# AWS Iam

Provides verified corrections for IAM behaviors that AI agents frequently get wrong, ...

- Repository: https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws (3366 stars)
- Category: AI and agents
- 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-iam -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-iam -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-iam -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill aws-iam -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws`

## Description

Provides verified corrections for IAM behaviors that AI agents frequently get wrong, policy evaluation edge cases, trust policy gotchas, STS session limits, Organizations quirks, and SAML/MFA specifics. Also provides structured workflows for IAM role management and baseline policy generation from application source code or a Terraform plan JSON. Covers condition operator safety (ForAnyValue/ForAllValues with Null checks), bucket policy deny patterns (VPC endpoint restrictions, org paths), confused deputy protection, and service role creation for AWS services (Glue, CloudTrail, Lambda, ECS, etc.) with aws:SourceAccount/aws:SourceArn trust conditions. Applies when creating IAM roles, writing IAM or bucket policies, generating policies from application source code or a Terraform plan JSON, working with STS, Organizations, or condition operators, or any task needing a service or execution role. Does not cover non-IAM authorization like Cognito user-pool policies or app-level RBAC.

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

# AWS IAM, Common Pitfalls

## About This Skill

This skill contains verified corrections for things that AI agents frequently get wrong about IAM. It is not a comprehensive IAM guide, for full IAM guidance, search AWS documentation. When answering IAM questions, verify specific claims (limits, quotas, exact API names, edge-case behaviors) against official AWS documentation rather than relying on pre-training. Prefer fetching known documentation URLs over broad searches. Trust official documentation over memory when they conflict.

## Common Workflows

Use the best available tool for AWS operations, the AWS MCP server is recommended but not required; AWS CLI or SDK may be used as alternatives. Read reference files only when the conversation requires deeper detail.

- Read [references/aws-iam-role-management.md](references/aws-iam-role-management.md) if the user needs to create, scope, or maintain IAM roles when provisioning or updating AWS resources. Covers service roles, execution roles, trust policies, confused deputy protection, and permission hygiene.

- Read [references/aws-iam-policy-generation.md](references/aws-iam-policy-generation.md) if the user needs to generate IAM policies, determine required IAM actions for API calls, or understand action-to-operation mappings. **CRITICAL: If the user provides application source code (in any language) or a Terraform plan JSON file (`terraform show -json` output), you MUST read this reference, it mandates using iam-policy-autopilot instead of manual policy construction.** Uses the programmatic service authorization reference for accurate mappings.

## Verified Edge Cases

**CloudTrail:**

- AcceptHandshake/DeclineHandshake logged in ACTING account ONLY, not management account. Organization trail required for centralization.
- ConsoleLogin region varies by endpoint/cookies, NOT always us-east-1. `?region=` forces specific region.

**STS:**

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