# AWS Cdk

Authors, deploys, and troubleshoots AWS infrastructure using CDK with TypeScript or...

- Repository: https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws (3366 stars)
- Category: DevOps
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-cdk -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-cdk -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-cdk -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-cdk -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws`

## Description

Authors, deploys, and troubleshoots AWS infrastructure using CDK with TypeScript or Python. Covers best practices, stack architecture, and construct patterns. Applies when writing CDK constructs, bootstrapping environments, running cdk deploy/synth/diff, fixing CDK or CloudFormation errors, planning stack structure, importing existing resources, resolving drift, or refactoring stacks without resource replacement.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# AWS CDK

## Overview

Domain expertise for CDK construct authoring, deployment workflows, compliance, drift, importing resources, safe refactoring, and troubleshooting CDK CLI / CloudFormation errors.

**When NOT to use:** Raw CloudFormation YAML/JSON. SAM. Terraform/Pulumi. CI/CD beyond CDK Pipelines. Use builtin knowledge or specialized skills for these.

## Critical Warnings

**Deadly embrace**: Removing a cross-stack reference deadlocks deployment (`Export ... cannot be deleted as it is in use by ...`). Preferred fix: weaken the reference first, `CrossStackReferences.of($RESOURCE).produce(ReferenceStrength.BOTH)` then `WEAK`, then remove (three deploys). Legacy fallback: two-deploy `this.exportValue()` recipe. See [troubleshooting-deployment](references/troubleshooting-deployment.md).

**Construct ID changes cause replacement**: Renaming/moving a construct changes its logical ID → CloudFormation replaces the resource (data loss for stateful resources). Always `cdk diff` before deploy. See [refactor-and-prevent-replacement](references/refactor-and-prevent-replacement.md).

**UPDATE_ROLLBACK_FAILED**: Stack is stuck. Fix with `cdk rollback $STACK` or `cdk rollback $STACK --orphan <LogicalId>`. Express mode stacks are the exception, they cannot be rolled back at all. See [troubleshooting-deployment](references/troubleshooting-deployment.md).

**Hotswap and express mode are development-only**: `--hotswap` / `--hotswap-fallback` bypass CloudFormation and create drift on purpose; `--express` reports success before resources stabilize and disables automatic rollback. You MUST NOT use either in production. A failed `--express` deployment cannot be rolled back, recover by rolling forward with another `--express` deploy. See [fast-deployments](references/fast-deployments.md).

The rest: https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/blob/HEAD/plugins/aws-core/skills/aws-cdk/SKILL.md