL_SESSION_ID}"
    

Step 4: Collect Account and Password

Ask the user for account name and password, and fill in:

• DbInstanceAccount / DbInstancePassword
• KvStoreAccount / KvStorePassword
• VectordbAccount / VectordbPassword

Step 5: Confirm Other Advanced Parameters

The following parameters have default values. Ask the user if any need to be changed:

Step 6: Dry Run and Final Provisioning

1. Construct the full JSON with DryRun=true and run the script
2. After confirming no errors, set DryRun to false and run again to provision

Notes

• The Python script uses the Alibaba Cloud default credential chain; configure credentials per the official guide before running the script
• WorkspaceId (use existing Workspace) and WorkspaceName (create new Workspace) are mutually exclusive
• DbResourceId, KvStoreResourceId, and VectordbResourceId are all integer types
• Always perform a dry run with DryRun=true before final provisioning
• Ensure SKILL_SESSION_ID is exported before running any command in this workflow