Setting the file. One moment.
Subchapter 32.1
references/handoff.mdMarkdown4 KBView on GitHub
Do NOT answer the user’s service-specific question until the service skill is loaded. The service skill has deeper, more current guidance than the knowledge cards. Even if you believe you can answer from the knowledge card alone, you MUST load the service skill first — the knowledge card is a summary, not a substitute. Follow the procedure below to load it first.
Resolve the service — if the service isn’t already clear from context, map common names:
Confirm intent — if the user’s question is actually about choosing or comparing services (“should I be using this?” / “is there something better?”), re-route to select instead.
Look up the skill name from the service reference table in SKILL.md (the Service skill column).
If the table shows — (no service skill listed), skip directly to “If the service skill is not available” below — answer using the knowledge card and documentation tools.
Otherwise, try these methods in order:
If the skill is already installed locally, it will activate automatically — the agent runtime detects installed skills and loads them. Check whether the skill is already available before attempting to install.
If the skill is not installed locally and the AWS MCP server is connected, call aws___retrieve_skill with the skill name from the service reference table in SKILL.md. You already have the authoritative skill name, so you do not need to call aws___search_documentation first to discover it — pass the listed name directly.
If neither of the above worked, install the skill now using the AWS Agent Toolkit CLI:
npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill <skill-name> --full-depthFor example:
npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill amazon-aurora-postgresql --full-depthOnce installed, the skill will be available. Some agents pick it up mid-session automatically; others require a session restart. If the user needs to run it themselves, show them the command and ask them to run it, then continue once they confirm.
If none of the above work, point the user to the skill on GitHub:
https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/tree/main/skills/specialized-skills/database-skills/<skill-name>They can copy the skill into their agent’s skills directory manually.
If no service skill exists for this service (table shows —) or the skill cannot be loaded by any method above, proceed immediately using:
llms.txt documentation index (URL in the knowledge card)aws___search_documentation, aws___read_documentation) if availableDo NOT narrate failed attempts or explain which methods you tried. Lead with the recommendation — answer the user’s question directly from the knowledge card first. Mention the service skill at the end, not the beginning:
“For detailed guidance, install the [service] skill:
npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill <skill-name> --full-depth“
Before taking any provisioning action, confirm the service choice with the user and load the appropriate service skill for safe execution. The service skill provides the domain-specific configuration, safety guardrails, and resource tagging patterns needed to provision correctly.