Step Functions

This is your reference for building AWS Step Functions state machines. It covers the essential workflow patterns you'll actually use: Lambda orchestration, parallel execution, Map state for batch processing, and proper error handling with retries and catches. The source includes working JSON definitions for Choice states, Parallel branches, and Map iterators, plus boto3 examples for creating and executing workflows. What's useful here is the side-by-side comparison of Standard vs Express workflows and a clear breakdown of all eight state types. If you're coordinating multiple AWS services or need durable workflow execution with built-in retry logic, this gives you the patterns to copy and modify.

skills.sh installs: 121
GitHub stars: 1.2K
last updated: Jun 8, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills --skill step-functions --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

AWS Step Functions

AWS Step Functions is a serverless orchestration service that lets you build and run workflows using state machines. Coordinate multiple AWS services into business-critical applications.

Core Concepts
Common Patterns
CLI Reference
Best Practices
Troubleshooting
References

Core Concepts

Workflow Types

Type	Description	Pricing
Standard	Long-running, durable, exactly-once	Per state transition
Express	High-volume, short-duration	Per execution (time + memory)

State Types

State	Description
Task	Execute work (Lambda, API call)
Choice	Conditional branching
Parallel	Execute branches concurrently
Map	Iterate over array
Wait	Delay execution
Pass	Pass input to output
Succeed	End successfully
Fail	End with failure