Command Designer

Command Designer

Purpose

This meta-skill provides patterns, templates, and best practices for creating slash commands in AWS Coworker. Slash commands are workflow orchestrators that combine agents and skills to accomplish specific tasks.

When to Use

• Creating a new slash command for AWS Coworker
• Reviewing or improving an existing command
• Converting repeated multi-step interactions into reusable workflows
• Standardizing operational procedures

When NOT to Use

• Creating reference material (use skills instead)
• One-off tasks that don't warrant automation
• Simple queries that don't need orchestration

Command Design Process

Step 1: Identify the Workflow

Before creating a command, answer:

1. What outcome does this achieve?

   • What is the end state after running this command?
   • Is it planning, execution, validation, or meta-operation?

2. Who will use it?

   • Platform engineers? Developers? Security team?
   • What level of AWS expertise is assumed?

3. What safeguards are needed?

   • Does it mutate infrastructure?
   • What approvals should be required?

Step 2: Determine Dependencies

Step 3: Choose a Name

Naming Convention: aws-coworker-{action}-{scope}

Good names:

• aws-coworker-plan-interaction — Clear action and scope
• aws-coworker-execute-nonprod — Indicates environment constraint
• aws-coworker-audit-library — Self-referential for meta-commands

Avoid:

• run-aws — Too vague
• do-stuff — Not descriptive
• my-command — Not meaningful

Step 4: Write the Command

Follow this template:

---
description: One-line description of what this command accomplishes
skills: [skill-1, skill-2]
agent: primary-agent-name
tools: [Read, Write, Bash, etc]
arguments:
  - name: argument-name
    description: What this argument specifies
    required: true|false
    default: optional-default-value
---

# Command Name

## Overview

[Brief description of what this command does and when to use it]

## Prerequisites

- [Prerequisite 1]
- [Prerequisite 2]

## Workflow

### Step 1: [First Phase]

[Instructions for the agent to follow]

### Step 2: [Second Phase]

[Instructions for the agent to follow]

### Step 3: [Approval/Checkpoint]

[Where human approval is required]

### Step 4: [Final Phase]

[Instructions for completion]

## Output

[What the user should expect as output]

## Error Handling

[How to handle common failures]

Frontmatter Reference

Required Fields

Optional Fields

Command Categories

Planning Commands

For commands that analyze and propose without executing:

---
description: Plan [what] for [context]
skills: [aws-cli-playbook, aws-well-architected, aws-governance-guardrails]
agent: aws-coworker-planner
tools: [Read, Grep, Glob]
---

Key characteristics:

• No Bash execution of AWS commands
• Output is a plan document
• May propose commands but doesn't run them

Execution Commands

For commands that make changes:

---
description: Execute [what] in [environment]
skills: [aws-cli-playbook, aws-governance-guardrails]
agent: aws-coworker-executor
tools: [Read, Write, Bash]
---

Key characteristics:

• Environment-scoped (nonprod vs prod)
• Explicit approval checkpoints
• Includes rollback information

Validation Commands

For commands that check compliance:

---
description: Validate [what] against [criteria]
skills: [aws-governance-guardrails]
agent: aws-coworker-guardrail
tools: [Read, Grep, Glob]
---

Key characteristics:

• Read-only operations
• Produces findings report
• No infrastructure changes

Meta Commands

For commands that evolve AWS Coworker itself:

---
description: [Meta-operation] for AWS Coworker
skills: [skill-designer, command-designer, audit-library]
agent: aws-coworker-meta-designer
tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Bash]
---

Key characteristics:

• Only Git operations via Bash (no AWS CLI)
• Creates branches/PRs
• Self-referential to AWS Coworker

Safety Patterns

Approval Checkpoints

Include explicit approval points for mutations:

### Step 3: Approval Checkpoint

**Before proceeding, confirm:**

1. Review the proposed changes above
2. Verify the target environment: `{profile}` / `{region}`
3. Confirm blast radius is acceptable

**Awaiting explicit user confirmation to proceed.**

Environment Guards

Enforce environment constraints:

### Environment Validation

This command is restricted to **non-production** environments.

Before any execution:
1. Confirm profile is classified as non-production
2. Verify region is in the allowed list
3. If production detected, abort and suggest `/aws-coworker-prepare-prod-change`

Blast Radius Disclosure

Always disclose impact:

### Impact Assessment

**Resources affected:**
- [Resource type]: [count] in [scope]
- [Resource type]: [count] in [scope]

**Estimated blast radius:** [Low/Medium/High]

**Rollback complexity:** [Simple/Moderate/Complex]

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing a command, verify:

Structure

• Valid YAML frontmatter
• All required fields present
• Clear workflow steps
• Proper markdown formatting

Safety

• Appropriate agent assigned
• Environment constraints clear
• Approval checkpoints included (for mutations)
• Rollback guidance provided

Usability

• Clear prerequisites listed
• Expected output described
• Error handling documented
• Arguments well-documented

Integration

• Skills correctly referenced
• Tools accurately specified
• Works with specified agent

Documentation

• README updated
• CHANGELOG entry added
• Examples tested

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Discover → Plan → Approve → Execute

## Workflow

### Step 1: Discovery

Use `aws-cli-playbook` to discover current state:
- [Discovery command 1]
- [Discovery command 2]

### Step 2: Planning

Based on discovery, create execution plan:
- Proposed changes
- Sequence of operations
- Rollback steps

### Step 3: Validation

Run guardrail checks against the plan:
- Policy compliance
- Tagging requirements
- Security constraints

### Step 4: Approval

Present plan for human approval:
- Summary of changes
- Blast radius
- Risk assessment

### Step 5: Execution (upon approval)

Execute the approved plan:
- Run commands in sequence
- Validate each step
- Report completion

Pattern 2: Audit → Report → Recommend

## Workflow

### Step 1: Inventory

Collect current state:
- List resources
- Gather configurations
- Note relationships

### Step 2: Analysis

Evaluate against criteria:
- Policy compliance
- Best practices
- Cost efficiency

### Step 3: Findings

Generate findings report:
- Issues identified
- Severity levels
- Affected resources

### Step 4: Recommendations

Propose remediation:
- Prioritized actions
- Implementation guidance
- Estimated effort

Pattern 3: Generate → Review → Commit

## Workflow

### Step 1: Generation

Create artifacts based on requirements:
- IaC templates
- Configuration files
- Documentation

### Step 2: Validation

Verify generated content:
- Syntax validation
- Policy compliance
- Completeness check

### Step 3: Review

Present for human review:
- Show generated files
- Highlight key decisions
- Note assumptions

### Step 4: Commit (upon approval)

Persist changes via Git:
- Create branch
- Stage files
- Commit with message
- Report PR-ready

Anti-Patterns

Avoid these common mistakes:

Too Many Steps

❌ 20-step workflow with no clear phases

✅ Grouped into 4-6 logical phases with clear transitions

Hidden Mutations

❌ Commands that modify without explicit acknowledgment

✅ Clear "this will modify..." statements before any mutation

Missing Rollback

❌ Execute without rollback guidance

✅ Every mutation includes "to undo this..." instructions

Vague Prerequisites

❌ "Make sure everything is set up"

✅ "Requires: AWS CLI configured, profile X with Y permissions"

No Error Handling

❌ Assume everything succeeds

✅ Include "If X fails, do Y" guidance

Testing Commands

Before publishing a command:

1. Dry run: Walk through steps mentally or in sandbox
2. Edge cases: What if prerequisites aren't met?
3. Failure modes: What if a step fails?
4. Approval flow: Are checkpoints clear?
5. Documentation: Is output format clear?

Use /aws-coworker-audit-library to check command quality.

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