AWS App Runner Management Skill

Analyze and manage AWS App Runner services, deployments, and scaling configurations.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always list services before querying specific resources.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash
export AWS_PAGER=""

echo "=== App Runner Services ==="
aws apprunner list-services --output text \
  --query 'ServiceSummaryList[].[ServiceName,ServiceArn,Status,ServiceUrl]'

echo ""
echo "=== Service Details ==="
for arn in $(aws apprunner list-services --output text --query 'ServiceSummaryList[].ServiceArn'); do
  aws apprunner describe-service --service-arn "$arn" --output text \
    --query 'Service.[ServiceName,Status,SourceConfiguration.ImageRepository.ImageIdentifier,InstanceConfiguration.Cpu,InstanceConfiguration.Memory]' &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== Auto Scaling Configurations ==="
aws apprunner list-auto-scaling-configurations --output text \
  --query 'AutoScalingConfigurationSummaryList[].[AutoScalingConfigurationName,AutoScalingConfigurationRevision,Status]'

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
export AWS_PAGER=""

echo "=== Service Health ==="
for arn in $(aws apprunner list-services --output text --query 'ServiceSummaryList[].ServiceArn'); do
  {
    name=$(aws apprunner describe-service --service-arn "$arn" --output text --query 'Service.ServiceName')
    status=$(aws apprunner describe-service --service-arn "$arn" --output text --query 'Service.Status')
    printf "%s\t%s\n" "$name" "$status"
  } &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== Recent Operations ==="
for arn in $(aws apprunner list-services --output text --query 'ServiceSummaryList[].ServiceArn'); do
  aws apprunner list-operations --service-arn "$arn" --output text \
    --query "OperationSummaryList[:3].[\"$(echo $arn | awk -F/ '{print $NF}')\",Type,Status,StartedAt,EndedAt]" &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== Custom Domains ==="
for arn in $(aws apprunner list-services --output text --query 'ServiceSummaryList[].ServiceArn'); do
  aws apprunner describe-custom-domains --service-arn "$arn" --output text \
    --query "CustomDomains[].[DomainName,Status,CertificateValidationRecords[0].Value]" 2>/dev/null &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== VPC Connectors ==="
aws apprunner list-vpc-connectors --output text \
  --query 'VpcConnectors[].[VpcConnectorName,Status,Subnets[0],SecurityGroups[0]]' 2>/dev/null

Output Format

• Target ≤50 lines per output
• Use --output text --query for all commands
• Tab-delimited fields: ServiceName, Status, Source, CPU, Memory
• Aggregate deployment operations by status
• Never dump full service configuration -- extract key fields only

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Service ARN required: Most describe/update operations need the full ARN, not just service name
• Source types: Services can use image registry or code repository -- check SourceConfiguration type
• Auto-scaling revisions: Each config change creates a new revision -- check LatestRevision vs active
• VPC connector: Required for accessing private resources -- check EgressConfiguration settings
• Paused services: Paused services don't incur compute charges but retain configuration -- check Status
• Deployment triggers: Auto-deploy can be enabled per service -- check AutoDeploymentsEnabled