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AWS DevOps Agent uses a different model from other tools in this project. Instead of reading config files from your local repository, skills are packaged as zip files and uploaded to an Agent Space via the Operator Web App. Each skill becomes a self-contained, reusable investigation workflow that DevOps Agent can activate based on your request or automatically when matching conditions are detected.
AWS DevOps Agent does not use a steering mechanism. There is no equivalent of AGENTS.md or .kiro/steering/. Each skill’s SKILL.md is entirely self-contained and includes all guidance the agent needs to run that assessment.

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What gets created

Skill zip files

One .zip per skill, created in output-dir/devops-agent-skills/. Each zip contains the skill’s SKILL.md and any bundled reference material from the shared assets/ directory.

Agent Space skills

After upload via the Operator Web App, each skill appears in your Agent Space and can be activated by DevOps Agent during investigations, on-demand queries, or automated evaluations.

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Installation

1

Clone or download the source repo

If you haven’t already, clone the sample repository locally:
git clone https://github.com/aws-samples/sample-well-architected-skills-and-steering.git
2

Package the skills as zip files

Run the install script with --tool devops-agent. It creates one zip per skill in the output directory you specify.
# Package all skills as zip files
./install.sh ~/output-dir --tool devops-agent
# Zips are written to ~/output-dir/devops-agent-skills/
After running, the output directory contains one zip per skill:
output-dir/
  devops-agent-skills/
    wa-review.zip
    security-assessment.zip
    reliability-improvement-plan.zip
    cost-optimization-review.zip
    performance-efficiency.zip
    sustainability-optimization.zip
    operational-excellence.zip
    migration-readiness.zip
    architecture-decision-record.zip
    wa-builder.zip
    wa-guardrails.zip
3

Upload each zip to your Agent Space

For each skill zip file:
  1. Open the AWS DevOps Agent Operator Web App
  2. Navigate to Skills in your Agent Space
  3. Click Add skill → Upload skill
  4. Select the .zip file
  5. Choose the agent type — Generic or a specific type (see recommendations below)
  6. Save the skill
Repeat for each zip. You can upload only the skills you need — you don’t have to upload all eleven.

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Skill structure inside each zip

Each zip file follows the Agent Skills specification format supported by DevOps Agent: 
skill-name/
  SKILL.md          # Main instructions — required
  references/       # Supplementary reference docs — optional
  assets/           # Shared WA reference material bundled at install time
The total zip size must not exceed 6 MB. Skills with large reference directories (such as wa-review, which includes 57 per-question Best Practice files) are pre-structured to stay within this limit. If you add custom reference material, verify the zip size before uploading.

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Agent type recommendations

DevOps Agent supports multiple agent types. Choose the type that best matches how you plan to use each skill:
SkillRecommended Agent Type
wa-reviewOn-demand, Evaluation
security-assessmentOn-demand, Evaluation
reliability-improvement-planOn-demand, Incident RCA
cost-optimization-reviewOn-demand, Evaluation
performance-efficiencyOn-demand, Incident RCA
sustainability-optimizationOn-demand, Evaluation
migration-readinessOn-demand
architecture-decision-recordOn-demand
wa-builderOn-demand, Evaluation
wa-guardrailsOn-demand, Evaluation
operational-excellenceOn-demand, Evaluation
Use Generic if you want a skill available across all agent types without restriction. Use a specific type (On-demand, Evaluation, Incident RCA, etc.) to keep skills focused and avoid loading unnecessary context in unrelated agent conversations.

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You can also create skills manually

If you prefer not to use zip upload, you can create skills directly in the Operator Web App:
  1. Navigate to Skills in your Agent Space
  2. Click Add skill → Create skill
  3. Copy the name and description from the skill’s SKILL.md frontmatter
  4. Paste the full instruction body (everything after the frontmatter) into the instructions field
  5. Select the agent type and save

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Reference

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