MR
Mayur Rathi
@sickn33
⭐ 47.3k GitHub stars

cloudformation

cloudformation is an engineering AI skill with a core value of Deploy AWS resources with CloudFormation templates. It helps developers solve real-world problems in the engineering domain, boosting efficiency, automating repetitive tasks, and optimizing workflows.

Deploy AWS resources with CloudFormation templates. Create stacks, use nested stacks, and implement drift detection. Use when deploying AWS-native IaC.

Last verified on: 2026-10-06

Quick Facts

Category engineering
Works With Claude
Source sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills
Stars ⭐ 47.3k
Last Verified 2026-10-06
Risk Level Low
mkdir -p ./skills/cloudformation && curl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills/main/skills/cloudformation/SKILL.md -o ./skills/cloudformation/SKILL.md

Run in terminal / PowerShell. Requires curl (Unix) or PowerShell 5+ (Windows).

Skill Content

# CloudFormation


Deploy AWS infrastructure with native CloudFormation templates, change sets, nested stacks, and drift detection.


When to Use This Skill


- Deploying AWS resources using AWS-native Infrastructure as Code

- Creating repeatable, parameterized infrastructure templates

- Managing multi-environment deployments (dev, staging, prod) with the same template

- Implementing safe deployments with change sets and rollback protection

- Detecting and remediating configuration drift

- Organizing large infrastructure into nested stacks

- Exporting/importing values between stacks


Prerequisites


- AWS CLI v2 installed and configured

- IAM permissions: `cloudformation:*`, plus permissions for all resources in the template

- (Optional) `cfn-lint` installed for template validation (`pip install cfn-lint`)

- S3 bucket for storing templates larger than 51,200 bytes


Template Structure


yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Description: Production web application infrastructure

Metadata:
  AWS::CloudFormation::Interface:
    ParameterGroups:
      - Label: { default: "Environment" }
        Parameters: [Environment, InstanceType]
      - Label: { default: "Network" }
        Parameters: [VpcId, SubnetIds]

Parameters:
  Environment:
    Type: String
    AllowedValues: [dev, staging, prod]
    Default: dev

  InstanceType:
    Type: String
    Default: t3.micro
    AllowedValues: [t3.micro, t3.small, t3.medium, t3.large]

  VpcId:
    Type: AWS::EC2::VPC::Id
    Description: VPC to deploy into

  SubnetIds:
    Type: List<AWS::EC2::Subnet::Id>
    Description: Subnets for the application

Conditions:
  IsProd: !Equals [!Ref Environment, prod]
  CreateReadReplica: !Equals [!Ref Environment, prod]

Mappings:
  RegionAMI:
    us-east-1:
      AL2023: ami-0abcdef1234567890
    us-west-2:
      AL2023: ami-0fedcba9876543210

Resources:
  SecurityGroup:
    Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup
    Properties:
      GroupDescription: !Sub '${Environment}-web-sg'
      VpcId: !Ref VpcId
      SecurityGroupIngress:
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 443
          ToPort: 443
          CidrIp: 0.0.0.0/0
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Sub '${Environment}-web-sg'

  LaunchTemplate:
    Type: AWS::EC2::LaunchTemplate
    Properties:
      LaunchTemplateName: !Sub '${Environment}-web'
      LaunchTemplateData:
        ImageId: !FindInMap [RegionAMI, !Ref 'AWS::Region', AL2023]
        InstanceType: !If [IsProd, t3.large, !Ref InstanceType]
        MetadataOptions:
          HttpTokens: required
        SecurityGroupIds:
          - !Ref SecurityGroup

  AutoScalingGroup:
    Type: AWS::AutoScaling::AutoScalingGroup
    Properties:
      AutoScalingGroupName: !Sub '${Environment}-web-asg'
      LaunchTemplate:
        LaunchTemplateId: !Ref LaunchTemplate
        Version: !GetAtt LaunchTemplate.LatestVersionNumber
      MinSize: !If [IsProd, 2, 1]
      MaxSize: !If [IsProd, 10, 3]
      DesiredCapacity: !If [IsProd, 4, 1]
      VPCZoneIdentifier: !Ref SubnetIds
      TargetGroupARNs:
        - !Ref TargetGroup
      HealthCheckType: ELB
      HealthCheckGracePeriod: 300
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Sub '${Environment}-web'
          PropagateAtLaunch: true
    UpdatePolicy:
      AutoScalingRollingUpdate:
        MinInstancesInService: !If [IsProd, 2, 0]
        MaxBatchSize: 1
        PauseTime: PT5M
        WaitOnResourceSignals: true
        SuspendProcesses:
          - HealthCheck
          - ReplaceUnhealthy
          - AZRebalance
          - AlarmNotification
          - ScheduledActions

  TargetGroup:
    Type: AWS::ElasticLoadBalancingV2::TargetGroup
    Properties:
      Name: !Sub '${Environment}-web-tg'
      Port: 8080
      Protocol: HTTP
      VpcId: !Ref VpcId
      TargetType: instance
      HealthCheckPath: /health
      HealthCheckIntervalSeconds: 30
      HealthyThresholdCount: 2
      UnhealthyThresholdCount: 3

Outputs:
  SecurityGroupId:
    Description: Web se

🎯 Best For

  • Claude users
  • AI users

💡 Use Cases

  • Using cloudformation in daily workflow
  • Automating repetitive engineering tasks

📖 How to Use This Skill

  1. 1

    Install the Skill

    Copy the install command from the Terminal tab and run it. The SKILL.md file downloads to your local skills directory.

  2. 2

    Load into Your AI Assistant

    Open Claude and reference the skill. Paste the SKILL.md content or use the system prompt tab.

  3. 3

    Apply cloudformation to Your Work

    Provide context for your task — paste source material, describe your audience, or share existing work to guide the AI.

  4. 4

    Review and Refine

    Edit the AI output for accuracy, tone, and completeness. Add human insight where the AI lacks context.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install cloudformation?

Copy the install command from the Terminal tab and run it. The skill downloads to ./skills/cloudformation/SKILL.md, ready to use.

Can I customize this skill for my team?

Absolutely. Edit the SKILL.md file to add team-specific instructions, examples, or workflows.

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not reading the full skill

Skills contain important context and edge cases beyond the quick start.

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