Please make sure you read the contribution guide and file the issues in the right place.
Contribution guide.
🔴 Required Information
Is your feature request related to a specific problem?
adk-python deprecated save_input_blobs_as_artifacts in favour of SaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin.
adk-java has the parameter but not the plugin, so RunConfig.saveInputBlobsAsArtifacts(true) is the
only way to keep uploaded bytes out of every later LLM request — and it loses two things the plugin
provides.
1. The uploaded file name is discarded. Runner names every artifact
artifact_{invocationId}_{index} and never reads Blob.displayName.
// Runner, in the blob-offload loop
String fileName = "artifact_" + invocationContext.invocationId() + "_" + i;
An upload of report.pdf is stored as artifact_<invocationId>_1, so anything that later loads it
must work from an opaque id that appears nowhere but the placeholder text.
2. Nothing is reported to the session. The user event carries a state delta only, so
EventActions.artifactDelta stays empty and the session's artifact bookkeeping never records the
upload.
// Runner.appendNewMessageToSession — no artifactDelta is set on this event
if (stateDelta != null && !stateDelta.isEmpty()) {
eventBuilder.actions(EventActions.builder().stateDelta(new ConcurrentHashMap<>(stateDelta)).build());
}
Both behaviours live in the plugin.
Describe the Solution You'd Like
SaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin in com.google.adk.plugins, registered on a Runner like any other
plugin. For each inlineData part of the incoming user message it would:
- save the part to the configured
BaseArtifactService, named from Blob.displayName, falling back
to artifact_{invocationId}_{index} when the blob carries no name;
- replace it with
[Uploaded Artifact: "<name>"] in the message that reaches the model and is
appended to the session, matching adk-python's wording;
- report the saved versions through
EventActions.artifactDelta;
- on a failed save, keep the original part and log, without failing the invocation — as in
adk-python, the log is the only signal, so an unreachable artifact service degrades silently to no
offload.
attach_file_reference would not be ported: it needs
get_artifact_version(...).canonical_uri, which has no equivalent on BaseArtifactService, so it
would require an SPI change across every implementation. Separate change.
Impact on your work
Applications wanting adk-python's behaviour must reimplement it in application code, where it will
drift from upstream. Not blocking, and no timeline — this is a parity gap, not an outage.
Willingness to contribute
Yes. A PR follows immediately after this issue: one new plugin class plus a small package-private helper, with tests. No existing file is modified, and the only new public surface is the plugin class itself.
🟡 Recommended Information
Describe Alternatives You've Considered
Teach the existing flag to read Blob.displayName and set artifactDelta. Smaller diff, but it
adds behaviour to the parameter adk-python is steering users away from, and adk-java would still have
no plugin — widening the divergence rather than closing it.
Implement the plugin in application code. This works using public API only, and is how the
behaviour below was verified. It is per-application boilerplate for something a plugin surface exists
to ship once.
Proposed API / Implementation
Registration needs no new API — the existing surfaces already accept it:
Runner runner = Runner.builder()
.agent(agent)
.appName("my-app")
.artifactService(new InMemoryArtifactService())
.sessionService(new InMemorySessionService())
.plugins(new SaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin()) // also App.Builder.plugins(...) and
.build(); // InMemoryRunner(agent, appName, plugins)
Two hooks, both already wired into the runtime:
public class SaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin extends BasePlugin {
@Override
public Maybe<Content> onUserMessageCallback(InvocationContext ctx, Content userMessage) {
// save each inlineData part, swap it for [Uploaded Artifact: "<name>"],
// stash {fileName: version} under a temp: state key, return the rebuilt Content
}
@Override
public Maybe<Content> beforeAgentCallback(BaseAgent agent, CallbackContext callbackContext) {
// drain the stash into callbackContext.eventActions().artifactDelta(), return Maybe.empty()
}
}
The state hand-off exists because onUserMessageCallback runs before any EventActions exists, so
the saved versions cannot be reported from there. adk-python solves it the same way.
Additional Context
Same upload, same runner, differing only in which mechanism performs the offload:
--- Run A: RunConfig.saveInputBlobsAsArtifacts(true) ---
user attached : blob with displayName="report.pdf"
artifacts stored in the session : artifact_e-eb41628a-9812-43a0-88d0-7b121706190b_1
EventActions.artifactDelta : (none)
message appended to the session :
- text: "read the attachment"
- text: "Uploaded file: artifact_e-eb41628a-…_1. It has been saved to the artifacts"
--- Run B: SaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin (the proposed port) ---
user attached : blob with displayName="report.pdf"
artifacts stored in the session : report.pdf
EventActions.artifactDelta : {report.pdf=0}
message appended to the session :
- text: "read the attachment"
- text: "[Uploaded Artifact: "report.pdf"]"
Both offload the payload losslessly and both show the model a placeholder instead of the bytes — the
gap is the file name and the bookkeeping, not the offload.
Observed on 1.7.2-SNAPSHOT, Windows 11 (not OS-specific), with a stub model and with
gemini-3.5-flash; both mechanisms run before the model call.
Please make sure you read the contribution guide and file the issues in the right place.
Contribution guide.
🔴 Required Information
Is your feature request related to a specific problem?
adk-python deprecated
save_input_blobs_as_artifactsin favour ofSaveFilesAsArtifactsPlugin.adk-java has the parameter but not the plugin, so
RunConfig.saveInputBlobsAsArtifacts(true)is theonly way to keep uploaded bytes out of every later LLM request — and it loses two things the plugin
provides.
1. The uploaded file name is discarded.
Runnernames every artifactartifact_{invocationId}_{index}and never readsBlob.displayName.An upload of
report.pdfis stored asartifact_<invocationId>_1, so anything that later loads itmust work from an opaque id that appears nowhere but the placeholder text.
2. Nothing is reported to the session. The user event carries a state delta only, so
EventActions.artifactDeltastays empty and the session's artifact bookkeeping never records theupload.
Both behaviours live in the plugin.
Describe the Solution You'd Like
SaveFilesAsArtifactsPluginincom.google.adk.plugins, registered on aRunnerlike any otherplugin. For each
inlineDatapart of the incoming user message it would:BaseArtifactService, named fromBlob.displayName, falling backto
artifact_{invocationId}_{index}when the blob carries no name;[Uploaded Artifact: "<name>"]in the message that reaches the model and isappended to the session, matching adk-python's wording;
EventActions.artifactDelta;adk-python, the log is the only signal, so an unreachable artifact service degrades silently to no
offload.
attach_file_referencewould not be ported: it needsget_artifact_version(...).canonical_uri, which has no equivalent onBaseArtifactService, so itwould require an SPI change across every implementation. Separate change.
Impact on your work
Applications wanting adk-python's behaviour must reimplement it in application code, where it will
drift from upstream. Not blocking, and no timeline — this is a parity gap, not an outage.
Willingness to contribute
Yes. A PR follows immediately after this issue: one new plugin class plus a small package-private helper, with tests. No existing file is modified, and the only new public surface is the plugin class itself.
🟡 Recommended Information
Describe Alternatives You've Considered
Teach the existing flag to read
Blob.displayNameand setartifactDelta. Smaller diff, but itadds behaviour to the parameter adk-python is steering users away from, and adk-java would still have
no plugin — widening the divergence rather than closing it.
Implement the plugin in application code. This works using public API only, and is how the
behaviour below was verified. It is per-application boilerplate for something a plugin surface exists
to ship once.
Proposed API / Implementation
Registration needs no new API — the existing surfaces already accept it:
Two hooks, both already wired into the runtime:
The state hand-off exists because
onUserMessageCallbackruns before anyEventActionsexists, sothe saved versions cannot be reported from there. adk-python solves it the same way.
Additional Context
Same upload, same runner, differing only in which mechanism performs the offload:
Both offload the payload losslessly and both show the model a placeholder instead of the bytes — the
gap is the file name and the bookkeeping, not the offload.
Observed on
1.7.2-SNAPSHOT, Windows 11 (not OS-specific), with a stub model and withgemini-3.5-flash; both mechanisms run before the model call.