Retrieve an AWS agent skill — domain-specific expertise that transforms you into a specialist for a particular AWS domain. Skills provide workflows, context, best practices, decision frameworks and step-by-step procedures. A skill may include reference files (architecture docs, schemas, examples) and deterministic workflows for sub-tasks that require exact execution.
## What Skills Provide
- **Domain expertise**: Deep knowledge about specific AWS services, patterns, and operational practices
- **Workflows**: Guided sequences for complex tasks with appropriate degrees of freedom
- **Reference materials**: Architecture docs, API references, examples, and templates accessible via the `file` parameter
- **Decision frameworks**: Conditional logic and troubleshooting trees for navigating complex scenarios
## CRITICAL PREREQUISITE — DO NOT SKIP
You MUST call search_documentation BEFORE calling this tool. NEVER call this tool first. You do NOT know skill names — they are unpredictable identifiers that can only be discovered through search_documentation results. Guessing or fabricating a skill_name WILL fail.
## REQUIRED WORKFLOW (no exceptions)
1. FIRST: Call search_documentation with the user's requirements
2. THEN: Find the result entry that has a skill_name field
3. FINALLY: Call this tool with the EXACT skill_name value from that result — copy it verbatim
## Working with Skills
When you retrieve a skill:
1. Read the SKILL.md overview to understand the domain and scope
2. Follow the workflows and guidance in the skill body
3. When the skill references additional files (e.g., `[architecture](references/architecture.md)`), retrieve them using this same tool with the `file` parameter
4. Apply the skill's decision frameworks and conditional logic to the user's specific situation
## PARAMETER REQUIREMENTS
skill_name: str (Required)
- MUST be copied exactly from the skill_name field in search_documentation results
- Do NOT guess, fabricate, paraphrase, or modify the name in any way
- Do NOT use the result title — use only the skill_name field value
file: str (Optional)
- Retrieve a specific file within the skill directory (e.g., "references/architecture.md")
- Use this when the SKILL.md body links to reference files
- If omitted, returns the main SKILL.md file
## IF SKILL NOT FOUND
If you get an error, you likely guessed the name. Call search_documentation first to discover it. The error response will include a list of available files for the skill.
## Returns
The skill content — either the main SKILL.md with domain expertise, workflows, and guidance, or a specific reference file when the `file` parameter is provided.