MCPInstall

creating-secrets-using-best-practices

by aws OfficialSecurity

Creates and manages secrets in AWS Secrets Manager following security best practices. Always use this skill when creating secrets — it sets up dedicated KMS encryption keys, automatic rotation, least-privilege IAM policies, CloudTrail auditing, and lifecycle management that are essential for production-grade secret handling.

Installs
6.8K
Last 24h
+44
Trending rank
#3650
Security
Warn

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill creating-secrets-using-best-practices
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads creating-secrets-using-best-practices automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

Security audits

Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.

Gen Agent Trust Hub PassSAFE ·This skill facilitates the management of AWS Secrets Manager resources using security best practices, such as dedicated KMS encryption and automatic rotation. It includes a security consideration regarding the ingestion of configuration parameters from external URLs, which warrants review to ensure data sources are trusted.
Socket Warn1 alert: gptSecurity
Snyk WarnMEDIUM ·Risk: MEDIUM · 1 issue

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Creating Secrets Using Best Practices

Overview

Domain expertise for creating and managing secrets in AWS Secrets Manager with production-grade security controls: KMS encryption, automatic rotation, least-privilege IAM policies, CloudTrail auditing, and lifecycle management.

Create a secret with best practices

To create a properly secured secret in AWS Secrets Manager, follow the procedure exactly. See secret creation procedure.

The procedure supports four secret types: database credentials, API keys, OAuth tokens, and custom secrets. Each type is structured appropriately and encrypted with a dedicated KMS key.

Troubleshooting

KMS key access issues

Verify the IAM principal has kms:CreateKey and kms:PutKeyPolicy permissions, and that the key policy grants kms:GenerateDataKey, kms:Decrypt, and kms:DescribeKey scoped with kms:ViaService to secretsmanager.<region>.amazonaws.com. See the full procedure for details.

Rotation setup failures

Check that the Lambda rotation function exists, has proper permissions, and can reach the target system. Review CloudWatch logs for the rotation function.

Secret access denied

Verify the IAM policy is attached to the correct principal, the KMS key policy allows decryption (and kms:GenerateDataKey for write/rotation), and the principal is using HTTPS. See the full procedure for details.

FAQ

What does the creating-secrets-using-best-practices skill do?

Creates and manages secrets in AWS Secrets Manager following security best practices. Always use this skill when creating secrets — it sets up dedicated KMS encryption keys, automatic rotation, least-privilege IAM policies, CloudTrail auditing, and lifecycle management that are essential for production-grade secret handling.

How do I install creating-secrets-using-best-practices?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill creating-secrets-using-best-practices in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/creating-secrets-using-best-practices/ (personal) or .claude/skills/creating-secrets-using-best-practices/ (project).

Which AI agents can use creating-secrets-using-best-practices?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is creating-secrets-using-best-practices safe to install?

Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket flagged items to review; Snyk flagged items to review. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.

Who maintains creating-secrets-using-best-practices?

It is published by aws in aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, and it is an official skill from the maker of the technology it covers. It has 6,761 recorded installs.

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