Aws Storage
Selects, investigates, and compares AWS object, file, and block storage services, and answers cost, performance, configuration, security, and troubleshooting questions about storage services. Applies when a user asks where to store or archive data based on their usage patterns; which storage service to choose or how two compare; how to migrate data from on-premises or between AWS services; how to protect, replicate, or recover data; how to optimize storage costs; where to deploy shared NFS, SMB, or POSIX file systems; where to store vector embeddings or tabular data; what storage backs enterprise file shares, self-managed databases on EC2, VMware, or stateful containers; or asks what an AWS storage service can do or how it works. Relevant for storage needs for workloads such as AI/ML, analytics, EDA, HPC, media, genomics, or financial trading. Not applicable for SQL query engines (Athena, Spark, Redshift, EMR), ETL (Glue), streaming (Kafka, MSK, Kinesis), or managed database services (RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB).
- Skill ID
- aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/aws-storage
- Publisher
- aws
- Repository
- agent-toolkit-for-aws
- Installs
- 0
- Files
- 13
- Synced
- Sep 23, 2026
Open any RiverX project, open the Skills panel in the chat, and search for this identifier. The files are fetched from the source repository at install time.
aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/aws-storageInstalls these files- SKILL.md
- references/data-movement-and-protection-knowledge.md
- references/ebs-knowledge.md
- references/efs-knowledge.md
- references/fsx-lustre-knowledge.md
- references/fsx-ontap-knowledge.md
- references/fsx-openzfs-knowledge.md
- references/fsx-windows-knowledge.md
- references/s3-express-knowledge.md
- references/s3-files-knowledge.md
- references/s3-general-purpose-knowledge.md
- references/s3-tables-knowledge.md
- references/s3-vectors-knowledge.md
What this skill tells the agent
Overview
This skill provides domain expertise for choosing among AWS storage services, selecting storage classes, optimizing cost, and routing to resources for operating storage services. It covers object storage (S3 General Purpose buckets and their storage classes, S3 Express One Zone on directory buckets, S3 Tables, S3 Vectors), file storage (Amazon EFS, S3 Files, FSx for Lustre, FSx for NetApp ONTAP, FSx for OpenZFS, and FSx for Windows File Server), block storage (EBS volume types and EC2 instance store), and the data-movement and protection services that connect them (DataSync, Storage Gateway, Transfer Family, and AWS Backup). It does not advise on databases or analytics query engines. It works with or without the AWS MCP server; when available, the AWS MCP server is recommended for verifying current specifications and pricing, and all guidance also works with the standard AWS CLI. For deep single-service tasks, route to the specialized skills listed in the Routing section below.
How to Handle User Queries
When this skill is triggered, classify the user's request and follow the appropriate path.
Rules
These apply to all responses regardless of path:
- You MUST verify current numbers. When the AWS MCP server is available, use search_documentation and read_documentation to cross-check before citing specifics. When quoting costs, you MUST include a link to the relevant pricing page. When quoting performance metrics, you MUST include a link to the relevant product page. Otherwise, verify against linked AWS documentation pages or use the AWS CLI to confirm current values. Where a reference file directs you to documentation for a current value, you MUST retrieve that value from the linked page before answering. Do not substitute a remembered figure, and do not offer an approximation or a range in place of a retrieved value. If retrieval is not possible in the current environment, name the value you could not verify rather than citing one from memory.
- You MUST retrieve the relevant service reference file from the Routing section below before answering questions about that service. AWS storage specifications, limits, and service capabilities change frequently. You MUST NOT answer from memory alone. You MUST surface relevant troubleshooting guidance and 'gotchas' from reference files in your response. Justify recommendations by workload fit, not by mentioning that a reference file 'explicitly' mentions a workload for a given service.
- You MUST include cost implications when recommending services or approaches. Do not wait for the user to ask. Do not compare services on storage charges alone; per-object fees such as metadata charges can materially change TCO. For deep cost analysis, monitoring, or optimization beyond storage selection, route to the `billing-and-cost-management` skill.
- You MUST have clarity on the user's need when making a recommendation. Match the specificity of your response to the specificity of the request. When the query determines the storage category and the relevant services, retrieve information and recommend directly. When the query is not fully specified, YOU MUST mention the assumptions and limitations of your recommendation and include the additional questions that would confirm or change it. Ask follow up questions in place of a recommendation only when the query does not let you determine the storage category at all. Recommend the best-fit service for the workload even when it falls outside this skill's scope; add relevant in-scope options as alternatives.
Step 1: Classify Intent
Determine what the user needs:
| Intent | Example Triggers | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| SELECT | "What should I use?", "Which service?", "Compare Service A vs Service B", "Help me choose", "I want to migrate X to AWS" (workload description without a named service) | User needs help choosing a storage service or approach |
| INVESTIGATE | "How do I configure Service X?", "Why is Service Y failing?", "What are the limits of Service Z?", "How do I get started with Service X?" (names a specific service and asks an operational question) | User knows what they are using and needs getting started, troubleshooting, or operational help |
You MUST follow the interaction logic in the corresponding path instructions below.
Ambiguous cases: If the user's primary ask is a recommendation, it is SELECT regardless of context. If they need help executing a known plan, it is INVESTIGATE.
Step 2a: SELECT Path
The user needs help choosing. You MUST use the following decision factors to inform your recommendation, asking questions to fill gaps that would change the choice.
Decision Factors:
| # | Decision Factor | What to understand |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workload Context | Is this a new workload or a migration of an existing workload? If migrating, what is the source system (e.g., NetApp, ZFS, Windows File Server, Lustre, GPFS, etc.)? What application or workload will access this storage? How does it access data (API, file protocol, block device)? What OS or platform are clients running? What is the data model (structured/tabular, vector embeddings, unstructured objects, file system)? |
| 2 | Capacity and Access Patterns | How much data, how many files or objects, what are the typical sizes? Sequential or random access pattern? Read-heavy, write-heavy, or mixed? |
| 3 | Performance Requirements | Are there specific latency, throughput, or IOPS requirements? What is the expected concurrency (number of clients or compute nodes accessing simultaneously)? |
| 4 | Durability and Data Protection | What is the recovery time objective (RTO)? Recovery point objective (RPO)? Compliance retention mandates? Cross-region resilience? Immutability needs? |
| 5 | Availability | Multi-AZ or Single-AZ acceptable? Co-located with specific compute? |
Use the Storage Options table to identify candidate services, not to cut services; keyword matches against the Common Workloads column are not the only answers. You MUST retrieve the reference files for each of the candidate services using the Routing section below.
Considering these factors, recommend specific AWS storage service(s) and:
- You MUST include clear rationale tied to the user's stated requirements.
- You MUST present alternatives where the choice is close or dependent on unspecified information, explaining the tradeoff.
Step 2b: INVESTIGATE Path
The user knows their service or approach and needs operational help.
- Classify the Question Domain based on the table below to identify which context matters.
| Question Domain | Example Triggers | What to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Migration and Data Transfer | "How do I move my data to AWS?", "Set up DataSync", "Sync from on-premises NFS to EFS", source-to-destination questions | Source system and protocol, destination service, data volume, network path to AWS (Direct Connect, VPN, internet) |
| Data Protection and Resiliency | "Set up backup", "Cross-region replication", "What's my DR strategy?", "RTO under 1 hour", failover, immutability | Failure scenario (deletion, corruption, AZ/region loss, compliance hold), RTO and RPO targets, replication scope (same-region, cross-region, cross-account) |
| Cost and Lifecycle | "Reduce my storage bill", "Right-size my volumes", "Cost optimize", lifecycle rules, tiering decisions, storage class selection | Current service and configuration, access frequency (daily, weekly, rarely), data volume and growth trajectory |
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