| name | Delegating to AWS Agent |
| description | Recognize AWS queries and delegate to specialized sub-agent to avoid context pollution |
| keywords | aws, ec2, s3, iam, ecs, lambda, cloudwatch, rds, cloud, infrastructure, deployment, bucket, instance |
| when_to_use | When user mentions AWS services, EC2 instances, S3 buckets, ECS deployments, IAM users/keys, or cloud infrastructure. ALWAYS delegate to sub-agent. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
Delegating to AWS Agent
Core Principle
Never handle AWS operations directly. Always delegate to a specialized sub-agent to keep your context clean and costs low.
Recognition Patterns
Delegate when user says:
- "list ec2 instances"
- "show s3 buckets"
- "what access keys does user X have?"
- "deploy SERVICE to production"
- "show running instances"
- "what's in bucket X?"
- Any mention of: aws, ec2, s3, iam, ecs, lambda, cloudwatch, rds, bucket, instance
How to Delegate
Use the Task tool with a specialized prompt:
Task(
subagent_type: "general-purpose",
description: "Query AWS infrastructure",
prompt: "<full agent instructions from AGENT-INSTRUCTIONS.md>"
)
Agent Prompt Template
When delegating, include:
- The complete agent instructions (see AGENT-INSTRUCTIONS.md)
- The user's specific request
- Clear output format requirements
Example:
You are an AWS infrastructure specialist. Your job is to query AWS using shell wrappers and return clean results.
<AGENT INSTRUCTIONS HERE>
USER REQUEST: List all running EC2 instances
Return a clean summary with:
- Instance IDs
- Names
- States
- Instance types
- IP addresses
After Agent Returns
- Present results cleanly to user
- Offer follow-up if relevant (e.g., "Would you like details on instance i-abc123?")
- Don't expose mechanics (aws commands, authentication, profiles) to user
Benefits
- ✅ Main context stays clean
- ✅ Cheaper queries (sub-agent uses less expensive model)
- ✅ Specialized knowledge isolated
- ✅ Scalable pattern for other services
Example Flow
User: "list running ec2 instances"
Main Assistant: [Recognizes AWS query]
→ Invokes Task tool with agent instructions
→ Agent runs cloud-ec2-list --state running
→ Agent returns formatted results
Main Assistant: "Found 22 running instances:
- i-0abc123 (production-web) [running] t3.medium
- i-0def456 (staging-api) [running] t3.small
..."
Red Flags
DON'T:
- ❌ Try to run cloud-* scripts yourself
- ❌ Construct aws CLI commands in main session
- ❌ Load detailed AWS API knowledge
- ❌ Handle authentication/profiles directly
DO:
- ✅ Immediately delegate on AWS keywords
- ✅ Trust the sub-agent's results
- ✅ Present clean summaries to user
Version History
- 1.0.0 (2025-10-14): Initial delegation skill created to reduce context pollution