AWS Serverless
OfficialFreeStreamline your serverless applications on AWS.
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What AWS Serverless does
The AWS Serverless skill provides essential tools and references for building, deploying, managing, and troubleshooting serverless applications using AWS services like Lambda, API Gateway, and Step Functions. It is designed for developers and designers who are looking to leverage the full potential of serverless architecture in their applications. This skill covers a wide range of topics, including cold starts, CORS debugging, event source mappings, and production readiness, ensuring that users have the necessary knowledge to effectively utilize AWS serverless offerings.
By integrating with the AWS MCP server, this skill allows users to run CLI commands, query CloudWatch, and validate configurations directly, enhancing the development experience. The bundled references provide in-depth guidance on various aspects of serverless applications, including deployment strategies, concurrency management, and troubleshooting common issues such as timeouts and throttling. This makes it an invaluable resource for anyone working with event-driven architectures on AWS.
The skill is particularly useful for those who frequently work with Lambda functions, API Gateway configurations, and orchestration with Step Functions. It simplifies the process of connecting different AWS services and provides step-by-step procedures for various tasks, from creating API Gateway stages to processing S3 uploads with Step Functions. This comprehensive approach ensures that users can build robust serverless applications while avoiding common pitfalls.
While the AWS Serverless skill is tailored for serverless application development, it does not extend to EC2, ECS/Fargate containers, or Amplify hosting. Users focused on those areas will need to seek other resources. Overall, this skill is a must-have for developers aiming to optimize their serverless applications on AWS.
When to use it
Use this skill when developing serverless applications that leverage AWS services like Lambda, API Gateway, and Step Functions.
When not to use it
This skill is not suitable for applications relying on EC2, ECS/Fargate containers, or Amplify hosting.
What you can build with it
Deploying a New Serverless Application
Use this skill to guide you through the process of building and deploying a new serverless application using AWS Lambda and API Gateway.
Troubleshooting Lambda Timeouts
When facing Lambda timeouts, refer to the troubleshooting references to systematically diagnose and resolve the issue.
Connecting Lambda to DynamoDB
Utilize this skill to connect a Lambda function to DynamoDB, ensuring proper IAM roles and event source mapping.
How to install AWS Serverless
View source1. Install with the skills CLI
npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/aws-serverless --agent claude-code2. Or install it manually
Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.
Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs
Inside SKILL.md
Written by awsAWS Serverless
Domain expertise for building serverless applications on AWS: Lambda, API Gateway, Step Functions, EventBridge, event source mappings, concurrency, cold starts, deployment, and troubleshooting.
Works best with the AWS MCP server — run CLI commands, query CloudWatch, validate configs directly. All guidance also works with standard AWS CLI access.
Specialized skills — check these first
These cover capabilities and procedures the general references below do not. Several are specialized features or step-by-step tested procedures you would otherwise miss. Route to the matching skill before falling back to the references.
Advanced Lambda compute (easy to overlook)
| Use this skill | When the workload involves |
|---|---|
| aws-lambda-microvms | Strong tenant isolation, sandboxed/untrusted code execution (AI agent code sandboxes, REPLs, notebooks, CI runners), long-lived sessions, suspend/resume with preserved state, port-listening servers (gRPC, WebSocket, custom TCP), Firecracker microVMs, snapshot-resumable compute, up to 8-hour lifetimes |
| aws-lambda-durable-functions | Durable execution, checkpoint-and-replay, long-running multi-step workflows written as plain code (TS/Python/Java), automatic state persistence, saga pattern in code, human-in-the-loop callbacks, executions up to 1 year, context.step/context.wait/context.invoke, withDurableExecution, durable-execution-sdk |
| aws-lambda-managed-instances | Lambda Managed Instances (LMI), capacity providers, EC2-backed Lambda, steady high-volume traffic (50M+ req/mo) wanting Savings Plans / Reserved Instance pricing, PerExecutionEnvironmentMaxConcurrency, CapacityProviderConfig, multi-concurrent execution environments |
Step-by-step task procedures (tested CLI SOPs)
| Use this skill | For the task |
|---|---|
| connecting-lambda-to-api-gateway | Wire an existing Lambda to a new REST/HTTP API: proxy integration, permissions, CORS, throttling, access logging, deployment |
| connecting-lambda-to-dynamodb | Connect Lambda to DynamoDB: IAM execution role, read/write permissions, stream event source mapping |
| creating-api-gateway-stage | Create an API Gateway stage with CloudWatch logging, X-Ray tracing, throttling, WAF association, and authorization |
| deploying-custom-domain-rest-api | Deploy a Regional REST API with custom domain: ACM cert, Lambda backend, request authorizer, base path mapping, Route 53 DNS |
| debugging-lambda-timeouts | Systematically diagnose a timing-out Lambda: config, CloudWatch logs/metrics, VPC, cold starts, memory, downstream calls |
| processing-s3-uploads-with-step-functions | Deploy an event-driven workflow: S3 upload → EventBridge → Step Functions → Lambda (small files) or Fargate (large files), with VPC/ECR/ECS/IAM |
Routing (general references in this skill)
| User need | Read |
|---|---|
| Building a new serverless app — pattern selection | architecture.md |
| Lambda config, cold starts, SnapStart, memory, VPC, layers, Function URLs | lambda.md |
| Concurrency (reserved, provisioned, ESM controls) | concurrency.md |
| Event sources (SQS, DynamoDB Streams, SNS, Kinesis), filtering, batch failures | event-sources.md |
| Step Functions, EventBridge rules/pipes/scheduler | orchestration.md |
| API Gateway quotas, authorizers, WebSocket | api-gateway.md |
| SAM/CDK resource types and fast iteration | deployment.md |
| Production readiness, observability, anti-patterns | production.md |
| Debugging an error (exact string → cause → fix) | troubleshooting.md |
| Powertools handler template | powertools-handler.py |
Note: Reference files contain specific runtime versions, quotas, and feature matrices that change. When precision matters (production, runtime choice, quotas), confirm against current AWS documentation. The references focus on values and gotchas that are easy to get wrong — not on basics.
Frequently asked questions about AWS Serverless
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