Agent skill

Lambda

by itsmostafa in itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills

AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

Install Lambda

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda --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/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .claude/skills/lambda && 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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .claude/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .agents/skills/lambda && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .agents/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .cursor/skills/lambda && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .cursor/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git --path skills/lambda

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .gemini/skills/lambda && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .gemini/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .github/skills/lambda && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .github/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills lambda --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/lambda .opencode/skills/lambda && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "lambda" agent skill from https://github.com/itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/lambda into .opencode/skills/lambda/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "lambda", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: lambda
GitHub stars: 1.2k
Token cost: ~2.2k tokens
SKILL.md length: 488 words
Files: 3
Skills in repo: 17
Repo updated: Oct 5, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

Creating functions
SKILL.md covers Table of Contents, Core Concepts, Common Patterns and CLI Reference, plus 2 more sections
Calls aws
Configuring triggers

What it does

Lambda is an agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute. Use when creating functions, configuring triggers, debugging invocations, optimizing cold starts, setting up event source mappings, or managing layers.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `debugging.md` and `deployment.md`).

It sits in Backend & APIs, covering Event-driven systems and Serverless. It works with AWS Lambda. The repository describes itself as: AWS Skills for Agents. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Creating functions
Configuring triggers
Debugging invocations
Optimizing cold starts

Example prompts

“/lambda”

Requirements

Python 3

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit e786d25. 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
- boto3.amazonaws.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

Lambda loads about 2.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 54 tokens; SKILL.md has 488 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~54
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~2.2k

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 itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills at commit e786d25, republished under its MIT licence (© itsmostafa). 488 words, ~2,153 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/lambda/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: lambda
description: AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute. Use when creating functions, configuring triggers, debugging invocations, optimizing cold starts, setting up event source mappings, or managing layers.
last_updated: 2026-01-07
doc_source: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/

AWS Lambda

AWS Lambda runs code without provisioning servers. You pay only for compute time consumed. Lambda automatically scales from a few requests per day to thousands per second.

Core Concepts
Common Patterns
CLI Reference
Best Practices
Troubleshooting
References

Core Concepts

Function

Your code packaged with configuration. Includes runtime, handler, memory, timeout, and IAM role.

Invocation Types

Type	Description	Use Case
Synchronous	Caller waits for response	API Gateway, direct invoke
Asynchronous	Fire and forget	S3, SNS, EventBridge
Poll-based	Lambda polls source	SQS, Kinesis, DynamoDB Streams

Execution Environment

Lambda creates execution environments to run your function. Components:

Cold start: New environment initialization
Warm start: Reusing existing environment
Handler: Entry point function
Context: Runtime information

Layers

Reusable packages of libraries, dependencies, or custom runtimes (up to 5 per function).

Common Patterns

Create a Python Function

AWS CLI:

bash

# Create deployment package
zip function.zip lambda_function.py

# Create function
aws lambda create-function \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --runtime python3.12 \
  --role arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/lambda-role \
  --handler lambda_function.handler \
  --zip-file fileb://function.zip \
  --timeout 30 \
  --memory-size 256

# Update function code
aws lambda update-function-code \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --zip-file fileb://function.zip

boto3:

python

import boto3
import zipfile
import io

lambda_client = boto3.client('lambda')

# Create zip in memory
zip_buffer = io.BytesIO()
with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_buffer, 'w') as zf:
    zf.writestr('lambda_function.py', '''
def handler(event, context):
    return {"statusCode": 200, "body": "Hello"}
''')
zip_buffer.seek(0)

# Create function
lambda_client.create_function(
    FunctionName='MyFunction',
    Runtime='python3.12',
    Role='arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/lambda-role',
    Handler='lambda_function.handler',
    Code={'ZipFile': zip_buffer.read()},
    Timeout=30,
    MemorySize=256
)

Add S3 Trigger

bash

# Add permission for S3 to invoke Lambda
aws lambda add-permission \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --statement-id s3-trigger \
  --action lambda:InvokeFunction \
  --principal s3.amazonaws.com \
  --source-arn arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket \
  --source-account 123456789012

# Configure S3 notification (see S3 skill)

Add SQS Event Source

bash

aws lambda create-event-source-mapping \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --event-source-arn arn:aws:sqs:us-east-1:123456789012:my-queue \
  --batch-size 10 \
  --maximum-batching-window-in-seconds 5

Environment Variables

bash

aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --environment "Variables={DB_HOST=mydb.cluster-xyz.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com,LOG_LEVEL=INFO}"

Create and Attach Layer

bash

# Create layer
zip -r layer.zip python/

aws lambda publish-layer-version \
  --layer-name my-dependencies \
  --compatible-runtimes python3.12 \
  --zip-file fileb://layer.zip

# Attach to function
aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --layers arn:aws:lambda:us-east-1:123456789012:layer:my-dependencies:1

Invoke Function

bash

# Synchronous invoke
aws lambda invoke \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --payload '{"key": "value"}' \
  response.json

# Asynchronous invoke
aws lambda invoke \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --invocation-type Event \
  --payload '{"key": "value"}' \
  response.json

CLI Reference

Function Management

Command	Description
`aws lambda create-function`	Create new function
`aws lambda update-function-code`	Update function code
`aws lambda update-function-configuration`	Update settings
`aws lambda delete-function`	Delete function
`aws lambda list-functions`	List all functions
`aws lambda get-function`	Get function details

Invocation

Command	Description
`aws lambda invoke`	Invoke function
`aws lambda invoke-async`	Async invoke (deprecated)

Event Sources

Command	Description
`aws lambda create-event-source-mapping`	Add event source
`aws lambda list-event-source-mappings`	List mappings
`aws lambda update-event-source-mapping`	Update mapping
`aws lambda delete-event-source-mapping`	Remove mapping

Permissions

Command	Description
`aws lambda add-permission`	Add resource-based policy
`aws lambda remove-permission`	Remove permission
`aws lambda get-policy`	View resource policy

Best Practices

Performance

Right-size memory: More memory = more CPU = faster execution
Minimize cold starts: Keep functions warm, use Provisioned Concurrency
Optimize package size: Smaller packages deploy faster
Use layers for shared dependencies
Initialize outside handler: Reuse connections across invocations

python

# GOOD: Initialize outside handler
import boto3
dynamodb = boto3.resource('dynamodb')
table = dynamodb.Table('MyTable')

def handler(event, context):
    # Reuses existing connection
    return table.get_item(Key={'id': event['id']})

Show full SKILL.md (196 more words)Show less

Security

Least privilege IAM roles — only grant needed permissions
Use Secrets Manager for sensitive data
Enable VPC only if needed (adds latency)
Encrypt environment variables with KMS

Cost Optimization

Set appropriate timeout — don't use max 15 minutes unnecessarily
Use ARM architecture (Graviton2) for 34% better price/performance
Batch process where possible
Use Reserved Concurrency to limit costs

Reliability

Configure DLQ for async invocations
Handle retries — async events retry twice
Make handlers idempotent
Use structured logging

Troubleshooting

Timeout Errors

Symptom: Task timed out after X seconds

Causes:

Function takes longer than timeout
Network call to unreachable resource
VPC configuration issues

Debug:

bash

# Check function configuration
aws lambda get-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --query "Timeout"

# Increase timeout
aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --timeout 60

Out of Memory

Symptom: Function crashes with memory error

Fix:

bash

aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --memory-size 512

Cold Start Latency

Causes:

Large deployment package
VPC configuration
Many dependencies to load

Solutions:

Use Provisioned Concurrency
Reduce package size
Use layers for dependencies
Consider Graviton2 (ARM)

bash

# Enable Provisioned Concurrency
aws lambda put-provisioned-concurrency-config \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --qualifier LIVE \
  --provisioned-concurrent-executions 5

Permission Denied

Symptom: AccessDeniedException

Debug:

bash

# Check execution role
aws lambda get-function-configuration \
  --function-name MyFunction \
  --query "Role"

# Check role policies
aws iam list-attached-role-policies \
  --role-name lambda-role

VPC Connectivity Issues

Symptom: Cannot reach internet or AWS services

Causes:

No NAT Gateway for internet access
Missing VPC endpoint for AWS services
Security group blocking outbound

Solutions:

Add NAT Gateway for internet
Add VPC endpoints for AWS services
Check security group rules

References

Files

SKILL.md and 2 other files in skills/lambda of itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

SKILL.md
debugging.md
deployment.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit e786d25

Compare with similar skills

Lambda 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.

Lambda compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Lambda this skillitsmostafa/aws-agent-skills	1.2k	—	~2.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 days ago
AWS Serverless Edazxkane/aws-skills	367	4 repos	~3.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 mo ago
Polylith Base CreationDavidVujic/python-polylith	553	—	~757	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 days ago
Processing S3 Uploads With Step Functionsaws/agent-toolkit-for-aws	2.8k	—	~4k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
AWS Serverlessdavila7/claude-code-templates	32k	7 repos	~2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
AWS Lambda Microvmsawslabs/agent-plugins	912	1 repos	~4.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	yesterday

Similar skills

AWS Serverless Eda
zxkane/aws-skills
AWS serverless and event-driven architecture expert based on Well-Architected Framework.
367 GitHub starsUsed in 4 repos~3.2k tokens
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Polylith Base Creation
DavidVujic/python-polylith
Create a Polylith base with poly create base — the entry point of a deployable application (HTTP API, CLI, message-queue consumer, AWS Lambda handler, GCP Cloud Function, scheduled job).
553 GitHub stars~757 tokensUpdated 3 days ago
Backend & APIsAuto-check passed
Processing S3 Uploads With Step Functions
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Official
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Backend & APIsAuto-check passed
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Specialized skill for building production-ready serverless applications on AWS.
32k GitHub starsUsed in 7 repos~2k tokens
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Questions about Lambda

What does Lambda do?

AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. Lambda is an agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. AWS Lambda serverless functions for event-driven compute.

When should I use Lambda?

Lambda fits situations like: creating functions; configuring triggers; debugging invocations; optimizing cold starts.

How do I install Lambda in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/lambda in itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills) into .claude/skills/lambda in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Lambda in Codex?

Run `npx skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/lambda in itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills) into .agents/skills/lambda in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Lambda 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 itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill lambda -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/lambda, .gemini/skills/lambda, .github/skills/lambda and .opencode/skills/lambda in your project.

What does Lambda need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Lambda needs the command-line tools its instructions call (aws). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Lambda access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. As links in the text: docs.aws.amazon.com and boto3.amazonaws.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Lambda 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 Lambda use?

Lambda 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 Lambda use?

About 2.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Lambda?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Lambda: AWS Serverless Eda (zxkane/aws-skills, 367 stars), Polylith Base Creation (DavidVujic/python-polylith, 553 stars), Processing S3 Uploads With Step Functions (aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, 2.8k stars) and AWS Serverless (davila7/claude-code-templates, 32k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Lambda?

itsmostafa (a GitHub user) maintains it in itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills, which has 1,160 GitHub stars. The repository holds 17 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 5, 2026.

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

Install Lambda

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

AWS Lambda

Table of Contents

Core Concepts

Function

Invocation Types

Execution Environment

Layers

Common Patterns

Create a Python Function

Add S3 Trigger

Add SQS Event Source

Environment Variables

Create and Attach Layer

Invoke Function

CLI Reference

Function Management

Invocation

Event Sources

Permissions

Best Practices

Performance

Security

Cost Optimization

Reliability

Troubleshooting

Timeout Errors

Out of Memory

Cold Start Latency

Permission Denied

VPC Connectivity Issues

References

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills

Related

Questions about Lambda