diff --git a/py/samples/menu/pyproject.toml b/py/samples/menu/pyproject.toml
index 7ba7975d49..d2e4006dd9 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/pyproject.toml
+++ b/py/samples/menu/pyproject.toml
@@ -54,4 +54,14 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 requires      = ["hatchling"]
 
 [tool.hatch.build.targets.wheel]
-packages = ["src/menu"]
+packages = ["src"]
+
+[tool.uv.sources]
+genkit                              = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-dev-local-vectorstore = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-firebase              = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-google-genai          = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-google-cloud          = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-ollama                = { workspace = true }
+genkit-plugin-vertex-ai             = { workspace = true }
+
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/case_02/flows.py b/py/samples/menu/src/case_02/flows.py
index b0ef54f9d0..8be39a07cb 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/case_02/flows.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/case_02/flows.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 from .prompts import s02_dataMenuPrompt
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s02_menuQuestion')
+@ai.flow(name='s02_menu_question')
 async def s02_menuQuestionFlow(
     my_input: MenuQuestionInputSchema,
 ) -> AnswerOutputSchema:
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/case_03/flows.py b/py/samples/menu/src/case_03/flows.py
index 7b6668104c..f90cce191f 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/case_03/flows.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/case_03/flows.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
 )
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s03_multiTurnChat')
+@ai.flow(name='s03_multi_turn_chat')
 async def s03_multiTurnChatFlow(
     my_input: ChatSessionInputSchema,
 ) -> ChatSessionOutputSchema:
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/case_04/flows.py b/py/samples/menu/src/case_04/flows.py
index 2377e743fd..3541986616 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/case_04/flows.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/case_04/flows.py
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
+import json
+import os
+
 from menu_ai import ai
 from menu_schemas import AnswerOutputSchema, MenuItemSchema, MenuQuestionInputSchema
 from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
@@ -27,10 +30,17 @@ class IndexMenuItemsOutputSchema(BaseModel):
     rows: int = Field(...)
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s04_indexMenuItems')
+@ai.flow(name='s04_index_menu_items')
 async def s04_indexMenuItemsFlow(
     menu_items: list[MenuItemSchema],
 ) -> IndexMenuItemsOutputSchema:
+    # If empty list provided (e.g., from Dev UI default), load from example file
+    if not menu_items:
+        example_file = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'example.indexMenuItems.json')
+        with open(example_file, 'r') as f:
+            menu_data = json.load(f)
+        menu_items = [MenuItemSchema(**item) for item in menu_data]
+
     documents = [
         Document.from_text(f'{item.title} {item.price} \n {item.description}', metadata=item.model_dump())
         for item in menu_items
@@ -43,7 +53,7 @@ async def s04_indexMenuItemsFlow(
     return IndexMenuItemsOutputSchema(rows=len(menu_items))
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s04_ragMenuQuestion')
+@ai.flow(name='s04_rag_menu_question')
 async def s04_ragMenuQuestionFlow(
     my_input: MenuQuestionInputSchema,
 ) -> AnswerOutputSchema:
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/case_05/flows.py b/py/samples/menu/src/case_05/flows.py
index e6fe2dbcee..d254bf7ff4 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/case_05/flows.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/case_05/flows.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import os
 
 from case_05.prompts import s05_readMenuPrompt, s05_textMenuPrompt
+from constants import DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION
 from menu_ai import ai
 from menu_schemas import (
     AnswerOutputSchema,
@@ -27,32 +28,35 @@
 )
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s05_readMenu')
+@ai.flow(name='s05_read_menu')
 async def s05_readMenuFlow(_: None = None) -> str:
     image_data_url = inline_data_url('menu.jpeg', 'image/jpeg')
     response = await s05_readMenuPrompt({'imageUrl': image_data_url})
     return response.text
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s05_textMenuQuestion')
+@ai.flow(name='s05_text_menu_question')
 async def s05_textMenuQuestionFlow(
     my_input: TextMenuQuestionInputSchema,
 ) -> AnswerOutputSchema:
-    response = await s05_textMenuPrompt({'menuText': my_input.menuText, 'question': my_input.question})
+    response = await s05_textMenuPrompt({'menuText': my_input.menu_text, 'question': my_input.question})
     return AnswerOutputSchema(
         answer=response.text,
     )
 
 
-@ai.flow(name='s05_visionMenuQuestion')
+@ai.flow(name='s05_vision_menu_question')
 async def s05_visionMenuQuestionFlow(
     my_input: MenuQuestionInputSchema,
 ) -> AnswerOutputSchema:
+    # If empty question provided (e.g., from Dev UI default), use the default question
+    question = my_input.question if my_input.question else DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION
+
     menu_text = await s05_readMenuFlow()
     return await s05_textMenuQuestionFlow(
         TextMenuQuestionInputSchema(
-            question=my_input.question,
-            menuText=menu_text,
+            question=question,
+            menu_text=menu_text,
         )
     )
 
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/constants.py b/py/samples/menu/src/constants.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..91c245adf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/constants.py
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+"""Constants used across the menu sample."""
+
+# Default question for menu-related flows
+DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION = 'What kind of burger buns do you have?'
+
+# Default menu text for text-based menu flows
+DEFAULT_MENU_TEXT = """APPETIZERS
+- Mozzarella Sticks $8 - Crispy fried mozzarella sticks served with marinara sauce
+- Chicken Wings $10 - Crispy fried chicken wings tossed in your choice of sauce
+- Nachos $12 - Crispy tortilla chips topped with melted cheese, chili, sour cream, and salsa
+
+BURGERS & SANDWICHES
+- Classic Cheeseburger $12 - A juicy beef patty topped with melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a toasted bun
+- Bacon Cheeseburger $14 - A classic cheeseburger with the addition of crispy bacon
+- Mushroom Swiss Burger $15 - A beef patty topped with sautéed mushrooms, melted Swiss cheese, and a creamy horseradish sauce
+- Chicken Sandwich $13 - A crispy chicken breast on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, and your choice of sauce
+
+SALADS
+- House Salad $8 - Mixed greens with your choice of dressing
+- Caesar Salad $9 - Romaine lettuce with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing"""
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/menu_ai.py b/py/samples/menu/src/menu_ai.py
index 5d711a2a70..dfa8c2157d 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/menu_ai.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/menu_ai.py
@@ -22,7 +22,13 @@
 from genkit.plugins.google_genai import GoogleAI
 
 if 'GEMINI_API_KEY' not in os.environ:
-    os.environ['GEMINI_API_KEY'] = input('Please enter your GEMINI_API_KEY: ')
+    raise ValueError(
+        'GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable is required to run this sample.\n'
+        'Please set it before starting the application:\n'
+        '  export GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here\n'
+        'You can get an API key from https://aistudio.google.com/'
+    )
+
 
 ai = Genkit(plugins=[GoogleAI()])
 
diff --git a/py/samples/menu/src/menu_schemas.py b/py/samples/menu/src/menu_schemas.py
index 2bc35cf4fb..1b2a414df4 100644
--- a/py/samples/menu/src/menu_schemas.py
+++ b/py/samples/menu/src/menu_schemas.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 
+from constants import DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION, DEFAULT_MENU_TEXT
 from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
 
 
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ class MenuItemSchema(BaseModel):
 class MenuQuestionInputSchema(BaseModel):
     """Input schema for the menu question prompt."""
 
-    question: str = Field(..., description='A question about the menu')
+    question: str = Field(default=DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION, description='A question about the menu')
 
 
 class AnswerOutputSchema(BaseModel):
@@ -48,8 +49,12 @@ class DataMenuQuestionInputSchema(BaseModel):
 class TextMenuQuestionInputSchema(BaseModel):
     """Input schema for the text menu question prompt."""
 
-    menu_text: str = Field(...)
-    question: str = Field(..., description='A question about the menu')
+    menu_text: str = Field(
+        default=DEFAULT_MENU_TEXT,
+        description='The menu text content',
+        alias='menuText',
+    )
+    question: str = Field(default=DEFAULT_MENU_QUESTION, description='A question about the menu')
 
 
 class MenuToolOutputSchema(BaseModel):