/aws-media-services

name: aws-media-services
description: "Designs, deploys, reviews, evaluates, audits, and troubleshoots video streaming workflows across AWS media services (MediaConnect, MediaLive, MediaConvert, MediaPackage v2, MediaTailor, CloudFront). Includes per-service validation rules, cross-service workflow patterns for live streaming, linear channels, VOD pipelines, and live-to-VOD, service-specific troubleshooting, best practices assessment, cost optimization, encoder settings, DRM, SCTE-35 ad insertion, epoch locking, and CDN cache configuration."
version: 1

AWS Media Services

Use this skill when the user is doing ANY of the following with AWS media services:

• **Building or modifying** a video workflow (ingest, encoding, packaging, ad

insertion, CDN delivery)

• **Reviewing, evaluating, or auditing** an existing or proposed configuration

for best practices, compliance, or correctness

• **Troubleshooting** errors, alerts, or unexpected behavior
• **Asking questions** about service constraints, compatibility rules, encoder

settings, IAM policies, security groups, DRM, SCTE-35, caching, scaling, or any other AWS media topic

• **Planning** a new workflow and needs to understand requirements, dependencies,

or the discovery checklist

• **Optimizing** cost, resilience, or performance of an existing workflow

If the user mentions ANY AWS media service by name (MediaConnect, MediaLive, MediaConvert, MediaPackage, MediaTailor) or related concepts (HLS, DASH, CMAF, ABR ladder, SCTE-35, epoch locking, origin shield, CDI, SRT, RTMP, transcode, live streaming, VOD pipeline, ad insertion, SSAI), load this skill.

This file is the orchestrator. It tells you which reference files to load based on the user's task. **Do not load all files at once.** Load on demand per the routing table below.

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MANDATORY FIRST STEP — Read Before Doing Anything Else

**STOP. Before you make ANY API call, pull ANY resource configuration, write ANY code, or produce ANY recommendation, you MUST load the required rule files into context.** No exceptions. This applies to every task type: building, modifying, evaluating, troubleshooting, or answering questions.

The rule content is split across:

• `references/service-rules-core.md` — cross-service compatibility constraints,

common agent mistakes, and security considerations. **ALWAYS loaded.**

• `references/service-rules-encoding.md` — shared encoder settings (QVBR, GOP,

profiles, quality tuning, deinterlacing). Loaded for any encoding task.

• `references/service-rules-mediaconnect.md`
• `references/service-rules-medialive.md`
• `references/service-rules-mediaconvert.md`
• `references/service-rules-mediapackage.md`
• `references/service-rules-mediatailor.md`
• `references/service-rules-cloudfront.md`

Per-service rule files are loaded conditionally based on which services the query involves. Without the relevant rules loaded, you will produce recommendations based on general knowledge that may contradict the documented rules, flag correct configurations as problems, or miss critical constraints entirely.

**Sequence (every time):**

1. Read `references/service-rules-core.md` — confirm it is in context before proceeding. ALWAYS required. 2. Determine the task type and consult the Task Routing tables below to identify both the workflow/troubleshooting file AND the per-service rules to co-load. 3. For ad-hoc questions that don't match a workflow or troubleshooting category: if the user names specific service(s), load those service rule files. If the question is symptom-based or you cannot determine which services are involved, load ALL per-service rule files. 4. Only then begin resource discovery, API calls, or implementation.

If you find yourself about to call `aws medialive describe-channel` or similar and you have NOT yet read the core rules file plus the relevant per-service rules, stop and go back to step 1.

---

Task Routing

Building or modifying a workflow

Determine the workflow type. Load the matching workflow file AND the per-service rules listed in the right column (the core rules file is already loaded from the mandatory first step above).

| Workflow type | Workflow file | Service rules to co-load | |---------------|---------------|--------------------------| | Live event (ingest → encode → package → deliver) | `references/workflow-live-event.md` | mediaconnect + medialive + encoding + mediapackage + cloudfront (+ mediatailor if ads) | | Linear channel (24/7 with schedule, ad insertion) | `references/workflow-linear-channel.md` | medialive + encoding + mediapackage + mediatailor + cloudfront | | VOD pipeline (file-based transcode → package → deliver) | `references/workflow-vod-pipeline.md` | mediaconvert + encoding + mediapackage + cloudfront | | Live-to-VOD (live + archive/harvest → VOD transcode) | `references/workflow-live-event.md` + `references/workflow-vod-pipeline.md` | union of live event + VOD pipeline | | Ad insertion (SSAI/CSAI, MediaTailor scaling) | `references/workflow-ad-insertion.md` | medialive + encoding + mediapackage + mediatailor + cloudfront | | Contribution transport (MediaConnect, SRT, DX, encoders) | `references/workflow-contribution-distribution.md` | mediaconnect + medialive + encoding | | Router-based switching (master control, dynamic routing, playout) | `references/workflow-contribution-distribution.md` | mediaconnect + medialive + encoding | | Resilience (dual-AZ, dual-region, epoch locking, multi-CDN, ops readiness) | `references/workflow-resilience-patterns.md` | ALL (cross-cutting) | | Cost optimization (reserved vs on-demand, channel classes, right-sizing) | `references/workflow-cost-optimization.md` | ALL (cross-cutting) | | Subtitles and accessibility (captions, multi-language, auto-captioning) | `references/workflow-subtitles-accessibility.md` | medialive + mediaconvert + encoding |

Troubleshooting

Load the relevant troubleshooting file(s) for the problem area AND the pe