directconnect

aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws

Configure AWS Direct Connect for private, consistent network links between data centers and AWS.

What is directconnect?

Domain expertise for setting up and managing AWS Direct Connect, the service providing private network connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and AWS. Use this skill when you need to establish a dedicated or hosted connection, configure virtual interfaces, reach multiple VPCs, encrypt traffic, ensure resilience, or migrate from virtual private gateways to transit gateways.

Choose and complete connection models (dedicated, hosted, or link aggregation groups)
Create and configure private, public, and transit virtual interfaces with BGP
Connect multiple VPCs and cross-account resources through Direct Connect gateways
Encrypt traffic in transit using MACsec or private IP Site-to-Site VPN
Design resilient connections with failover tuning and redundancy strategies
Manage link aggregation groups and SiteLink for multi-site connectivity

How to install directconnect

npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill directconnect

Prerequisites

AWS account with Direct Connect service access in your region
Existing or planned colocation or data center connection point
Understanding of BGP and virtual networking concepts
CloudTrail enabled for audit logging of Direct Connect API calls

Claude Code

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Windsurf

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How to use directconnect

1.Identify your Direct Connect task from the skill's reference table (connection type, virtual interface, encryption, resiliency, etc.)
2.Read the corresponding reference file in full before proceeding
3.Follow the constraints, decision tables, and step-by-step procedures in the reference
4.Execute AWS CLI or AWS MCP server commands with your working region specified
5.Verify connection state and BGP status through CloudWatch monitoring and alarms

Use cases

Good for

Establish a private network link from a data center to AWS for regulated or sensitive workloads
Extend an existing Direct Connect setup with additional connections or encryption
Connect multiple VPCs and AWS accounts over a single Direct Connect gateway
Implement MACsec or IPsec encryption for compliance-required data in transit
Design failover and redundancy strategies for mission-critical network connectivity

Who it's for

Network architects designing hybrid cloud infrastructure
AWS infrastructure engineers managing Direct Connect deployments
Operations teams maintaining existing Direct Connect connections
Security teams implementing encrypted network links for regulated data
DevOps engineers migrating from legacy virtual private gateway setups

directconnect FAQ

Is Direct Connect encrypted by default?

No. Direct Connect does not encrypt traffic in transit by default. You must explicitly implement encryption using MACsec (Layer 2) or a private IP Site-to-Site VPN (IPsec) before sensitive or regulated data crosses the link.

Can I reach multiple VPCs over a single Direct Connect connection?

Yes, using a Direct Connect gateway. A single connection can reach many VPCs across regions and accounts through the gateway, which also handles cross-account transit gateway associations.

What is the difference between a hosted connection and a hosted virtual interface?

A hosted connection is the physical link ordered from an AWS partner; a hosted virtual interface is the Layer 3 configuration created on that connection. The connection-type reference clarifies this distinction before ordering.

How do I migrate from a virtual private gateway to a transit gateway without dropping traffic?

The migration reference provides order-dependent steps to avoid production outages. The cutover sequence matters; follow the reference procedure exactly rather than attempting ad-hoc migration.

How fast can Direct Connect failover converge?

Failover speed depends on your resiliency topology (set by the Resiliency Toolkit) and BGP tuning (hold-timer and BFD configuration). The resiliency reference covers both topology selection and convergence-speed tuning.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws.

name: directconnect description: >- Configures AWS Direct Connect: choosing a connection model (dedicated, hosted, or a link aggregation group) and completing the cross connect; creating private, public, and transit virtual interfaces and bringing up BGP; reaching many VPCs through a Direct Connect gateway including cross-account transit gateway associations; encrypting traffic with MACsec or a private IP Site-to-Site VPN; making the connection resilient and tuning failover; managing link aggregation groups; SiteLink; and migrating from a virtual private gateway to a transit gateway. Use when the user wants a private, consistent network link between a data center and AWS, or operates an existing Direct Connect setup and needs to extend, encrypt, or harden it. Routes to the right per-task procedure in references. Do NOT use for transit gateway route tables and attachments (transitgateway skill), Site-to-Site VPN without Direct Connect (sitetositevpn skill), or Route 53 DNS routing (route53 skill). version: 1

AWS Direct Connect

Overview

Domain expertise for configuring AWS Direct Connect, the service that gives a customer a private, consistent network link between their own data center or colocation and AWS instead of routing over the public internet. Covers choosing a connection model and completing the cross connect, creating virtual interfaces and bringing up Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), reaching many VPCs through a Direct Connect gateway, encrypting traffic in transit, making the connection resilient, managing link aggregation groups, SiteLink, and migrating from a virtual private gateway to a transit gateway.

This skill is a router. Each customer task maps to a procedure file under references/. Read the matching reference in full before acting, then follow its constraints and steps. The reference files are self-contained: each carries its own decision tables, constraints, procedure, and troubleshooting.

Execute commands using the AWS MCP server when connected (sandboxed execution, audit logging, observability). Fall back to the AWS CLI otherwise. The Direct Connect console is regional, so pass the customer's working --region on aws directconnect commands; a Direct Connect gateway is a global resource but is reached through a regional console view.

Which Direct Connect task do you need?

Goal	Reference
Choose dedicated vs hosted vs a link aggregation group, then complete the cross connect	choosing a Direct Connect connection type
Create a private, public, or transit virtual interface and bring up BGP	creating a virtual interface and configuring BGP
Reach many VPCs over one connection through a Direct Connect gateway	connecting many VPCs through a Direct Connect gateway
Encrypt traffic in transit with MACsec or a private IP Site-to-Site VPN	encrypting traffic over Direct Connect
Make the connection survive a failure and tune failover speed	making a Direct Connect connection resilient
Bundle connections into one logical link and manage members	managing link aggregation groups
Connect on-premises sites to each other over the AWS backbone	setting up SiteLink
Move from a virtual private gateway to a transit gateway without dropping traffic	migrating from a virtual private gateway to a transit gateway

Routing notes

Connection model comes first. The choosing-a-connection-type reference is the entry point for a customer with no link yet. It settles dedicated vs hosted vs a link aggregation group, checks location support for the chosen speed, and separates a hosted connection from a hosted virtual interface, a distinction customers confuse constantly. Run it before any cross connect is ordered, since port speed cannot change after the connection is created.
A connection carries no traffic until a virtual interface exists. After the cross connect is live, the creating-a-virtual-interface reference is the required next step. The virtual interface type (private, public, or transit) decides what the connection can reach and is fixed at creation. The jumbo-frame maximum transmission unit (MTU) should be set at creation but, on a private or transit virtual interface, can be changed later with a brief connectivity disruption.
One VPC vs many VPCs. A single VPC in one Region can be reached over a private virtual interface to a virtual private gateway. Reaching many VPCs, crossing accounts, or crossing Regions is the Direct Connect gateway reference, which also owns the cross-account transit gateway proposal-and-acceptance handshake.
Encryption is a separate, deliberate step. Direct Connect is not encrypted in transit by default. The encrypting-traffic reference compares MACsec (Layer 2, over the cross connect) against a private IP Site-to-Site VPN over a transit virtual interface (the recommended IPsec path). Route here whenever the customer mentions regulated data or encryption.
Resiliency model vs failover speed are two different questions. The resiliency reference covers both: the Resiliency Toolkit sets the topology and service level target, while BGP hold-timer tuning and Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) set how fast failover actually converges.
Link aggregation group as a model vs as ongoing management. The connection-type reference introduces the link aggregation group as a model choice at order time. The managing-link-aggregation-groups reference owns ongoing member add/remove and minimum-links behavior, where removing a member can take the whole group down.
Migration is order-dependent. The virtual-private-gateway-to-transit-gateway migration reference exists because doing the cutover steps out of order drops production traffic. Route any "we outgrew the single-VPC model" request here rather than to the plain Direct Connect gateway reference.

Security Considerations

Direct Connect provides a private link into VPC resources, so the security posture differs from the public internet path. Carry these into every task:

Not encrypted by default. Direct Connect does not encrypt traffic in transit. You MUST treat encryption as a separate, deliberate step (MACsec or a private IP Site-to-Site VPN) before regulated or sensitive data crosses the link. See the encrypting-traffic reference.
Physical and colocation security. The link terminates on customer equipment at a Direct Connect location or partner colocation. You SHOULD remind the customer that physical access control and partner trust at that facility are part of the connection's security boundary.
Monitoring and alerting. You SHOULD recommend CloudWatch alarms on connection state and virtual interface BGP status so connection-state changes and failures trigger alerts rather than relying on manual detection.
Audit logging. You SHOULD confirm CloudTrail is enabled and logging directconnect API calls (connection, virtual interface, and gateway-association changes) so all configuration changes are captured for audit and compliance.
CloudWatch Logs encryption. You SHOULD encrypt CloudWatch Logs log groups that receive Direct Connect-related logs or alarm state data with a KMS key, so sensitive connection metadata is protected at rest.
Least-privilege IAM. You MUST scope IAM permissions for directconnect API actions to the specific actions and resources each principal needs, and prefer ephemeral IAM credentials over long-lived IAM user access keys. You MUST NOT grant directconnect:* on resource * or attach any *FullAccess managed policy; instead scope actions to specific resource ARNs, e.g. arn:aws:directconnect:*:*:dxcon/{connection_id} for a connection, so a compromised principal cannot touch every Direct Connect resource in the account.
Route leaks between VPCs. You SHOULD warn that advertising a supernet that overlaps VPC CIDRs can cause unintended VPC-to-VPC traffic over a shared Direct Connect gateway; mitigate with specific prefixes, separate gateways, or transit gateway blackhole routes.