Coding agent skills

If you build Lambda functions with a coding agent, you can install the Powertools for AWS Lambda (Python) skill so the agent works from the current documentation and the tested examples instead of what it remembers.

Agent Skills are directories with a SKILL.md file and reference material that agents load on demand. Our skill lives in this repository under .agents/skills/building-lambda-functions-with-powertools-python. It tells the agent when Powertools applies, shows the essential patterns, lists the rules we follow (import cost, no boto3 in the layer, one idempotency persistence layer per function, public API only) and carries one reference file per utility, generated from the documentation page you are reading on this site, examples included.

Installation¶

Claude Code¶

Add this repository as a plugin marketplace and install the plugin:

claude plugin marketplace add aws-powertools/powertools-lambda-python
claude plugin install powertools-lambda-python@aws-powertools

Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and other agents¶

Any agent that follows the agentskills.io standard can install it with the skills CLI:

npx skills add aws-powertools/powertools-lambda-python

Manually¶

Copy the skill directory into your project's .agents/skills/ (or .claude/skills/ for Claude Code). The skill is plain Markdown, there is nothing to build.

Keeping it current¶

The reference files are regenerated from the documentation by scripts/build_agent_skill_references.py: a pre-commit hook runs it whenever docs/ or examples/ change, make agent-skill runs it by hand, and a test in the suite fails if they drift. Reinstall the skill when you upgrade Powertools for AWS Lambda (Python) to pick up new utilities and changed APIs.