Querying AWS S3
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill enables users to interact with Amazon S3 Metadata and S3 Storage Lens tables. By leveraging Apache Iceberg tables, it allows for SQL-based querying of object metadata, bucket activity logs, annotations, and storage metrics. It provides a structured approach to auditing bucket changes, tracking object lifecycle events, and performing complex filtering that is otherwise inefficient with standard S3 APIs.
What it does
- Queries S3 inventory, journal, and annotation tables using Athena SQL
- Analyzes S3 Storage Lens metrics for bucket activity and storage distribution
- Audits object-level changes including uploads and deletions
- Filters objects by tags or user-defined metadata
- Configures and verifies S3 Metadata and Storage Lens table settings
- Integrates S3 Tables with AWS Glue for analytics access
When to use it
- When you need to count objects or analyze storage classes across large buckets
- When auditing who uploaded or deleted specific objects
- When searching through object annotations or custom metadata
- When analyzing bucket-level storage trends and request activity
- When standard S3 list operations are insufficient for your data requirements
Advantages
- Enables SQL-based analysis of S3 metadata and activity logs
- Provides visibility into requester and source IP for audit purposes
- Allows filtering by object tags without individual API calls
- Supports complex searches across annotation payloads
- Facilitates bucket-level storage metric reporting
Usage examples
- “How many objects are currently in my bucket?”
- The agent generates a SQL query against the inventory table to return an accurate object count.
- “Who deleted objects in my bucket in the last 24 hours?”
- The agent queries the journal table to identify the requester and source IP for recent delete events.
- “Find all objects with the tag environment set to staging.”
- The agent executes a SQL query on the inventory table to filter objects by the specified tag map.
- “Show me the storage class breakdown for my bucket.”
- The agent queries the inventory table to group and count objects by their storage class.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/aws/querying-aws-s3/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip querying-aws-s3.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by AWS
Query AWS S3 System Tables
Overview
Works best with the AWS MCP server for sandboxed execution and audit logging. All commands below use the AWS CLI and work in any environment with configured AWS credentials. Use IAM roles or temporary credentials; avoid long-lived access keys.
Amazon S3 Metadata provides continuously-updated Apache Iceberg tables that capture
object-level metadata for general-purpose buckets. S3 Storage Lens exports aggregated
storage and activity metrics as Iceberg tables. Both are read-only, stored in the
AWS-managed aws-s3 table bucket, and queryable via Amazon Athena.
System tables are preferred over raw S3 APIs (list-objects-v2, head-object) because:
list-objects-v2paginates at 1000 objects/page — inefficient for large buckets (millions or billions of objects). The inventory table answersSELECT COUNT(*)in seconds at any scale.list-objects-v2cannot identify who uploaded an object, from which IP, or when something was deleted. Only the journal table hasrequester,source_ip_address, and delete event tracking.Filtering by tag requires
get-object-taggingper object. The inventory table hasobject_tagsas a queryable map column.
Decision Tree
| User intent | Use this skill? | Table | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many objects in my bucket | Yes | inventory | — |
| What was recently uploaded/deleted | Yes | journal | — |
| Who wrote/deleted objects (audit) | Yes | journal (requester, source_ip) | — |
| Storage class breakdown | Yes | inventory | — |
| Find objects by tag or user metadata | Yes | inventory | — |
| Search annotation content | Yes | annotation | Single object → direct API get-object-annotation |
| Write/update an annotation | No | — | Direct API: put-object-annotation (tables are read-only) |
| Query data inside objects | No | — | querying-data-lake |
| Bucket-level storage metrics/trends | Yes | Storage Lens tables | — |
| Enable metadata tracking | Yes | see Enable section | — |
Common Tasks
1. Check If Configured
Before querying, confirm S3 Metadata is enabled on the target bucket.
aws s3api get-bucket-metadata-configuration --bucket <BUCKET> --region <REGION>Interpret the response:
MetadataConfigurationNotFounderror → not enabled. See Enable section below.TableStatus: ACTIVE→ ready to query.TableStatus: BACKFILLING→ queryable but inventory may be incomplete.TableStatus: FAILED→ check error field (usually IAM).
For Storage Lens:
aws s3control get-storage-lens-configuration --account-id <ACCOUNT> --config-id <CONFIG_ID> --region <REGION>Look for DataExport.StorageLensTableDestination.IsEnabled: true.
2. Enable (if not configured)
Enable S3 Metadata on a bucket:
aws s3api create-bucket-metadata-configuration \
--bucket <BUCKET> \
--region <REGION> \
--metadata-configuration '{
"JournalTableConfiguration": {"RecordExpiration": {"Expiration": "DISABLED"}},
"InventoryTableConfiguration": {"ConfigurationState": "ENABLED"}
}'To also enable annotations (requires a service role):
aws s3api create-bucket-metadata-configuration \
--bucket <BUCKET> \
--region <REGION> \
--metadata-configuration '{
"JournalTableConfiguration": {"RecordExpiration": {"Expiration": "ENABLED", "Days": 90}},
"InventoryTableConfiguration": {"ConfigurationState": "ENABLED"},
"AnnotationTableConfiguration": {"ConfigurationState": "ENABLED", "Role": "<ROLE_ARN>"}
}'Enable Storage Lens S3 Tables export:
aws s3control put-storage-lens-configuration \
--account-id <ACCOUNT> \
--config-id <CONFIG_ID> \
--region <REGION> \
--storage-lens-configuration '{
"Id": "<CONFIG_ID>",
"IsEnabled": true,
"AccountLevel": {"BucketLevel": {}},
"DataExport": {
"StorageLensTableDestination": {"IsEnabled": true}
}
}'Register S3 Tables federated catalog in Glue (required for Athena access):
aws glue create-catalog --region <REGION> --cli-input-json '{
"Name": "s3tablescatalog",
"CatalogInput": {
"FederatedCatalog": {
"Identifier": "arn:aws:s3tables:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:bucket/*",
"ConnectionName": "aws:s3tables"
}
}
}'For setup permissions and IAM role requirements, see Security Considerations below.
3. Verify Permissions
Querying requires:
Athena execution permissions
S3 Tables read permissions (see least-privilege policy in Security Considerations)
The S3 Tables federated catalog registered in Glue (
s3tablescatalog)Athena workgroup with SSE-KMS encryption configured on the output location
If CATALOG_NOT_FOUND errors occur, the Glue integration may not be enabled. See:
Integrating S3 Tables with AWS analytics services
4. Identify the Target Table
S3 Metadata tables — namespace is b_<bucket-name>:
| Table | What it captures |
|---|---|
journal | Event log — every CREATE, DELETE, UPDATE_METADATA, and annotation events. Near real-time. |
inventory | Current state — one row per object (latest version). Updates within 1 hour. |
annotation | Annotation payloads — text_value column holds the full content. Near real-time. |
Storage Lens tables — namespace is lens_<config-id>_exp:
| Table | What it captures |
|---|---|
default_storage_metrics | Per-bucket/prefix: object count, size, storage class breakdown. Daily. |
default_activity_metrics | Per-bucket/prefix: GET/PUT/DELETE request counts. Daily. |
bucket_property_metrics | Bucket config: versioning, encryption, lifecycle settings. Daily. |
5. Query
Query syntax:
"s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."<namespace>"."<table>"Constraints:
You MUST confirm workgroup and output location before executing
You MUST ensure the Athena workgroup enforces SSE-KMS encryption on query results
You MUST warn user that tables are read-only — no INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE
You SHOULD use the key columns documented in this skill to build queries. If you need the full schema (e.g., AWS has added new columns), run
get-tablesonce on any single namespace — schemas are identical across all instances of the same table type:aws glue get-tables --catalog-id "<ACCOUNT>:s3tablescatalog/aws-s3" --database-name "<namespace>" --region <REGION>
Journal — audit who changed what:
SELECT key, record_type, record_timestamp, requester, source_ip_address
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."journal"
WHERE record_type = 'DELETE'
AND record_timestamp > current_timestamp - interval '24' hour
ORDER BY record_timestamp DESC;Journal — track annotation events:
SELECT key, record_type, annotation.name, record_timestamp
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."journal"
WHERE record_type IN ('CREATE_ANNOTATION', 'DELETE_ANNOTATION', 'UPDATE_ANNOTATION_METADATA')
ORDER BY record_timestamp DESC LIMIT 20;Inventory — find objects by storage class:
SELECT key, size, storage_class, last_modified_date
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."inventory"
WHERE storage_class = 'GLACIER'
ORDER BY size DESC LIMIT 50;Inventory — find objects by tag:
SELECT key, size, object_tags
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."inventory"
WHERE object_tags['environment'] = 'staging';Annotation — search across payloads:
SELECT object_key, name, text_value
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."annotation"
WHERE text_value LIKE '%error%';Annotation — extract JSON fields:
SELECT object_key, json_extract_scalar(text_value, '$.status') as status
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."b_<bucket>"."annotation"
WHERE name = 'pipeline_status'
AND json_extract_scalar(text_value, '$.status') = 'FAILED';Storage Lens — storage distribution:
SELECT *
FROM "s3tablescatalog/aws-s3"."lens_<config-id>_exp"."default_storage_metrics"
LIMIT 20;Routing: Athena vs Direct API
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| Single known object + annotation name | Direct API: get-object-annotation |
| Aggregate/count across many objects | Athena on annotation or inventory table |
| Full-text search across annotation payloads | Athena with LIKE or json_extract_scalar |
| Write/update an annotation | Direct API: put-object-annotation (table is read-only) |
| Feature not configured on bucket | Direct API loop (list-objects-v2 + head-object); suggest enabling S3 Metadata |
Troubleshooting
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
CATALOG_NOT_FOUND | S3 Tables not registered in Glue | Enable integration: S3 console > Table buckets > Enable integration |
| Empty results from journal | Feature just enabled; no events recorded yet | Upload/delete an object and wait ~1 minute |
| Empty results from inventory | Table still BACKFILLING | Check status; wait for ACTIVE (minutes to hours depending on object count) |
AccessDenied querying table | Missing s3tables:GetTable or GetTableMetadataLocation | See Security Considerations below |
| Wrong namespace | Bucket name has periods | Periods are converted to underscores in namespace: my.bucket → b_my_bucket |
| No Storage Lens data | First delivery takes up to 48 hours | Wait; no historical backfill |
Security Considerations
Least-Privilege IAM Policy
Scope permissions to specific table bucket ARNs rather than using wildcards:
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"s3tables:GetTable",
"s3tables:GetTableMetadataLocation",
"s3tables:GetTableData",
"s3tables:GetNamespace",
"s3tables:ListTables",
"s3tables:ListNamespaces",
"s3tables:GetTableBucket"
],
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:s3tables:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:bucket/aws-s3",
"arn:aws:s3tables:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:bucket/aws-s3/*"
]
}
]
}Data Sensitivity
Journal query results may contain sensitive fields:
requester— AWS account ID or service principal that made the requestsource_ip_address— IP address of the requester
Query results containing these fields should be stored in encrypted, access-controlled locations. Avoid logging or sharing raw query output that contains IP addresses or principal identifiers.
Encryption for Query Results
Configure the Athena workgroup with EncryptionConfiguration to encrypt query results at rest:
{
"ResultConfiguration": {
"EncryptionConfiguration": {
"EncryptionOption": "SSE_KMS",
"KmsKey": "arn:aws:kms:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:key/<KEY_ID>"
}
}
}Audit Trail
Enable CloudTrail logging for Athena (StartQueryExecution, GetQueryResults) and S3 Tables (s3tables:GetTableData) API calls to maintain an audit trail of who queried what metadata. Ensure CloudTrail logs are encrypted with SSE-KMS and stored in a bucket with access logging enabled.
Additional Resources
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer922 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer9.9 KiB
- NOTICELicence file added by AutoGineer67 B
- SKILL.md12.9 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Written for: Claude Code
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Claude Code frontmatter, Needs an MCP server, Needs a command-line tool
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
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Attribution and licence
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- AWS (Official)
- Source
- aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws · skills/specialized-skills/system-table-skills/querying-aws-s3 · commit 0a218f8
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- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- NOTICE (added by AutoGineer from NOTICE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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