wa-builder
"Learn then Build" — help developers understand AWS Well-Architected best practices for their specific workload, then produce actionable visual artifacts (architecture diagrams with WA annotations, decision trees, improvement roadmaps) they can commit and use. Adapts explanations for beginners and generates artifacts faster for experienced builders. Use when the user wants to understand WA for their project, create architecture diagrams with pillar health overlays, get guided decision flows for architectural choices, or generate a visual improvement roadmap.
Profile →npx skills add aws-samples/sample-well-architected-skills-and-steering --skill wa-builder --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Well-Architected Builder ## Overview This skill helps developers **understand** Well-Architected for their specific workload and **produce visual artifacts** they can commit. Unlike wa-review (which assesses and scores), wa-builder teaches and enables. **What you'll produce:** 1. Architecture diagram with WA annotations (color-coded pillar health, risk hotspots) 2. Decision trees for architectural choices (contextual trade-off flowcharts) 3. Improvement roadmap (Gantt timeline + dependency graph) ### Knowledge base This skill uses the AWS Well-Architected Framework (6 pillars, 57 questions) as its knowledge base. It does NOT require external framework files — all guidance is derived from the WA Framework questions and design principles embedded in this skill's instructions. ## Step 1: Context and Calibration Ask the user: > I can help you understand Well-Architected for your project and produce visual artifacts. Let me know: > - **Workload name** and brief description (or point me at your code) > - **Your WA familiarity**: New to WA / Familiar / Practitioner > - **What you want**: Architecture diagram, decision tree, roadmap, or all three > - **Existing review** (optional): If yo
- Overview
- Knowledge base
- Step 1: Context and Calibration
- Experience detection
- Adaptive behavior
- Step 2: Workload Discovery
- Path A — Standalone (no prior review)
- Path B — Post-review (consumes wa-review output)
- Step 3: Learning Phase
- Beginner format:
- Familiar format:
- How to select concepts
- Step 4: Artifact Generation
- Artifact 1: Architecture Diagram with WA Annotations
What does the wa-builder skill do?
"Learn then Build" — help developers understand AWS Well-Architected best practices for their specific workload, then produce actionable visual artifacts (architecture diagrams with WA annotations, decision trees, improvement roadmaps) they can commit and use. Adapts explanations for beginners and generates artifacts faster for experienced builders. Use when the user wants to understand WA for their project, create architecture diagrams with pillar health overlays, get guided decision flows for architectural choices, or generate a visual improvement roadmap.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add aws-samples/sample-well-architected-skills-and-steering --skill wa-builder --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From aws-samples/sample-well-architected-skills-and-steering, a repository with 233 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.