AWS CodePipeline Management Skill

Analyze and manage AWS CodePipeline pipelines, stages, and execution history.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always list pipelines before querying specific resources.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash
export AWS_PAGER=""

echo "=== CodePipeline Inventory ==="
aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text \
  --query 'pipelines[].[name,version,created,updated]'

echo ""
echo "=== Pipeline States ==="
for pipeline in $(aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text --query 'pipelines[].name'); do
  aws codepipeline get-pipeline-state --name "$pipeline" --output text \
    --query "stageStates[].[\"$pipeline\",stageName,latestExecution.status]" &
done
wait

Phase 2: Analysis

#!/bin/bash
export AWS_PAGER=""

echo "=== Recent Executions ==="
for pipeline in $(aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text --query 'pipelines[].name'); do
  aws codepipeline list-pipeline-executions --pipeline-name "$pipeline" --max-items 3 --output text \
    --query "pipelineExecutionSummaries[].[\"$pipeline\",pipelineExecutionId,status,startTime,trigger.triggerType]" &
done
wait | head -30

echo ""
echo "=== Failed Stages ==="
for pipeline in $(aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text --query 'pipelines[].name'); do
  aws codepipeline get-pipeline-state --name "$pipeline" --output text \
    --query "stageStates[?latestExecution.status=='Failed'].[\"$pipeline\",stageName,latestExecution.status,actionStates[0].latestExecution.summary]" &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== Pipeline Structure ==="
for pipeline in $(aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text --query 'pipelines[].name'); do
  aws codepipeline get-pipeline --name "$pipeline" --output text \
    --query "pipeline.stages[].[\"$pipeline\",name,actions[].actionTypeId.provider]" &
done
wait

echo ""
echo "=== Action Executions (last failed) ==="
for pipeline in $(aws codepipeline list-pipelines --output text --query 'pipelines[].name'); do
  aws codepipeline list-action-executions --pipeline-name "$pipeline" \
    --filter pipelineExecutionId=$(aws codepipeline list-pipeline-executions --pipeline-name "$pipeline" --max-items 1 --output text --query 'pipelineExecutionSummaries[0].pipelineExecutionId') \
    --output text \
    --query "actionExecutionDetails[?status=='Failed'].[\"$pipeline\",stageName,actionName,status,output.executionResult.externalExecutionSummary]" 2>/dev/null &
done
wait | head -15

Output Format

• Target ≤50 lines per output
• Use --output text --query for all commands
• Tab-delimited fields: PipelineName, Stage, Action, Status
• Aggregate execution counts by status for busy pipelines
• Never dump full pipeline definitions -- show stage/action summary

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

• Execution status values: InProgress, Stopped, Stopping, Succeeded, Superseded, Failed
• Stage vs action status: A stage fails if any action fails -- check action-level for root cause
• Superseded executions: Newer commits can supersede in-progress executions -- not a failure
• Artifact store: Pipelines use S3 for artifacts -- check bucket permissions if stages fail
• Cross-region actions: Some actions can run in different regions -- check region field
• Manual approval: Stages with manual approval actions will show InProgress until approved/rejected
• Trigger types: Can be webhook, CloudWatch Event, manual, or polling -- check pipeline trigger configuration