connecting-vpcs-with-peering

Establishes VPC peering connections between two VPCs for direct private network connectivity. Always use this skill when creating or managing VPC peering — it validates CIDR overlap, updates all route tables in both VPCs, configures DNS resolution, and provides security group guidance that are critical for correct connectivity.

Quality

86%

Does it follow best practices?

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Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Quality

Content

72%

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

The body is a well-structured, token-efficient overview that delegates detail to a real one-level-deep reference, with concise inline troubleshooting. Its weakness is that the main creation workflow and its validation checkpoints live entirely in the reference, leaving the body's actionability and workflow clarity dependent on that external file.

Suggestions

Add a brief inline skeleton of the creation steps (verify VPCs → check CIDR overlap → create & accept peering → update route tables → configure DNS → validate) with explicit validation checkpoints, so the body is actionable without opening the reference.

Include at least one concrete command snippet in the body (e.g. the core `aws ec2 create-vpc-peering-connection` / `create-route` calls) to raise actionability from descriptive to executable.

Make the link to the procedure reference more prominent and explicit about what it contains (full SOP with parameters, constraints, and examples) so readers know what is deferred and why.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The body is lean — a one-paragraph overview, a short delegation to the procedure reference, and terse troubleshooting entries — with no padding of concepts Claude already knows. Not a 2 because every line earns its place and it assumes Claude's competence.	3 / 3
Actionability	The troubleshooting section gives concrete advice ('Replace existing routes instead of creating new ones', 'Both VPCs must have DNS resolution and DNS hostnames enabled'), but the main creation procedure is deferred to the reference with no executable commands in the body itself. Not a 3 because the body's primary instruction ('follow the procedure exactly. See [reference]') is not copy-paste actionable on its own.	2 / 3
Workflow Clarity	The body summarizes the sequence ('validates both VPCs exist, checks for CIDR overlap, creates and accepts the peering, updates all route tables, and configures DNS resolution') but explicit validation checkpoints live only in the reference. Per the rubric, batch/destructive operations (route-table updates) with no inline verification checkpoints cap this at 2; not a 1 because a clear sequence is present.	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	A concise overview points to a single, real, well-signaled reference (references/vpc-peering-connection.md, verified to exist) one level deep, with troubleshooting kept inline appropriately. Not a 2 because navigation is clear and content is split correctly rather than inlined.	3 / 3
	Total	10 / 12 Passed

Description

100%

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

The description is specific, third-person, and includes an explicit use-when trigger that clearly scopes the skill to VPC peering. It enumerates concrete actions rather than vague fluff and stays concise.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Lists multiple concrete actions — 'Establishes VPC peering connections', 'validates CIDR overlap, updates all route tables in both VPCs, configures DNS resolution, and provides security group guidance' — matching the anchor for naming several specific actions.	3 / 3
Completeness	Clearly states what it does and includes an explicit trigger — 'Always use this skill when creating or managing VPC peering' — answering both 'what' and 'when' with an explicit Use-when clause.	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Uses natural terms a user would say ('VPC peering', 'creating or managing VPC peering', 'route tables', 'CIDR overlap', 'DNS resolution'); not a 2 because the coverage spans the natural vocabulary users invoke for this task rather than a single generic phrase.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	VPC peering is a clear niche with distinct triggers (CIDR overlap, route tables, DNS resolution, peering) unlikely to fire for unrelated skills.	3 / 3
	Total	12 / 12 Passed

Validation

93%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

Criteria	Description	Result
frontmatter_unknown_keys	Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata	Warning

	Total	15 / 16 Passed

Repository: aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws
Path: skills/specialized-skills/networking-and-content-delivery-skills/connecting-vpcs-with-peering/SKILL.md
Commit: 222ce56

Reviewed: 3 days ago

Table of Contents

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