Official agent skill

Waf

by aws in aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws

Configures AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway, and AppSync; AWS Managed Rules tuned in Count mode…

OfficialApache-2.0Auto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Waf

skills CLI
$ npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill waf -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws waf --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/specialized-skills/networking-and-content-delivery-skills/waf .claude/skills/waf && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
waf
GitHub stars
2.8k
Token cost
~2.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
970 words
Files
14 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
138
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Configures AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway, and AppSync; AWS Managed Rules tuned in Count mode…

  • The user wants to protect a web application
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, Which WAF task do you need?, Routing notes and Security Considerations, plus 1 more section
  • Calls aws
  • API from common exploits

What it does

Waf is an agent skill from aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Configures AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway, and AppSync; AWS Managed Rules tuned in Count mode; rate-based rules for HTTP floods; IP set and geographic match rules; Bot Control (Common and Targeted); turning bot labels into a confidence signal; stripping spoofed inbound x-amzn-waf- headers; recovering the real client IP behind a CDN; Fraud Control (account takeover and account creation fraud prevention); and logging…

Its SKILL.md is about 2.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 14 other files, including reference files (for example `references/adaptive-mitigation-playbook-for-forwarded-signals.md`, `references/adding-managed-rules-and-tuning-with-count-mode.md` and `references/adding-rate-based-rules.md`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Cloud networking, Microservices and Authorization and RBAC. It works with Amazon Web Services. The repository describes itself as: Official, AWS-supported MCP servers, skills, and plugins to help AI agents build on AWS. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

  • The user wants to protect a web application
  • API from common exploits
  • Credential stuffing
  • Fake-account creation

Example prompts

  • “Use the waf skill to configure AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load…”
  • “/waf”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 188af2f. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • aws

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • docs.aws.amazon.com
    • aws.amazon.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Waf loads about 2.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~33k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 248 tokens; SKILL.md has 970 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~248
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.2k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~33k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws at commit 188af2f, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© aws). 970 words, ~2,210 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/waf/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 13 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
waf
description
Configures AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway, and AppSync; AWS Managed Rules tuned in Count mode; rate-based rules for HTTP floods; IP set and geographic match rules; Bot Control (Common and Targeted); turning bot labels into a confidence signal; stripping spoofed inbound x-amzn-waf-* headers; recovering the real client IP behind a CDN; Fraud Control (account takeover and account creation fraud prevention); and logging and request sampling. Use when the user wants to protect a web application or API from common exploits, bots, credential stuffing, fake-account creation, or HTTP floods at the application layer (layer 7). Routes to the right per-task procedure in references. Do NOT use for L3/L4 DDoS protection (shieldadvanced skill), multi-account WAF rollout (firewallmanager skill), CloudFront configuration (cloudfront skill), or Route 53 health checks or records (route53 skill).
version
1

AWS WAF

Overview

Domain expertise for configuring AWS WAF, the web application firewall that filters HTTP and HTTPS traffic to CloudFront distributions, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway REST APIs, and AppSync GraphQL APIs. Covers web ACL creation and association, AWS Managed Rules, rate-based rules, match rules (IP set and geographic), Bot Control and the signal-forwarding workflows built on top of it, Fraud Control for logins and signups, AI and LLM crawler management, and the logging that every tuning workflow depends on.

This skill is a router. Each customer task maps to a procedure file under references/. Read the matching reference in full before acting, then follow its constraints and steps. The reference files are self-contained: each carries its own decision tables, constraints, procedure, and troubleshooting.

Execute commands using the AWS MCP server when connected (sandboxed execution, audit logging, observability). Fall back to the AWS CLI otherwise. A web ACL's scope is fixed at creation: a CloudFront web ACL must be created in us-east-1 with CLOUDFRONT scope, while a regional web ACL (Application Load Balancer, API Gateway, AppSync) is created in the resource's Region with REGIONAL scope.

Which WAF task do you need?

GoalReference
Create a web ACL and attach it to a resourcecreating a web ACL and associating it with a resource
Set up logging and sampling before tuning anythingsetting up logging and request sampling
Add AWS Managed Rules and tune false positivesadding managed rules and tuning with count mode
Throttle HTTP floods and brute forceadding rate-based rules
Allow or block by IP range or countryusing ip sets and geographic match rules
Detect and control bots (the on-ramp)protecting against bots with bot control
Collapse bot labels into one confidence signalturning bot control labels into a confidence signal
Forward all signals to the origin with one ruleforwarding signals with dynamic label interpolation
Decide what the app does with the forwarded signaladaptive mitigation playbook for forwarded signals
Stop attackers from spoofing forwarded headersstripping inbound waf headers before trusting them
Recover the real client IP behind a CDNrecovering the real client ip behind a cdn
Protect logins and signups from fraudprotecting logins and signups with fraud control
See and manage AI and LLM crawler trafficseeing and managing ai crawler traffic

Routing notes

  • Logging comes before tuning. Every Count-mode tuning workflow assumes logging and request sampling are on. If the customer has not set up logging, run that reference first; otherwise Count-mode tuning has nothing to read.
  • Web ACL scope is fixed at creation. A CloudFront web ACL is CLOUDFRONT scope in us-east-1; a regional resource needs a REGIONAL web ACL in its own Region. Scope cannot be changed later, so the creating reference settles it before anything is built.
  • Bot Control is a chain, not one task. Protecting against bots is the on-ramp (turn on, choose Common vs Targeted, observe). Turning labels into a confidence signal, forwarding that signal, and deciding what the application does with it are three separate references that build on it in that order. The header-stripping reference is the mandatory safety companion whenever a signal is forwarded to the origin.
  • Common vs Targeted is not a soft choice. Common only catches self-identifying bots and known-bad IPs. For login, checkout, or any high-value endpoint facing evasive bots, Targeted with the application integration SDK is required. The bots reference pushes Targeted for real bot threats rather than presenting it as optional.
  • Rate limiting vs Fraud Control. Rate-based rules blunt volumetric HTTP floods. Credential stuffing and fake-account creation are account-based abuse that rate limiting misses; those go to the Fraud Control reference (ATP and ACFP), not the rate-based reference.
  • Forwarded headers need the strip rule. Any time the customer forwards a signal or the client IP to the origin in x-amzn-waf-* headers, the inbound-header-stripping reference is required to prevent spoofing. The confidence-signal, interpolation, and client-IP references all point at it.
  • What lives in other skills. L3/L4 DDoS protection and Shield cost-protection credits are the shieldadvanced skill. Multi-account WAF rollout is the firewallmanager skill. CloudFront and Application Load Balancer configuration are their own skills. This skill builds the WAF rules; it does not configure the resources it protects.
Show full SKILL.md (271 more words)Show less

Security Considerations

AWS WAF is itself a security control, so misconfiguration directly weakens an application's defenses. Apply these across every reference:

  • Least-privilege IAM. You MUST grant only the specific wafv2: actions a task needs (for example wafv2:CreateWebACL, wafv2:GetWebACL, wafv2:UpdateWebACL, wafv2:AssociateWebACL, wafv2:PutLoggingConfiguration) rather than wafv2:* or the AWSWAFFullAccess managed policy.
  • Ephemeral credentials. You MUST use IAM roles with temporary credentials (such as an EC2 instance profile, SSO session, or aws sts assume-role) rather than long-lived IAM user access keys when running these WAF CLI commands.
  • Monitor configuration changes. You SHOULD enable AWS CloudTrail on wafv2 management events and set CloudWatch alarms on critical web ACL configuration changes (such as DeleteWebACL and UpdateWebACL rule removals) and on the web ACL's BlockedRequests and CountedRequests metrics, so rule changes and sudden spikes in blocked or counted traffic are detected.
  • Misconfiguration opens access. A web ACL that is created but never associated, or one whose default action is left at Allow with no enforcing rules, filters nothing. You MUST confirm the web ACL is associated and that its posture matches the intended default (block vs allow) before reporting setup complete.
  • Protect log destinations. Logs can capture credentials and session data. You MUST redact sensitive fields (such as the authorization header and cookie) and MUST enable encryption at rest on the log destination (CloudWatch Logs, Amazon S3, or Amazon Data Firehose).
  • Header-spoofing risk. Any x-amzn-waf-* signal forwarded to the origin can be forged inbound. You MUST add the inbound-header-stripping rule whenever a signal or client IP is forwarded (see stripping-inbound-waf-headers-before-trusting-them).

Additional Resources

© aws, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 13 other files (references) in skills/specialized-skills/networking-and-content-delivery-skills/waf of aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/adaptive-mitigation-playbook-for-forwarded-signals.md
  • references/adding-managed-rules-and-tuning-with-count-mode.md
  • references/adding-rate-based-rules.md
  • references/creating-a-web-acl-and-associating-it-with-a-resource.md
  • references/forwarding-signals-with-dynamic-label-interpolation.md
  • references/protecting-against-bots-with-bot-control.md
  • references/protecting-logins-and-signups-with-fraud-control.md
  • references/recovering-the-real-client-ip-behind-a-cdn.md
  • references/seeing-and-managing-ai-crawler-traffic.md
  • references/setting-up-logging-and-request-sampling.md
  • references/stripping-inbound-waf-headers-before-trusting-them.md
  • references/turning-bot-control-labels-into-a-confidence-signal.md
  • references/using-ip-sets-and-geographic-match-rules.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 188af2f

Compare with similar skills

Waf next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Waf compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Waf this skillaws/agent-toolkit-for-aws2.8k—~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Frontmcp Deploymentagentfront/frontmcp146—~9.2kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Analyzing API Gateway Access Logsmukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills34k—~581Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
AWS Solution Architectborghei/Claude-Skills881—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AWS Essentialsericrisco/rsc-harness167—~2.9kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
AWS Advisordiegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skills159—~4.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Waf

What does Waf do?

Configures AWS WAF to filter web traffic: creating web access control lists (web ACLs) on CloudFront, Application Load Balancers, API Gateway, and AppSync; AWS Managed Rules tuned in Count mode…. Waf is an agent skill from aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, published by the product's own GitHub organization.

When should I use Waf?

Waf fits situations like: the user wants to protect a web application; API from common exploits; credential stuffing; fake-account creation.

How do I install Waf in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill waf -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/specialized-skills/networking-and-content-delivery-skills/waf in aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws) into .claude/skills/waf in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Waf in Codex?

Run `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill waf -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/specialized-skills/networking-and-content-delivery-skills/waf in aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws) into .agents/skills/waf in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Waf in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill waf -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/waf, .gemini/skills/waf, .github/skills/waf and .opencode/skills/waf in your project.

What does Waf need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Waf needs the command-line tools its instructions call (aws).

Does Waf access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. As links in the text: docs.aws.amazon.com and aws.amazon.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Waf safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Waf use?

Waf is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Waf use?

About 2.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 31k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Waf?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Waf: Frontmcp Deployment (agentfront/frontmcp, 146 stars), Analyzing API Gateway Access Logs (mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills, 34k stars), AWS Solution Architect (borghei/Claude-Skills, 881 stars) and AWS Essentials (ericrisco/rsc-harness, 167 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Waf?

aws (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, which has 2,825 GitHub stars. The repository holds 138 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.