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step-functions

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from itsmostafa/aws-agent-skills

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What it does

Orchestrates complex AWS workflows by defining state machines with parallel execution, error handling, and service integration.

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step-functions

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AddedFeb 4, 2026

Skill Details

SKILL.md

AWS Step Functions workflow orchestration with state machines. Use when designing workflows, implementing error handling, configuring parallel execution, integrating with AWS services, or debugging executions.

Overview

# 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.

Table of Contents

  • [Core Concepts](#core-concepts)
  • [Common Patterns](#common-patterns)
  • [CLI Reference](#cli-reference)
  • [Best Practices](#best-practices)
  • [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
  • [References](#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 |

Amazon States Language (ASL)

JSON-based language for defining state machines.

Common Patterns

Simple Lambda Workflow

```json

{

"Comment": "Process order workflow",

"StartAt": "ValidateOrder",

"States": {

"ValidateOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-east-1:123456789012:function:ValidateOrder",

"Next": "ProcessPayment"

},

"ProcessPayment": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-east-1:123456789012:function:ProcessPayment",

"Next": "FulfillOrder"

},

"FulfillOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:us-east-1:123456789012:function:FulfillOrder",

"End": true

}

}

}

```

Create State Machine

AWS CLI:

```bash

aws stepfunctions create-state-machine \

--name OrderWorkflow \

--definition file://workflow.json \

--role-arn arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/StepFunctionsRole \

--type STANDARD

```

boto3:

```python

import boto3

import json

sfn = boto3.client('stepfunctions')

definition = {

"Comment": "Order workflow",

"StartAt": "ProcessOrder",

"States": {

"ProcessOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...",

"End": True

}

}

}

response = sfn.create_state_machine(

name='OrderWorkflow',

definition=json.dumps(definition),

roleArn='arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/StepFunctionsRole',

type='STANDARD'

)

```

Start Execution

```python

import boto3

import json

sfn = boto3.client('stepfunctions')

response = sfn.start_execution(

stateMachineArn='arn:aws:states:us-east-1:123456789012:stateMachine:OrderWorkflow',

name='order-12345',

input=json.dumps({

'order_id': '12345',

'customer_id': 'cust-789',

'items': [{'product_id': 'prod-1', 'quantity': 2}]

})

)

execution_arn = response['executionArn']

```

Choice State (Conditional Logic)

```json

{

"StartAt": "CheckOrderValue",

"States": {

"CheckOrderValue": {

"Type": "Choice",

"Choices": [

{

"Variable": "$.total",

"NumericGreaterThan": 1000,

"Next": "HighValueOrder"

},

{

"Variable": "$.priority",

"StringEquals": "rush",

"Next": "RushOrder"

}

],

"Default": "StandardOrder"

},

"HighValueOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:ProcessHighValue",

"End": true

},

"RushOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:ProcessRush",

"End": true

},

"StandardOrder": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:ProcessStandard",

"End": true

}

}

}

```

Parallel Execution

```json

{

"StartAt": "ProcessInParallel",

"States": {

"ProcessInParallel": {

"Type": "Parallel",

"Branches": [

{

"StartAt": "UpdateInventory",

"States": {

"UpdateInventory": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:UpdateInventory",

"End": true

}

}

},

{

"StartAt": "SendNotification",

"States": {

"SendNotification": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:SendNotification",

"End": true

}

}

},

{

"StartAt": "UpdateAnalytics",

"States": {

"UpdateAnalytics": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:UpdateAnalytics",

"End": true

}

}

}

],

"Next": "Complete"

},

"Complete": {

"Type": "Succeed"

}

}

}

```

Map State (Iteration)

```json

{

"StartAt": "ProcessItems",

"States": {

"ProcessItems": {

"Type": "Map",

"ItemsPath": "$.items",

"MaxConcurrency": 10,

"Iterator": {

"StartAt": "ProcessItem",

"States": {

"ProcessItem": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:ProcessItem",

"End": true

}

}

},

"ResultPath": "$.processedItems",

"End": true

}

}

}

```

Error Handling

```json

{

"StartAt": "ProcessWithRetry",

"States": {

"ProcessWithRetry": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:Process",

"Retry": [

{

"ErrorEquals": ["Lambda.ServiceException", "Lambda.TooManyRequestsException"],

"IntervalSeconds": 2,

"MaxAttempts": 6,

"BackoffRate": 2

},

{

"ErrorEquals": ["States.Timeout"],

"IntervalSeconds": 5,

"MaxAttempts": 3,

"BackoffRate": 1.5

}

],

"Catch": [

{

"ErrorEquals": ["CustomError"],

"ResultPath": "$.error",

"Next": "HandleCustomError"

},

{

"ErrorEquals": ["States.ALL"],

"ResultPath": "$.error",

"Next": "HandleAllErrors"

}

],

"End": true

},

"HandleCustomError": {

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...:function:HandleCustom",

"End": true

},

"HandleAllErrors": {

"Type": "Fail",

"Error": "ProcessingFailed",

"Cause": "An error occurred during processing"

}

}

}

```

CLI Reference

State Machine Management

| Command | Description |

|---------|-------------|

| aws stepfunctions create-state-machine | Create state machine |

| aws stepfunctions update-state-machine | Update definition |

| aws stepfunctions delete-state-machine | Delete state machine |

| aws stepfunctions list-state-machines | List state machines |

| aws stepfunctions describe-state-machine | Get details |

Executions

| Command | Description |

|---------|-------------|

| aws stepfunctions start-execution | Start execution |

| aws stepfunctions stop-execution | Stop execution |

| aws stepfunctions describe-execution | Get execution details |

| aws stepfunctions list-executions | List executions |

| aws stepfunctions get-execution-history | Get execution history |

Best Practices

Design

  • Keep states focused β€” one purpose per state
  • Use meaningful state names
  • Implement comprehensive error handling
  • Use Parallel for independent tasks
  • Use Map for batch processing

Performance

  • Use Express workflows for high-volume, short tasks
  • Set appropriate timeouts
  • Limit Map concurrency to avoid throttling
  • Use SDK integrations when possible (avoid Lambda wrapper)

Reliability

  • Retry transient errors
  • Catch and handle specific errors
  • Use idempotent operations
  • Enable X-Ray tracing

Cost Optimization

  • Use Express for short workflows (< 5 minutes)
  • Combine related operations to reduce transitions
  • Use Wait states instead of Lambda delays

Troubleshooting

Execution Failed

```bash

# Get execution history

aws stepfunctions get-execution-history \

--execution-arn arn:aws:states:us-east-1:123456789012:execution:MyWorkflow:exec-123 \

--query 'events[?type==TaskFailed || type==ExecutionFailed]'

```

Lambda Timeout

Causes:

  • Lambda running too long
  • Task timeout too short

Fix:

```json

{

"Type": "Task",

"Resource": "arn:aws:lambda:...",

"TimeoutSeconds": 300,

"HeartbeatSeconds": 60

}

```

State Stuck

Check:

  • Task state waiting for callback
  • Wait state not yet elapsed
  • Activity worker not responding

Invalid State Machine

```bash

# Validate definition

aws stepfunctions validate-state-machine-definition \

--definition file://workflow.json

```

References

  • [Step Functions Developer Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/step-functions/latest/dg/)
  • [Step Functions API Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/step-functions/latest/apireference/)
  • [Step Functions CLI Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/stepfunctions/)
  • [Amazon States Language](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/step-functions/latest/dg/concepts-amazon-states-language.html)

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