Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code.

MITAuto-check: notesDevOps & Cloud

Install AWS Cdk

skills CLI
$ npx skills add giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill aws-cdk -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit aws-cdk --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/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugins/developer-kit-typescript/skills/aws-cdk .claude/skills/aws-cdk && 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
aws-cdk
GitHub stars
357
Token cost
~2.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
524 words
Files
6 (incl. references)
Skills in repo
115
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code.

  • Works in 6 steps: Project Initialization → Core Architecture → Construct Levels → …
  • Creating CDK apps
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Instructions and Examples, plus 3 more sections
  • Calls npx

What it does

AWS Cdk is an agent skill from giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit. Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code. Use when creating CDK apps, stacks, and reusable constructs, modeling serverless or VPC-based architectures, applying IAM and encryption defaults, or testing and reviewing cdk synth, cdk diff, and cdk deploy changes. Triggers include "aws cdk typescript", "create cdk app", "cdk stack", "cdk construct", "cdk deploy", and "cdk test".

Its SKILL.md is about 2.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including reference files (for example `references/core-concepts.md`, `references/networking-vpc.md` and `references/security-hardening.md`).

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering Serverless and Infrastructure as code. It works with Amazon Web Services and TypeScript. The repository describes itself as: Modular plugin marketplace for Claude Code and agentic CLIs, with validated, spec-driven skills, agents, commands, and workflows for Java, TypeScript, Python, PHP, AWS, and AI. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Creating CDK apps
  • Reusable constructs
  • Modeling serverless
  • VPC-based architectures

Example prompts

  • “aws cdk typescript”
  • “create cdk app”
  • “cdk stack”
  • “/aws-cdk”

Requirements

  • Node.js
  • Docker
  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Project Initialization
  2. Core Architecture
  3. Construct Levels
  4. CDK Lifecycle Commands
  5. Recommended Delivery Loop
  6. Cross-Stack References

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit fe73fb3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Read
    • Write
    • Edit
    • Bash
    • Grep
    • Glob

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • npx

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

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    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

AWS Cdk loads about 2.3k tokens when it runs, and up to ~14k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 113 tokens; SKILL.md has 524 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~113
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.3k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~14k

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: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md
    allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob

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 giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit at commit fe73fb3, republished under its MIT licence (© giuseppe-trisciuoglio). 524 words, ~2,347 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/aws-cdk/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 5 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
aws-cdk
description
Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code. Use when creating CDK apps, stacks, and reusable constructs, modeling serverless or VPC-based architectures, applying IAM and encryption defaults, or testing and reviewing `cdk synth`, `cdk diff`, and `cdk deploy` changes. Triggers include "aws cdk typescript", "create cdk app", "cdk stack", "cdk construct", "cdk deploy", and "cdk test".
allowed-tools
Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob

AWS CDK TypeScript

Overview

Use this skill to build AWS infrastructure in TypeScript with reusable constructs, safe defaults, and a validation-first delivery loop.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

  • Creating or refactoring a CDK app, stack, or reusable construct in TypeScript
  • Choosing between L1, L2, and L3 constructs
  • Building serverless, networking, or security-focused AWS infrastructure
  • Wiring multi-stack applications and environment-aware deployments
  • Validating infrastructure changes with cdk synth, tests, cdk diff, and cdk deploy

Instructions

1. Project Initialization
bash
# Create a new CDK app
npx cdk init app --language typescript

# Project structure
my-cdk-app/
├── bin/
│   └── my-cdk-app.ts          # App entry point (instantiates stacks)
├── lib/
│   └── my-cdk-app-stack.ts    # Stack definition
├── test/
│   └── my-cdk-app.test.ts     # Tests
├── cdk.json                    # CDK configuration
├── tsconfig.json
└── package.json
2. Core Architecture
typescript
import { App, Stack, StackProps, CfnOutput, RemovalPolicy } from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import { Construct } from 'constructs';
import * as s3 from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-s3';

// Define a reusable stack
class StorageStack extends Stack {
  public readonly bucketArn: string;

  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    const bucket = new s3.Bucket(this, 'DataBucket', {
      versioned: true,
      encryption: s3.BucketEncryption.S3_MANAGED,
      removalPolicy: RemovalPolicy.RETAIN,
      blockPublicAccess: s3.BlockPublicAccess.BLOCK_ALL,
    });

    this.bucketArn = bucket.bucketArn;
    new CfnOutput(this, 'BucketName', { value: bucket.bucketName });
  }
}

// App entry point
const app = new App();

new StorageStack(app, 'DevStorage', {
  env: { account: process.env.CDK_DEFAULT_ACCOUNT, region: 'us-east-1' },
  tags: { Environment: 'dev' },
});

new StorageStack(app, 'ProdStorage', {
  env: { account: '123456789012', region: 'eu-west-1' },
  tags: { Environment: 'prod' },
  terminationProtection: true,
});

app.synth();
3. Construct Levels
LevelDescriptionUse When
L1 (Cfn*)Direct CloudFormation mapping, full controlNeed properties not exposed by L2
L2Curated with sensible defaults and helper methodsStandard resource provisioning (recommended)
L3 (Patterns)Multi-resource architecturesCommon patterns like LambdaRestApi
typescript
// L1 — Raw CloudFormation
new s3.CfnBucket(this, 'L1Bucket', { bucketName: 'my-l1-bucket' });

// L2 — Sensible defaults + grant helpers
const bucket = new s3.Bucket(this, 'L2Bucket', { versioned: true });
bucket.grantRead(myLambda);

// L3 — Multi-resource pattern
new apigateway.LambdaRestApi(this, 'Api', { handler: myLambda });
4. CDK Lifecycle Commands
bash
cdk synth          # Synthesize CloudFormation template
cdk diff           # Compare deployed vs local changes
cdk deploy         # Deploy stack(s) to AWS
cdk deploy --all   # Deploy all stacks
cdk destroy        # Tear down stack(s)
cdk ls             # List all stacks in the app
cdk doctor         # Check environment setup
  1. Model the stack

    • Start with L2 constructs and extract repeated logic into custom constructs.
  2. Run cdk synth

    • Checkpoint: synthesis succeeds with no missing imports, invalid props, missing context, or unresolved references.
    • If it fails: fix the construct configuration or context values, then rerun cdk synth.
  3. Run infrastructure tests

    • Checkpoint: assertions cover IAM scope, stateful resources, and critical outputs.
    • If tests fail: update the stack or test expectations, then rerun the test suite.
  4. Run cdk diff

    • Checkpoint: review IAM broadening, resource replacement, export changes, and deletes on stateful resources.
    • If the diff is risky: adjust names, dependencies, or RemovalPolicy, then rerun cdk diff.
  5. Run cdk deploy

    • Checkpoint: the stack reaches CREATE_COMPLETE or UPDATE_COMPLETE.
    • If deploy fails: inspect CloudFormation events, fix quotas, permissions, export conflicts, or bootstrap issues, then retry cdk deploy.
  6. Verify runtime outcomes

    • Confirm stack outputs, endpoints, alarms, and integrations behave as expected before moving on.
6. Cross-Stack References
typescript
// Stack A exports a value
class NetworkStack extends Stack {
  public readonly vpc: ec2.Vpc;
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);
    this.vpc = new ec2.Vpc(this, 'Vpc', { maxAzs: 2 });
  }
}

// Stack B imports it via props
interface AppStackProps extends StackProps {
  vpc: ec2.Vpc;
}
class AppStack extends Stack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props: AppStackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);
    new lambda.Function(this, 'Fn', {
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_20_X,
      handler: 'index.handler',
      code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda'),
      vpc: props.vpc,
    });
  }
}

// Wire them together
const network = new NetworkStack(app, 'Network');
new AppStack(app, 'App', { vpc: network.vpc });

Examples

Example 1: Serverless API
typescript
import * as cdk from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import * as lambda from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-lambda';
import * as apigateway from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-apigateway';
import * as dynamodb from 'aws-cdk-lib/aws-dynamodb';

class ServerlessApiStack extends cdk.Stack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: cdk.StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    const table = new dynamodb.Table(this, 'Items', {
      partitionKey: { name: 'id', type: dynamodb.AttributeType.STRING },
      billingMode: dynamodb.BillingMode.PAY_PER_REQUEST,
      removalPolicy: cdk.RemovalPolicy.DESTROY,
    });

    const fn = new lambda.Function(this, 'Handler', {
      runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_20_X,
      handler: 'index.handler',
      code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('lambda'),
      environment: { TABLE_NAME: table.tableName },
    });

    table.grantReadWriteData(fn);

    new apigateway.LambdaRestApi(this, 'Api', { handler: fn });
  }
}
Example 2: CDK Assertion Test
typescript
import { Template } from 'aws-cdk-lib/assertions';
import { App } from 'aws-cdk-lib';
import { ServerlessApiStack } from '../lib/serverless-api-stack';

test('creates DynamoDB table with PAY_PER_REQUEST', () => {
  const app = new App();
  const stack = new ServerlessApiStack(app, 'TestStack');
  const template = Template.fromStack(stack);

  template.hasResourceProperties('AWS::DynamoDB::Table', {
    BillingMode: 'PAY_PER_REQUEST',
  });

  template.resourceCountIs('AWS::Lambda::Function', 1);
});
Show full SKILL.md (230 more words)Show less

Best Practices

  1. One concern per stack — Separate network, compute, storage, and monitoring.
  2. Prefer L2 constructs — Drop to Cfn* only when you need unsupported properties.
  3. Set explicit environments — Pass env with account and region; avoid implicit production targets.
  4. Use grant helpers — Prefer .grant*() over handwritten IAM where possible.
  5. Review the diff before deploy — Treat IAM expansion, replacement, and deletes as mandatory checkpoints.
  6. Test infrastructure — Cover critical resources with fine-grained assertions.
  7. Avoid hardcoded values — Use context, parameters, or environment variables.
  8. Use the right RemovalPolicy — RETAIN for production data, DESTROY only for disposable environments.

Constraints and Warnings

  • CloudFormation limits — Max 500 resources per stack; split large apps into multiple stacks
  • Synthesis is not deployment — cdk synth only generates templates; cdk deploy applies changes
  • Cross-stack references create CloudFormation exports; removing them requires careful ordering
  • Stateful resources (RDS, DynamoDB, S3 with data) — Always set removalPolicy: RETAIN in production
  • Bootstrap required — Run cdk bootstrap once per account/region before first deploy
  • Asset bundling — Lambda code and Docker images are uploaded to the CDK bootstrap bucket

References

Detailed implementation guides are available in the references/ directory:

© giuseppe-trisciuoglio, MIT. 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 5 other files (references) in plugins/developer-kit-typescript/skills/aws-cdk of giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/core-concepts.md
  • references/networking-vpc.md
  • references/security-hardening.md
  • references/serverless-patterns.md
  • references/testing-strategies.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit fe73fb3

Compare with similar skills

AWS Cdk 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.

AWS Cdk compared with similar skills
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AWS Cdk this skillgiuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit357—~2.3kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
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AWS Solution Architectborghei/Claude-Skills891—~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AWS Advisordiegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skills159—~4.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AWS Cdkaws/agent-toolkit-for-aws2.8k—~2.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Pulumi Troubleshootingpr-pm/prpm122—~1.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about AWS Cdk

What does AWS Cdk do?

Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code. AWS Cdk is an agent skill from giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit. Provides AWS CDK TypeScript patterns for defining, validating, and deploying AWS infrastructure as code.

When should I use AWS Cdk?

AWS Cdk fits situations like: creating CDK apps; reusable constructs; modeling serverless; VPC-based architectures.

How do I install AWS Cdk in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill aws-cdk -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/developer-kit-typescript/skills/aws-cdk in giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit) into .claude/skills/aws-cdk in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install AWS Cdk in Codex?

Run `npx skills add giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill aws-cdk -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugins/developer-kit-typescript/skills/aws-cdk in giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit) into .agents/skills/aws-cdk in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use AWS Cdk 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 giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill aws-cdk -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/aws-cdk, .gemini/skills/aws-cdk, .github/skills/aws-cdk and .opencode/skills/aws-cdk in your project.

What does AWS Cdk need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, AWS Cdk needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npx). Our summary lists: Node.js; Docker. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob.

Does AWS Cdk access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npx, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is AWS Cdk safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (pre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: bash)), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does AWS Cdk use?

AWS Cdk is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does AWS Cdk use?

About 2.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9.4k 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 12k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to AWS Cdk?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with AWS Cdk: AWS Cdk Development (zxkane/aws-skills, 367 stars), AWS Solution Architect (borghei/Claude-Skills, 891 stars), AWS Advisor (diegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skills, 159 stars) and AWS Cdk (aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, 2.8k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains AWS Cdk?

giuseppe-trisciuoglio (a GitHub user) maintains it in giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit, which has 357 GitHub stars. The repository holds 115 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 10, 2026.

Source: giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.