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Troubleshooting Application Failures

AWSOfficialPublished by AWS

  • Skill
  • Workflow
  • Cloud and DevOps
  • Apache-2.0
  • No issues found
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From the author

Troubleshoots failing applications by discovering and analyzing CloudWatch log groups to identify error patterns, root causes, and actionable solutions. Use when an application is experiencing failures and log-based diagnosis is needed.
— the description by AWS

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a systematic approach to troubleshooting failing applications by leveraging CloudWatch log analysis. It guides the user through discovering relevant log groups, validating their availability, and performing root cause analysis to identify errors, stack traces, and potential remediation paths. The process ensures that log-based diagnostics are conducted efficiently while accounting for common AWS service patterns and log retention constraints.

What it does

  • Discovers and filters relevant CloudWatch log groups based on application names.
  • Validates log group existence and checks for recent log stream activity.
  • Analyzes logs to identify error patterns, exceptions, and stack traces.
  • Provides prioritized remediation recommendations based on log findings.
  • Handles common troubleshooting scenarios like missing log groups or query timeouts.

When to use it

  • When an application is experiencing runtime failures or unexpected behavior.
  • When you need to perform root cause analysis using AWS log data.
  • When you need to correlate application errors with specific AWS service logs.
  • When you need a repeatable, structured process for log-based diagnosis.

Advantages

  • Standardizes the troubleshooting process for consistent results.
  • Reduces manual effort in searching through vast amounts of log data.
  • Helps identify non-obvious configuration issues related to timeouts or permissions.
  • Provides actionable insights rather than just raw log output.

Usage examples

“My user-api is failing in us-east-1. Can you help me troubleshoot?”
The agent will prompt for the required application name, region, and time window, then proceed to discover and analyze the relevant CloudWatch log groups.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/aws/troubleshooting-application-failures/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip troubleshooting-application-failures.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by AWS

Application Failure Troubleshooting

Overview

Domain expertise for diagnosing application failures through CloudWatch log analysis. Discovers relevant log groups, searches for error patterns and stack traces, performs root cause analysis, and generates prioritized remediation recommendations.

Logs are where the investigation starts, not its boundary. When the logs point at a timeout, throttle, retry or permission problem, read the configuration that sets it, for example the API Gateway integration timeout, the queue's visibility timeout, or the function timeout and event source mapping. Read-only access normally includes these Describe and Get calls.

Troubleshoot a failing application

To diagnose and resolve application failures using CloudWatch logs, follow the procedure exactly. See Application failure troubleshooting procedure.

Troubleshooting

No log groups found

Ask the user for specific log group names. Common patterns: /aws/lambda/function-name, /aws/apigateway/api-name, or custom application log groups.

Access denied errors

Verify AWS credentials have logs:DescribeLogGroups, logs:DescribeLogStreams, logs:StartQuery, and logs:GetQueryResults permissions.

Query timeouts

Reduce the time window or limit results. Large log groups may require multiple smaller queries.

Files

Requirements and compatibility

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.

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Published by
AWS
Publisher
AWS (Official)
Source
aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws · skills/specialized-skills/operations-skills/troubleshooting-application-failures · commit 0a218f8
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • NOTICE (added by AutoGineer from NOTICE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by AWS.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download troubleshooting-application-failures.zip