How to Install AWS Agent Toolkit Skills Locally: 3 Methods Explained

The fastest way to install AWS Agent Toolkit skills locally is running npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills, which automatically detects your AI agent and copies skill packages to the appropriate directory.

The AWS Agent Toolkit for AWS distributes functionality as skills—self-contained packages of instructions, reference material, and example code that AI coding agents can load on demand. The aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws repository supports three distinct approaches to making these skills available to your agent, with local installation offering the most control over which capabilities are available offline.

Three Installation Methods Overview

The repository supports multiple distribution strategies depending on your workflow:

• Plugin Install – Install one of the provided plugins (aws-core, aws-agents, aws-data-analytics) via npm. Bundled skills become automatically available system-wide.
• Local Install – Copy skill directories directly into your agent's skills folder using the CLI helper or manual copy commands.
• Runtime Discovery – Configure the AWS MCP Server to allow agents query and load skills on demand without pre-installation.

For developers who need offline access or want to customize which skills are available, local installation is the preferred approach.

Prerequisites for Local Installation

Before installing skills locally, ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

• Node.js version 18.x or higher
• npx command (included with npm)

According to the repository's top-level README.md, these commands work out of the box once Node is properly installed 【/cache/repos/github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/main/README.md#L91-L99】.

Local Installation Step-by-Step

Option 1: CLI Helper (Recommended)

The repository provides a one-line command that downloads the skill manifest and automatically installs skills to your agent's specific directory:

# Installs all skills from the repository

npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills

This helper detects which agent you are using—whether Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or others—and places files in the appropriate location. For example, Claude Code uses ~/.claude/skills/ while Cursor uses ~/.cursor/skills/. The mapping of agents to default skill paths is documented in skills/README.md 【/cache/repos/github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/main/skills/README.md#L17-L23】.

Option 2: Manual Copy

If you only need specific capabilities rather than the entire toolkit, copy individual skill directories manually:

# Example: install only the Amplify web-and-mobile skill

cp -r skills/specialized-skills/web-and-mobile-development/aws-amplify \
      ~/.claude/skills/

The skills/README.md file contains a reference table showing which folder corresponds to each supported agent, ensuring you target the correct installation path.

Verifying Your Installation

After running the installation command, confirm the skills are properly registered by checking your agent's skill directory:

# For Claude Code users

ls ~/.claude/skills | grep aws

# For Cursor users  

ls ~/.cursor/skills | grep aws

You should see new folders such as aws-amplify/ or aws-containers/. Each installed skill contains:

• A SKILL.md file describing the workflow
• A references/ subdirectory with supplemental documentation

Using Installed Skills in Your Agent

Once installed, invoke skills naturally during your agent session:

User: "Create an Amplify web app with a backend API."
Agent: (searches skill catalogue, loads aws-amplify skill, follows step-by-step instructions)

Alternatively, configure the AWS MCP Server as described in the User Guide (linked from the top-level README.md lines 45-53) to enable runtime discovery. This approach fetches skills automatically when needed rather than pre-installing them 【/cache/repos/github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/main/README.md#L45-L53】.

Summary

• Local installation requires Node.js ≥ 18.x and uses either npx skills add for automatic setup or manual cp -r for selective installation.
• The CLI helper auto-detects your agent type and maps to correct directories (~/.claude/skills/, ~/.cursor/skills/, etc.) as defined in skills/README.md.
• Manual installation allows selective skill copies from paths like skills/specialized-skills/web-and-mobile-development/aws-amplify/.
• Runtime discovery via AWS MCP Server offers an alternative that requires no local file copying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to install all AWS Agent Toolkit skills at once?

Run npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills from any terminal. This command automatically downloads the repository's skill manifest, detects your active AI agent, and copies all skill directories to the appropriate location without manual configuration.

Where are AWS Agent Toolkit skills stored after local installation?

Skills are stored in your agent's specific skills folder, typically located at ~/.claude/skills/ for Claude Code or ~/.cursor/skills/ for Cursor. The exact path varies by agent and is documented in the skills/README.md file 【/cache/repos/github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/main/skills/README.md#L17-L23】.

Can I install individual skills instead of the entire repository?

Yes. Copy specific skill directories manually using commands like cp -r skills/specialized-skills/web-and-mobile-development/aws-amplify ~/.claude/skills/. This approach saves disk space when you only need specific AWS service capabilities rather than the complete toolkit.

Do I need to restart my AI agent after installing skills locally?

Most modern agents—including Claude Code and Cursor—detect new skills automatically when placed in their respective skills directories. However, if a session was already active when you installed the files, start a new conversation thread to ensure the agent loads the skill catalogue fresh.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}