RecipeGoogle Analytics 4
Validate a GA4 query before running it
Query validation as a habit on bespoke reports, especially batched ones.
IntentCatch the shape errors before they cost a quota token.
- 2
- Steps
- 2
- Tools
- 1
- Rules
- 1
- Failure modes
When to use it
Use it when
- Any bespoke or batched report.
Do not use it when
- No specific contraindication beyond the preconditions below.
What it needs first
Required
Preconditions
- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.
Inputs
window- Analysis window.Default: last 30 days.
Procedure
In order. Every tool named is one the gateway ships, and links to its reference.
Validate the query.
Run only after it passes.
Decision rules
The observable condition, what it lets you conclude, and what takes the conclusion back.
When
Validation flags a field
Conclude
Fix the design: retrying the same shape burns quota on a known failure.
Evidence every conclusion must carry
- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.
Where the agent stops
- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.
How it goes wrong quietly
The cases where the analysis is wrong and still looks right. Read them before trusting a number.
- Validation checks shape, not sense: a valid query can still answer the wrong question.
What the answer contains
- 01Readout
- The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- 02Flags
- What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.