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Guide Origin: Official | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

/arckit:aws-research researches AWS services, architecture patterns, and implementation guidance using the AWS Knowledge MCP server for authoritative documentation.

Agent Architecture: This command runs as an autonomous agent via the Task tool. The agent makes 15-30+ MCP calls to gather AWS documentation in its own context window, keeping the main conversation clean. The slash command is a thin wrapper that delegates to the agent.

Prerequisites

AWS Knowledge MCP Server (REQUIRED)

This command requires the AWS Knowledge MCP server to be installed. It will not work without it.

Installation:

Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration (~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or project .mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-knowledge": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://knowledge-mcp.global.api.aws"
    }
  }
}

After installation, restart Claude Code to load the MCP server.

Slow corporate network? On TLS-inspecting proxies, VPN tunnels, or congested links, large-scope research prompts can exceed Claude Code's default per-request fetch timeout. Set MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=300000 (5 minutes, in milliseconds) before launching Claude — see MCP per-request timeout in the MCP setup guide. Requires Claude Code v2.1.142+.

Project Prerequisites

  • Requirements document (ARC-*-REQ-*.md) - MANDATORY
  • Data model (ARC-*-DATA-*.md) - Recommended for database selection
  • Stakeholders (ARC-*-STKE-*.md) - Recommended for priorities

Scenario Matrix

Scenario Prompt seed Focus
Service selection "Research AWS services for " Maps requirements to AWS services
Architecture pattern "Research AWS architecture pattern for " Reference architectures from AWS Architecture Center
UK Government "Research AWS for UK Government " G-Cloud, eu-west-2, NCSC compliance
AI/ML workloads "Research AWS AI services for " Bedrock, SageMaker
Migration "Research AWS migration options for " Migration Hub, modernization paths
Security assessment "Research AWS Security Hub for " Control mapping, Well-Architected security

Add constraints (budget, classification, region) in the prompt for tailored results.

Command

/arckit:aws-research Research AWS services for <project>

Outputs: projects/<id>/research/ARC-<id>-AWRS-v1.0.md

Auto-versioning: Re-running this command when a document already exists automatically increments the version (minor for refreshed content, major for changed scope) instead of overwriting.

Long runs: Remote Control + push notifications

/arckit:aws-research frequently exceeds 10 minutes as the agent issues dozens of AWS Knowledge MCP calls and fetches full documentation pages for cost and compliance analysis. To avoid babysitting the terminal, pair it with Claude Code Remote Control:

claude remote-control

Drive the session from claude.ai/code or the mobile app, then enable /config → Push when Claude decides so your phone gets a notification on completion or when the agent reaches a decision point (service shortlist confirmation, region selection). ArcKit's minimum Claude Code floor (v2.1.287) already covers the v2.1.110 RC requirement.

Caveats: Pro/Max plans only (no API keys, no Bedrock/Vertex/Foundry), push is a single on/off so chatty agents can over-notify, and the local claude process must keep running.

MCP Tools Used

The command uses five AWS Knowledge MCP tools:

Tool Purpose
search_documentation Search AWS documentation for services, patterns, best practices
read_documentation Retrieve complete documentation pages for detailed analysis
get_regional_availability Check service/feature availability in eu-west-2 (London)
list_regions Get all AWS regions for multi-region planning
recommend Get content recommendations for AWS topics

Output Highlights

  • AWS Service Recommendations: Mapped to specific requirements (FR, NFR, INT, DR)
  • Architecture Pattern: Reference architecture from AWS Architecture Center
  • Well-Architected Assessment: All 6 pillars evaluated per service (including Sustainability)
  • AWS Security Hub: Foundational Security Best Practices mapping
  • UK Government Compliance: G-Cloud, eu-west-2 region, NCSC principles
  • Cost Estimates: Monthly and 3-year TCO with optimization recommendations
  • Implementation Guidance: CDK/CloudFormation/Terraform templates

UK Government Features

When UK Government project detected:

Area Coverage
G-Cloud Framework reference, service IDs, procurement steps
Data Residency eu-west-2 (London) availability via get_regional_availability
Classification OFFICIAL, OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE suitability
NCSC 14 Cloud Security Principles alignment
Note AWS GovCloud is US-only (not available for UK SECRET)

Follow-on Actions

  • Feed AWS findings into /arckit:diagram for AWS architecture diagrams
  • Run /arckit:secure to validate against UK Secure by Design
  • Run /arckit:devops to plan AWS CodePipeline CI/CD
  • Run /arckit:finops to create AWS FinOps cost management strategy
  • Run /arckit:adr to document AWS service selection decisions

Comparison with /arckit:research

Feature /arckit:research /arckit:aws-research
Scope Multi-cloud, SaaS, open-source AWS-specific only
Source Web search, multiple sources AWS Knowledge MCP (authoritative)
Depth Build vs buy analysis Deep AWS service analysis
Regional General get_regional_availability for eu-west-2
Compliance General UK Gov AWS-specific UK compliance
Code samples Limited CDK, CloudFormation, Terraform
Cost estimates High-level Detailed AWS pricing

When to use which:

  • Use /arckit:research for cloud-agnostic evaluation or build vs buy
  • Use /arckit:aws-research when AWS is the target platform

Resources