skill CX Codex

aws-ami-builder — Claude Code skill: build AMIs with Packer

Q: How do I install aws-ami-builder in Claude?

Run `npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a claude-code`. The skill file then sits at `~/.claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md`.

Q: What do I need before using it?

AWS access: `AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID` and `AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY`, a `~/.aws/credentials` file, or an IAM instance profile. The AMI build itself is billed and typically takes 10 to 30 minutes.

A skill that walks your agent through building Amazon Machine Images with Packer and the amazon-ebs builder — template, source AMI filters, build commands.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a claude-code

Open on GitHub

What aws-ami-builder does

The skill hands your agent a working HCL skeleton for Packer with an amazon-ebs source: region, instance type, a source AMI filter, and an image name carrying a timestamp. It ships filter snippets for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Amazon Linux 2023, an example that copies the image into extra regions with ami_regions, and notes on the usual failures — SSH timeout, a name that already exists, a volume that is too small.

You need AWS credentials in place: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, a ~/.aws/credentials file, or an IAM instance profile. The flow is packer init ., then packer validate ., then packer build ., with variables passed through -var. Builds cost money — EC2, EBS storage, data transfer — and run 10 to 30 minutes depending on provisioning, so validating the template first is worth the minute it takes.

The skill installs into Claude, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, landing at a path like ~/.claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md. License is MPL-2.0, maintained by HashiCorp.

What it helps with

build a custom AMI from a Packer template
pick the right source AMI filter for Ubuntu or Amazon Linux
ship one image to several regions
debug a build that dies on SSH or a duplicate AMI name
validate a template before paying for a failed build

Example prompts for the agent

build an AMI from my Packer template using the amazon-ebs builder
add multi-region copying to us-east-1 and eu-west-1
my build times out on SSH — what should I check in the template?

How to install aws-ami-builder

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a codex

2Manually: put the files in place

.agents/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a cursor

2Manually: put the files in place

.cursor/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

1GitHub CLI

gh skill install hashicorp/agent-skills aws-ami-builder

2Manually: put the files in place

.github/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a gemini-cli

2Platform CLI

gemini skills install https://github.com/hashicorp/agent-skills --path plugins/packer/skills/aws-ami-builder

Manually: put the files in place

.devin/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a opencode

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about aws-ami-builder

How do I install aws-ami-builder in Claude?

Run npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a claude-code. The skill file then sits at ~/.claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md.

What does aws-ami-builder do?

It helps your agent write and fix Packer templates that build Amazon Machine Images with the amazon-ebs builder, covering source AMI filters and the build commands.

What do I need before using it?

AWS access: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, a ~/.aws/credentials file, or an IAM instance profile. The AMI build itself is billed and typically takes 10 to 30 minutes.

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