AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

MITAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install Sqs

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

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills sqs --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/sqs .claude/skills/sqs && 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
sqs
GitHub stars
1.2k
Token cost
~2.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
400 words
Files
2
Skills in repo
17
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

  • Creating queues
  • SKILL.md covers Table of Contents, Core Concepts, Common Patterns and CLI Reference, plus 3 more sections
  • Calls aws; reaches sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
  • Configuring dead-letter queues

What it does

Sqs is an agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures. Use when creating queues, configuring dead-letter queues, managing visibility timeouts, implementing FIFO ordering, or integrating with Lambda.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `messaging-patterns.md`).

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

When your agent uses it

  • Creating queues
  • Configuring dead-letter queues
  • Managing visibility timeouts
  • Implementing FIFO ordering

Example prompts

  • “/sqs”

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

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

    Also links to:

    • 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

Sqs loads about 2.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 52 tokens; SKILL.md has 400 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~52
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.3k

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). 400 words, ~2,260 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/sqs/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
sqs
description
AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures. Use when creating queues, configuring dead-letter queues, managing visibility timeouts, implementing FIFO ordering, or integrating with Lambda.
last_updated
2026-01-07
doc_source
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSSimpleQueueService/latest/SQSDeveloperGuide/

AWS SQS

Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) is a fully managed message queuing service for decoupling and scaling microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications.

Table of Contents

Core Concepts

Queue Types
TypeDescriptionUse Case
StandardAt-least-once, best-effort orderingHigh throughput
FIFOExactly-once, strict orderingOrder-sensitive processing
Key Settings
SettingDescriptionDefault
Visibility TimeoutTime message is hidden after receive30 seconds
Message RetentionHow long messages are kept4 days (max 14)
Delay SecondsDelay before message is available0
Max Message SizeMaximum message size256 KB
Dead-Letter Queue (DLQ)

Queue for messages that failed processing after maxReceiveCount attempts.

Common Patterns

Create a Standard Queue

AWS CLI:

bash
aws sqs create-queue \
  --queue-name my-queue \
  --attributes '{
    "VisibilityTimeout": "60",
    "MessageRetentionPeriod": "604800",
    "ReceiveMessageWaitTimeSeconds": "20"
  }'

boto3:

python
import boto3

sqs = boto3.client('sqs')

response = sqs.create_queue(
    QueueName='my-queue',
    Attributes={
        'VisibilityTimeout': '60',
        'MessageRetentionPeriod': '604800',
        'ReceiveMessageWaitTimeSeconds': '20'  # Long polling
    }
)
queue_url = response['QueueUrl']
Create FIFO Queue
bash
aws sqs create-queue \
  --queue-name my-queue.fifo \
  --attributes '{
    "FifoQueue": "true",
    "ContentBasedDeduplication": "true"
  }'
Configure Dead-Letter Queue
bash
# Create DLQ
aws sqs create-queue --queue-name my-queue-dlq

# Get DLQ ARN
DLQ_ARN=$(aws sqs get-queue-attributes \
  --queue-url https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue-dlq \
  --attribute-names QueueArn \
  --query 'Attributes.QueueArn' --output text)

# Set redrive policy on main queue
aws sqs set-queue-attributes \
  --queue-url https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue \
  --attributes "{
    \"RedrivePolicy\": \"{\\\"deadLetterTargetArn\\\":\\\"${DLQ_ARN}\\\",\\\"maxReceiveCount\\\":\\\"3\\\"}\"
  }"
Send Messages
python
import boto3
import json

sqs = boto3.client('sqs')
queue_url = 'https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue'

# Send single message
sqs.send_message(
    QueueUrl=queue_url,
    MessageBody=json.dumps({'order_id': '12345', 'action': 'process'}),
    MessageAttributes={
        'MessageType': {
            'DataType': 'String',
            'StringValue': 'Order'
        }
    }
)

# Send to FIFO queue
sqs.send_message(
    QueueUrl='https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue.fifo',
    MessageBody=json.dumps({'order_id': '12345'}),
    MessageGroupId='order-12345',
    MessageDeduplicationId='unique-id-12345'
)

# Batch send (up to 10 messages)
sqs.send_message_batch(
    QueueUrl=queue_url,
    Entries=[
        {'Id': '1', 'MessageBody': json.dumps({'id': 1})},
        {'Id': '2', 'MessageBody': json.dumps({'id': 2})},
        {'Id': '3', 'MessageBody': json.dumps({'id': 3})}
    ]
)
Receive and Process Messages
python
import boto3
import json

sqs = boto3.client('sqs')
queue_url = 'https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-queue'

while True:
    # Long polling (wait up to 20 seconds)
    response = sqs.receive_message(
        QueueUrl=queue_url,
        MaxNumberOfMessages=10,
        WaitTimeSeconds=20,
        MessageAttributeNames=['All'],
        AttributeNames=['All']
    )

    messages = response.get('Messages', [])

    for message in messages:
        try:
            body = json.loads(message['Body'])
            print(f"Processing: {body}")

            # Process message...

            # Delete on success
            sqs.delete_message(
                QueueUrl=queue_url,
                ReceiptHandle=message['ReceiptHandle']
            )
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error processing message: {e}")
            # Message will become visible again after visibility timeout
Lambda Integration
bash
# Create event source mapping
aws lambda create-event-source-mapping \
  --function-name my-function \
  --event-source-arn arn:aws:sqs:us-east-1:123456789012:my-queue \
  --batch-size 10 \
  --maximum-batching-window-in-seconds 5

Lambda handler:

python
def handler(event, context):
    for record in event['Records']:
        body = json.loads(record['body'])
        message_id = record['messageId']

        try:
            process_message(body)
        except Exception as e:
            # Raise to put message back in queue
            raise

    return {'batchItemFailures': []}

CLI Reference

Queue Management
CommandDescription
aws sqs create-queueCreate queue
aws sqs delete-queueDelete queue
aws sqs list-queuesList queues
aws sqs get-queue-urlGet queue URL by name
aws sqs get-queue-attributesGet queue settings
aws sqs set-queue-attributesUpdate queue settings
Messaging
CommandDescription
aws sqs send-messageSend single message
aws sqs send-message-batchSend up to 10 messages
aws sqs receive-messageReceive messages
aws sqs delete-messageDelete message
aws sqs delete-message-batchDelete up to 10 messages
aws sqs purge-queueDelete all messages
Visibility
CommandDescription
aws sqs change-message-visibilityChange timeout
aws sqs change-message-visibility-batchBatch change

Best Practices

Show full SKILL.md (167 more words)Show less
Message Processing
  • Use long polling (WaitTimeSeconds=20) to reduce API calls
  • Delete messages promptly after successful processing
  • Configure appropriate visibility timeout (> processing time)
  • Implement idempotent consumers for at-least-once delivery
Dead-Letter Queues
  • Always configure DLQ for production queues
  • Set appropriate maxReceiveCount (usually 3-5)
  • Monitor DLQ depth with CloudWatch alarms
  • Process DLQ messages manually or with automation
FIFO Queues
  • Use message group IDs to partition ordering
  • Enable content-based deduplication or provide dedup IDs
  • Throughput: 300 msgs/sec without batching, 3000 with
Security
  • Use queue policies to control access
  • Enable encryption with SSE-SQS or SSE-KMS
  • Use VPC endpoints for private access

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Being Received

Causes:

  • Short polling returning empty
  • All messages in flight (visibility timeout)
  • Messages delayed (DelaySeconds)

Debug:

bash
# Check queue attributes
aws sqs get-queue-attributes \
  --queue-url $QUEUE_URL \
  --attribute-names All

# Check approximate message counts
aws sqs get-queue-attributes \
  --queue-url $QUEUE_URL \
  --attribute-names \
    ApproximateNumberOfMessages,\
    ApproximateNumberOfMessagesNotVisible,\
    ApproximateNumberOfMessagesDelayed
Messages Going to DLQ

Causes:

  • Processing errors
  • Visibility timeout too short
  • Consumer not deleting messages

Redrive from DLQ:

bash
# Enable redrive allow policy on source queue
aws sqs set-queue-attributes \
  --queue-url $MAIN_QUEUE_URL \
  --attributes '{"RedriveAllowPolicy": "{\"redrivePermission\":\"allowAll\"}"}'

# Start redrive
aws sqs start-message-move-task \
  --source-arn arn:aws:sqs:us-east-1:123456789012:my-queue-dlq \
  --destination-arn arn:aws:sqs:us-east-1:123456789012:my-queue
Duplicate Processing

Solutions:

  • Use FIFO queues for exactly-once
  • Implement idempotency in consumer
  • Track processed message IDs in database
Lambda Not Processing
bash
# Check event source mapping
aws lambda list-event-source-mappings \
  --function-name my-function

# Check for errors
aws lambda get-event-source-mapping \
  --uuid <mapping-uuid>

References

© itsmostafa, 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 1 other file in skills/sqs of itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills.

  • SKILL.md
  • messaging-patterns.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit e786d25

Compare with similar skills

Sqs 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.

Sqs compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Sqs this skillitsmostafa/aws-agent-skills1.2k—~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AWS Serverless Edazxkane/aws-skills3674 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
FoundatioFoundatioFx/Foundatio2.1k—~3.9kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Processing S3 Uploads With Step Functionsaws/agent-toolkit-for-aws2.8k—~4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
AWS Serverlessdavila7/claude-code-templates32k8 repos~2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
AWS Lambda Microvmsawslabs/agent-plugins9151 repos~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Categories

Questions about Sqs

What does Sqs do?

AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures. An agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. Sqs is an agent skill from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills. AWS SQS message queue service for decoupled architectures.

When should I use Sqs?

Sqs fits situations like: creating queues; configuring dead-letter queues; managing visibility timeouts; implementing FIFO ordering.

How do I install Sqs in Claude Code?

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

How do I install Sqs in Codex?

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

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

What does Sqs need to run?

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

Does Sqs access the network?

SKILL.md names 3 domains. In commands or code: sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: docs.aws.amazon.com and boto3.amazonaws.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Sqs 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 Sqs use?

Sqs 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 Sqs use?

About 2.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 9k 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 Sqs?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Sqs: AWS Serverless Eda (zxkane/aws-skills, 367 stars), Foundatio (FoundatioFx/Foundatio, 2.1k 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 Sqs?

itsmostafa (a GitHub user) maintains it in itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills, which has 1,161 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.