# aws-ami-builder

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

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 3200 installs · ★ 909
- Author: hashicorp
- License: MPL-2.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/hashicorp/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/plugins/packer/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-05
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/aws-ami-builder

## What it 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.

## Requirements
- Works with: AWS

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/aws-ami-builder/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install hashicorp/agent-skills aws-ami-builder
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/hashicorp/agent-skills --path plugins/packer/skills/aws-ami-builder
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill aws-ami-builder -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/hashicorp/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/plugins/packer/skills/aws-ami-builder/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- 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
- 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?

## Similar
- [amazon-ec2-image-builder](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/amazon-ec2-image-builder.md) — skill · 2200 installs
- [aws-network-monitoring](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/aws-network-monitoring.md) — skill · 4900 installs
- [aws-diagrams](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/aws-diagrams.md) — skill · 1200 installs
- [terraform-aws](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/terraform-aws.md) — skill · 387 installs
- [aws-vpc](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/aws-vpc.md) — skill · 328 installs
- [aws-cloud-expert](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents/aws-cloud-expert.md) — subagent · ★ 40418

From the same set: [hashicorp/agent-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/hashicorp/agent-skills.md) — 20 cards

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md