/ipa.author.stack
Create or update IPA stack skills, CloudFormation templates, and pattern definitions. Supports single-service prepare stacks, multi-service tier stacks, and pattern-only definitions.
Invocation
/ipa.author.stack
Parameters
/ipa.author.stack gathers all parameters interactively through a requirements phase. No arguments are passed at invocation.
| Input | Description |
|---|---|
| Architecture overview | High-level description of the stack's purpose and AWS services |
| Stack type | Single-service (prepare) or multi-service (tier) |
| AWS services | Services to include in the CloudFormation template |
| Parameters | Stack parameters with types, defaults, and validation |
| Feature flags | Optional boolean parameters that toggle resource creation |
| Outputs | Stack outputs with export names |
| Capabilities | CloudFormation capabilities required (e.g., CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM) |
| Build requirements | Container or asset build steps |
| Security posture | Security configuration and findings |
| Lifecycle | prepare or deploy |
| Dependencies | Other stacks this stack depends on or provides outputs to |
| Config overrides | Parameter overrides for pattern composition |
| Post-deploy steps | Operations to run after stack deployment |
What It Does
The skill executes five phases:
Phase 1 — Gather Requirements
Collects the architecture overview, stack selection, AWS services, parameters, feature flags, outputs, capabilities, build requirements, security posture, lifecycle, dependencies, config overrides, and post-deploy steps through interactive prompts.
Phase 2 — Create CloudFormation Template
Generates a YAML CloudFormation template at infra/cfn/{service}/{service}.yml. Validates the template with aws cloudformation validate-template.
Phase 3 — Create Stack Skill Files
Creates three files in .claude/skills/ipa.stack.{service}/:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
SKILL.md | Stack skill definition with frontmatter, parameters, outputs, wiring, and lifecycle |
SECURITY.md | Security findings and dispositions |
TROUBLESHOOT.md | Common deployment errors and resolutions |
Phase 4 — Create Pattern Definition
Creates two files in .claude/skills/ipa.compose/patterns/{name}/:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
PATTERN.md | Stack sequence, wiring, teardown sequence, known deferrals, post-deploy |
ARCHITECTURE.md | Architecture diagram and resource descriptions |
Phase 5 — Validate
Checks stack-to-SKILL.md consistency, CloudFormation contract compliance, and pattern integrity.
Authoring Modes
| Mode | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Combined (default) | Creating a new tier stack with a pattern definition |
| Single-service | Creating a one-AWS-service prepare stack (ECR, Cognito, SNS, RDS, SES) |
| Pattern-only | Creating a pattern definition for existing stacks |
| Update | Modifying existing stack skill files or patterns |
Outputs
| Artifact | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CloudFormation template | infra/cfn/{service}/{service}.yml | Infrastructure template |
| Stack skill | .claude/skills/ipa.stack.{service}/SKILL.md | Skill definition |
| Security doc | .claude/skills/ipa.stack.{service}/SECURITY.md | Security findings |
| Troubleshooting doc | .claude/skills/ipa.stack.{service}/TROUBLESHOOT.md | Error resolution guide |
| Pattern definition | .claude/skills/ipa.compose/patterns/{name}/PATTERN.md | Compose pattern |
| Architecture doc | .claude/skills/ipa.compose/patterns/{name}/ARCHITECTURE.md | Architecture reference |
Examples
Create a new tier stack with pattern:
/ipa.author.stack
Describe a notification service using SNS and Lambda. The skill creates the CloudFormation template, stack skill files, and a pattern definition.
Add a single-service prepare stack:
/ipa.author.stack
Describe an RDS database as a single-service prepare stack. The skill creates the template and stack skill without a pattern definition.
Related Skills
- /ipa.compose — Consumes the stack skills and patterns created by this skill
- /ipa.deploy — Deploys stacks defined by authored skills