Python 2.7 has reached end of support
and will be deprecated
on January 31, 2026. After deprecation, you won't be able to deploy Python 2.7
applications, even if your organization previously used an organization policy to
re-enable deployments of legacy runtimes. Your existing Python
2.7 applications will continue to run and receive traffic after their
deprecation date. We recommend that
you migrate to the latest supported version of Python.
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In addition to the App Engine default service
account, the
App Engine standard environment includes a App Engine standard environment service agent. The service agent
enables your Google Cloud project to interact with the resources of your app
separately from other Google Cloud services.
Google automatically creates this account when you deploy a project's first app
to the App Engine standard environment using App Engine tooling,
such as the gcloud app deploy command.
The service agent is not listed on the Service
Accounts page of the Google Cloud console and has the following restrictions:
Do not revoke the roles that are granted to the service agent.
In the upper-right corner of the Permissions page, select the
Include Google-provided role grants checkbox.
In the Principals list, locate the ID of the App Engine standard environment service
agent, which uses the ID service-PROJECT_NUMBER@gcp-gae-service.iam.gserviceaccount.com.
Verify that the service agent has been
granted the App Engine standard environment Service Agent role.
Service Agent role
The service agent has the
App Engine standard environment Service Agent role.
The role includes a set of permissions needed by Python 2 standard environment to
manage your standard environment apps. For example,
this role includes permissions to perform the following tasks:
Get an access token for App Engine instances to access other Google Cloud resources, such as a Cloud Storage bucket.
Use the Blobstore API from App Engine legacy bundled services.
The App Engine standard environment Service Agent role is reserved for the
service agent. Do not grant this
IAM role to any other account, because the
permissions that the role includes can change without notice.
Restoring a deleted service agent
If you accidentally delete the App Engine standard environment service agent,
restore it by performing the following steps:
[[["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 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThe App Engine standard environment includes a service agent that enables your Google Cloud project to interact with your app's resources separately from other Google Cloud services.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThis service agent is automatically created when you deploy your first app to the App Engine standard environment using App Engine tooling, such as the \u003ccode\u003egcloud app deploy\u003c/code\u003e command.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe service agent is not listed on the Service Accounts page, and its granted roles should not be revoked, nor should the service agent role be granted to other accounts.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe service agent is granted the App Engine standard environment Service Agent role, which includes permissions needed for managing standard environment apps, like getting access tokens and using the Blobstore API.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIf accidentally deleted, the service agent can be restored by adding it back through the Permissions page in the Google Cloud console using its specific ID and role.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# The App Engine standard environment service agent\n\nIn addition to the [App Engine default service\naccount](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/python/service-account), the\nApp Engine standard environment includes a *App Engine standard environment service agent*. The service agent\nenables your Google Cloud project to interact with the resources of your app\nseparately from other Google Cloud services.\n\nGoogle automatically creates this account when you deploy a project's first app\nto the App Engine standard environment using App Engine tooling,\nsuch as the `gcloud app deploy` command.\n\nThe service agent is not listed on the Service\nAccounts page of the Google Cloud console and has the following restrictions:\n\n- Do not revoke the roles that are granted to the service agent.\n- Do not grant the related [App Engine standard environment service agent\n role](#service_agent_role) to any other account because the permissions that the role includes can change without notice.\n\n| **Warning:** Removing the service agent removes the binding for the service agent from your Google Cloud project. If you remove the binding or change the permissions for the service agent, any deployment to your app in the standard environment might fail.\n\nVerifying the App Engine standard environment service agent\n-----------------------------------------------------------\n\nTo verify that the service agent exists\nin your Google Cloud project, perform the following steps:\n\n1. Open the Google Cloud console:\n\n [Go to the Permissions\n page](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/iam)\n2. In the upper-right corner of the **Permissions** page, select the\n **Include Google-provided role grants** checkbox.\n\n3. In the **Principals** list, locate the ID of the App Engine standard environment service\n agent, which uses the ID \n\n `service-`\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003ePROJECT_NUMBER\u003c/var\u003e`@gcp-gae-service.iam.gserviceaccount.com`.\n\n4. Verify that the service agent has been\n granted the **App Engine standard environment Service Agent** role.\n\nService Agent role\n------------------\n\nThe service agent has the\n[App Engine standard environment Service Agent role](/iam/docs/understanding-roles#appengine.serviceAgent).\nThe role includes a set of permissions needed by Python 2 standard environment to\nmanage your standard environment apps. For example,\nthis role includes permissions to perform the following tasks:\n\n- Get an access token for App Engine instances to access other Google Cloud resources, such as a Cloud Storage bucket.\n- Use the [Blobstore API](/appengine/docs/legacy/standard/python/blobstore) from App Engine legacy bundled services.\n\nThe App Engine standard environment Service Agent role is reserved for the\nservice agent. Do not grant this\n[IAM role](/iam/docs/overview#roles) to any other account, because the\npermissions that the role includes can change without notice.\n\nRestoring a deleted service agent\n---------------------------------\n\nIf you accidentally delete the App Engine standard environment service agent,\nrestore it by performing the following steps:\n\n1. Open the Google Cloud console:\n\n [Go to the Permissions\n page](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/iam)\n2. Click **Add**.\n\n3. Enter the service agent ID using the format \n\n `service-`\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003ePROJECT_NUMBER\u003c/var\u003e`@gcp-gae-service.iam.gserviceaccount.com`.\n\n4. Select the **App Engine standard environment Service Agent** role.\n\n5. Click **Save**."]]
