AWS Well-Architected Agent uses application context to tailor recommendations to a workload. Add it to an agent profile after creating the profile, then check the profile’s eligibility and field errors before relying on scheduled recommendations. The Agent is labeled a preview feature in AWS documentation, so confirm current availability and supported resource types before setup.
What application context does
A profile sets the accounts and Regions to monitor, the optimization goals and pillars, and details about the application. Application context supplements that profile with information about the workload. AWS says it gives the Agent information “so that it can generate more relevant, personalized recommendations”; it does not promise a particular recommendation or a measured improvement.
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Context is not a substitute for the profile’s account configuration or goals. Add it after profile creation, and make its scope and workload description match what you actually want analyzed. See AWS Well-Architected Agent Concepts and terminology.
What to include in the context
Use the available fields to describe the application and define the discovery scope. Be specific rather than relying on broad instructions such as “optimize everything.” AWS does not publish a required wording template or guarantee that a particular description will produce a particular result.
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- Application overview: Explain what the application does and identify the workload this profile should analyze.
- Accounts and Regions: List the actual AWS account IDs and Regions in scope.
- Tags, services, and resource types: Specify relevant resource tags, AWS services, and resource types. Check AWS’s current supported-resource documentation; not every resource type is supported.
- Industry, application type, and criticality: Choose values that accurately reflect the workload.
- Architecture overview: Describe the major components and how they connect.
- Additional context: Include material constraints or optimization priorities that the other fields do not capture.
The API field names are applicationOverview, accountIds, regions, resourceTags, awsServices, resourceTypes, industry, applicationType, criticality, architectureOverview, and additionalContext. The CLI reference allows up to 10,000 characters for application overview, architecture overview, and additional context. Consult the AWS CLI create-agent-context reference for the current field requirements and constraints.
Choose the recommendation scope and pillars
The Agent supports recommendations at different levels. Choose the mode that matches the question you need answered, and configure the relevant pillars in the profile: cost optimization, security, resilience, and performance.
| Mode | Scope and timing | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Resource recommendations | Guidance for an individual resource, such as EC2, Lambda, or RDS. | You need to examine a specific resource. |
| Application recommendations | Recommendations across related resources that account for component relationships. | You want guidance spanning an application rather than an isolated resource. |
| Architecture recommendations or reviews | Reviews CloudFormation, Terraform, or AWS CDK templates before deployment; the Agent can return updated templates. | You want to review infrastructure as code before deploying it. |
Descriptions of modes and pillars are in AWS’s Agent concepts documentation. Supported features and resource coverage may change while the product is in preview.
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AWS’s API quickstart puts context creation after role setup, profile creation, and adding an optimization goal. The following command follows its documented shape; replace the sample profile, title, account, Region, and content with values for your workload.
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aws wellarchitected create-agent-context
--profile-arn "arn:aws:wellarchitected:us-east-1:111122223333:agent-profile/my-production-profile"
--title "Payment processing service"
--context-type APPLICATION
--content '{"applicationOverview":"Real-time payment processing","criticality":"MISSION_CRITICAL","accountIds":["444455556666"],"regions":["us-east-1"]}'The example’s payment-processing description, mission-critical classification, account ID, and Region are illustrative values, not defaults. The request requires the profile ARN, a title, the APPLICATION context type, and typed content.
- Configure the execution and access roles for the profile and target accounts.
- Create an agent profile with its target pillars and account configuration.
- Add an optimization goal to the profile.
- Create application context associated with that profile.
- Run
aws wellarchitected get-agent-profileand inspecteligibleForScheduledGenerationandfieldErrors.
If eligibility is false, use the reported field errors and AWS’s API quickstart and troubleshooting guidance to correct the profile. AWS says scheduled recommendations begin within 48 hours when eligibleForScheduledGeneration is true; this is the workflow timing stated in its quickstart, not an independent performance measurement.
Check access and operational controls
The role arrangement is cross-account. An execution role in the profile account orchestrates discovery by assuming access roles in target accounts. AWS documents those access roles as granting read-only access to resource metadata and configuration. Its recommended managed scanning policy can be replaced with a custom policy scoped to the actions required.
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- Consider running profiles from a dedicated AWS account without production workloads.
- Use the execution role ARN in access-role trust policies.
- Monitor Agent API activity in AWS CloudTrail.
- Review permissions periodically and remove accounts that no longer need analysis.
- Retain the ability to revoke access by removing trust, deleting an access role, or revoking active sessions.
For the role chain, permissions, and revocation options, see AWS Well-Architected Agent access model.
What to verify before relying on results
- Confirm that the profile includes the intended accounts, Regions, goals, and pillars.
- Check that context describes the real workload and its architecture, rather than a generic aspiration.
- Verify that the services and resource types you expect to analyze are currently supported.
- Resolve any reported field errors and confirm
eligibleForScheduledGenerationis true before expecting scheduled recommendations. - Review the IAM trust relationships and permissions that allow discovery in each target account.
AWS labels Well-Architected Agent as a preview feature. Availability, CLI details, and supported resource coverage can change; consult the official documentation linked above for the current behavior.
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