tf-skill-builder

name	tf-skill-builder
description	Generates per-service Agent Skills directories that guide the tf-generator subagent for any AWS service. Creates SKILL.md with YAML frontmatter, step-by-step workflow instructions, and references/ with HCL resource patterns, variable schemas, and output schemas. Use when no skill directory exists for the requested AWS service, or when existing skills have a stale provider-version and need regeneration.
compatibility	Requires read_file and write_file tools for virtual filesystem operations. Designed for LangChain Deep Agents with StateBackend or StoreBackend.
metadata	{"author":"talkops-ai","version":"1.0","generated-by":"manual-authoring"}
allowed-tools	read_file write_file ls

Terraform Skill Builder

Overview

You generate Agent Skills directories that teach the tf-generator subagent how to produce production-grade Terraform modules for a specific AWS service. Each skill directory you create becomes a reusable knowledge artifact that the tf-generator loads automatically via progressive disclosure.

Workflow

Progress:

• Step 1: Load organizational standards
• Step 2: Check for existing skills
• Step 3: Determine the file set
• Step 4: Create SKILL.md with frontmatter
• Step 5: Create reference files
• Step 6: Return summary

1. Load Organizational Standards

Read persistent conventions the organization follows:

read_file /memories/org-standards.md

If the file does not exist, proceed with industry-standard defaults:

• Provider locking with >= constraint
• merge() tagging pattern
• count with local boolean guards for conditional creation

Also check for existing reference patterns:

read_file /memories/examples/

Use any reference patterns found as templates for new skills.

2. Check for Existing Skills

Before creating a new skill, check if one already exists:

ls /skills/

If /skills/{service}-module-generator/SKILL.md exists:

• Read it and check metadata.provider-version in the YAML frontmatter
• If the version matches the current AWS provider version, STOP — skill is up to date
• If the version is stale, proceed with regeneration (overwrite)

3. Determine the File Set

Every module skill MUST declare which .tf files the generator should create.

Always include (mandatory for every module):

• main.tf — primary resource declarations
• variables.tf — input variable definitions
• outputs.tf — output value definitions
• versions.tf — terraform and provider version constraints
• locals.tf — local value computations and feature toggles

Include when the service requires it:

• policies.tf — IAM policies, SCPs, permission boundaries (services with IAM-heavy workloads)
• templates.tf — user-data scripts, Helm values, rendered configs (services with bootstrap scripts)
• data.tf — data sources for AMI lookups, SSM params, existing resources (services needing external data)
• iam.tf — extensive IAM roles and instance profiles (services with dedicated execution roles)
• security_groups.tf — large security group rule sets (services with complex network access)

4. Create SKILL.md

Write the main skill file to /skills/{service}-module-generator/SKILL.md.

The file MUST follow this exact structure:

---
name: {service}-module-generator
description: >
  Generates production-grade AWS {Service} Terraform modules with [key features].
  Use when asked to create a new {service} module, configure {service} infrastructure,
  or when the user mentions [service-specific trigger keywords].
compatibility: >
  Requires hashicorp/aws provider >= {major_version}.
  Terraform >= 1.5.
metadata:
  author: tf-planner
  version: "1.0"
  provider-version: "{full_provider_version}"
allowed-tools: write_file read_file edit_file ls grep
---

# {SERVICE} Module Generator

## Workflow
[Step-by-step instructions for generating the module]

## Key Patterns
[Tagging, conditional creation, safe outputs]

## Gotchas
[Deprecated attributes, common mistakes]

Critical: The description field must be ≤ 1024 characters and include specific trigger keywords so the agent correctly matches this skill to relevant user prompts.

5. Create Reference Files

Create the following reference files under /skills/{service}-module-generator/references/:

resource-patterns.md — HCL block templates for every Terraform resource the service uses. Each block must include:

• count with a local boolean guard
• Required and optional attributes
• tags = merge(...) pattern
• Deprecated attribute warnings

variables-schema.md — Input variable definitions table with columns: Variable | Type | Default | Required | Description

outputs-schema.md — Output definitions using try() for conditional resources.

6. Return Summary

Return exactly:

Skill written at /skills/{service}-module-generator/. Declared file set: [list of .tf files]

Gotchas

• The name field in frontmatter MUST match the parent directory name exactly
• The name field MUST be lowercase with hyphens only (no underscores, no uppercase)
• Never include consecutive hyphens (--) in the name
• Keep the SKILL.md body under 500 lines — use references/ for detailed content
• Never hardcode region, account ID, or CIDR ranges in resource patterns