iac-scaffold

name	iac-scaffold
description	Scaffold new AWS infrastructure-as-code projects using CDK, Terraform, SAM, or CloudFormation. Use when creating new IaC projects, adding new stacks/modules, or setting up deployment pipelines for AWS infrastructure.
disable-model-invocation	true
argument-hint	<framework> <project-description>

Scaffold a new AWS IaC project.

Framework: $ARGUMENTS[0] (cdk, terraform, sam, or cfn) Description: $ARGUMENTS[1]

Process

1. Ask clarifying questions if the framework or description is unclear
2. Use the aws-iac MCP tools to validate resource configurations and check for security issues
3. Use the awsknowledge MCP tools (mcp__plugin_aws-dev-toolkit_awsknowledge__aws___search_documentation, mcp__plugin_aws-dev-toolkit_awsknowledge__aws___read_documentation, mcp__plugin_aws-dev-toolkit_awsknowledge__aws___recommend) to look up current best practices for the chosen framework
4. Generate the project structure following the patterns in templates/

Framework-Specific Guidance

CDK (TypeScript default)

• Use cdk init app --language typescript patterns
• Separate stacks by lifecycle (networking, data, compute)
• Use cdk-nag for compliance checks
• Outputs for cross-stack references

Terraform

• Module-per-service structure
• Remote state in S3 + DynamoDB locking
• Use terraform-aws-modules where they exist
• Separate tfvars per environment

SAM

• template.yaml at root
• Globals section for shared Lambda config
• Use SAM Accelerate for fast iteration

CloudFormation

• Nested stacks for reuse
• Parameters with AllowedValues for guardrails
• Conditions for multi-environment templates

Gotchas

• Always include a .gitignore appropriate for the framework
• CDK: don't put secrets in context — use SSM Parameter Store or Secrets Manager
• Terraform: never commit .tfstate — configure remote backend first
• SAM: sam local needs Docker — mention this in the README
• All frameworks: tag everything with at minimum Environment, Project, Owner
• Include a Makefile or justfile with common commands (deploy, destroy, diff, synth)

Output

Generate the complete project structure with:

1. Entry point / main config file
2. At least one example resource
3. Environment-specific configuration
4. README with setup instructions
5. CI/CD pipeline config (GitHub Actions default, ask if different)