Pulumi Cdk To Pulumi
PulumiOfficialPublished by Pulumi
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- Cloud and DevOps
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AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a systematic, step-by-step procedure for converting AWS CDK applications into Pulumi programs. It covers the entire lifecycle of a migration, including environment verification, CDK synthesis, resource inventory, code conversion, handling of custom resources and assets, and optional resource import. The skill ensures that the resulting Pulumi code is structurally valid and provides a comprehensive migration report suitable for pull requests.
What it does
- Verifies AWS credentials and environment configurations for accurate CDK synthesis.
- Analyzes CDK stacks and builds a detailed resource inventory from CloudFormation.
- Performs automated code conversion from CDK constructs to Pulumi resources.
- Provides specific migration strategies for Lambda-backed custom resources.
- Identifies and maps deployment assets and bundling requirements to Pulumi patterns.
- Generates a formal migration report including resource mappings and validation steps.
When to use it
- When you need to migrate an existing AWS CDK application to Pulumi.
- When you want to port CDK stacks or constructs to a Pulumi-managed infrastructure.
- When you are looking to replace CDK with Pulumi for better infrastructure management.
- When you need to translate synthesized CloudFormation templates into Pulumi code.
Advantages
- Ensures complete resource coverage by mapping every CloudFormation resource.
- Provides clear strategies for handling complex CDK-specific patterns like custom resources.
- Offers guidance on managing build-time assets and bundling within the Pulumi lifecycle.
- Produces a professional, PR-ready migration report for team transparency.
- Includes automated import workflows to bring existing infrastructure under Pulumi management.
Usage examples
- “Convert my existing AWS CDK application to Pulumi.”
- The agent will initiate the information gathering phase, verify your AWS credentials, synthesize the CDK project, and begin the conversion process.
- “I want to port my CDK stacks to Pulumi, how do I start?”
- The agent will guide you through the migration workflow, starting with identifying your CDK stacks and environments to ensure a successful transition.
- “How do I handle my CDK custom resources when moving to Pulumi?”
- The agent will analyze your custom resources and provide a strategy to either replace them with native Pulumi resources or use the CustomResourceEmulator.
- “Can you help me migrate my CDK app and import the existing resources?”
- The agent will perform the code conversion and then guide you through the automated import process to ensure your live infrastructure is managed by Pulumi.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/pulumi/pulumi-cdk-to-pulumi/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip pulumi-cdk-to-pulumi.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Pulumi
CRITICAL SUCCESS REQUIREMENTS
The migration output MUST meet all of the following:
Complete Resource Coverage
Every CloudFormation resource synthesized by CDK MUST:
Be represented in the Pulumi program OR
Be explicitly justified in the final report.
Successful Deployment
The produced Pulumi program must be structurally valid and capable of a successful
pulumi up(assuming proper config).
Final Migration Report
Always output a formal migration report suitable for a Pull Request.
Include:
CDK → Pulumi resource mapping
Provider decisions (aws-native vs aws)
Behavioral differences
Missing or manually required steps
Validation instructions
WHEN INFORMATION IS MISSING
If a user-provided CDK project is incomplete, ambiguous, or missing artifacts (such as cdk.out), ask targeted questions before generating Pulumi code.
MIGRATION WORKFLOW
Follow this workflow exactly and in this order:
1. INFORMATION GATHERING
1.1 Verify AWS Credentials (ESC)
Running AWS commands (e.g., aws cloudformation list-stack-resources) and CDK commands (e.g. cdk synth) requires credentials loaded via Pulumi ESC.
If the user has already provided an ESC environment, use it.
If no ESC environment is specified, ask the user which ESC environment to use before proceeding with AWS commands.
You MUST confirm the AWS region with the user. The cdk synth results may be incorrect if ran with the wrong AWS Region.
1.2 Synthesize CDK
Run/inspect:
npx cdk synth --quietALWAYS run
synthwith--quietto prevent the template from being output on stdout.
If failing, inspect cdk.json or package.json for custom synth behavior.
1.3 Identify CDK Stacks & Environments
Read cdk.out/manifest.json:
jq '.artifacts | to_entries | map(select(.value.type == "aws:cloudformation:stack") | {displayName: .key, environment: .value.environment}) | .[]' cdk.out/manifest.jsonExample output:
{
"displayName": "DataStack-dev",
"environment": "aws://616138583583/us-east-2"
}
{
"displayName": "AppStack-dev",
"environment": "aws://616138583583/us-east-2"
}In the Pulumi stack you create you MUST set both the aws:region and aws-native:region config variables. For example:
pulumi config set aws-native:region us-east-2 --stack dev
pulumi config set aws:region us-east-2 --stack dev1.4 Build Resource Inventory
For each stack:
aws cloudformation list-stack-resources \
--region <region> \
--stack-name <stack> \
--output json1.5 Analyze CDK Structure
Extract:
Environment-specific conditionals
Stack dependencies & cross-stack references
Runtime config (context/env vars)
Construct types (L1, L2, L3)
2. CODE CONVERSION (CDK → PULUMI)
Perform the initial conversion using the
cdk2pulumitool. Follow cdk-convert.md to perform the conversion.Read the conversion report and fill in any gaps. For example, if the conversion fails to convert a resource you have to convert it manually yourself.
2.1 Custom Resources Handling
CDK uses Lambda-backed Custom Resources for functionality not available in CloudFormation. In synthesized CloudFormation, these appear as:
Resource type:
AWS::CloudFormation::CustomResourceorCustom::<name>Metadata contains
aws:cdk:pathwith the handler name (e.g.,aws-s3/auto-delete-objects-handler)
Default behavior: cdk2pulumi rewrites custom resources to aws-native:cloudformation:CustomResourceEmulator, which invokes the original Lambda. This works but has tradeoffs (Lambda dependency, cold starts, eventual consistency).
Migration strategies by handler type:
| Handler | Strategy |
|---|---|
aws-certificatemanager/dns-validated-certificate-handler | Replace with aws.acm.Certificate, aws.route53.Record, and aws.acm.CertificateValidation |
aws-ec2/restrict-default-security-group-handler | Replace with aws.ec2.DefaultSecurityGroup resource with empty ingress/egress rules |
aws-ecr/auto-delete-images-handler | Replace aws-native:ecr:Repository with aws.ecr.Repository with forceDelete: true |
aws-s3/auto-delete-objects-handler | Replace aws-native:s3:Bucket with aws.s3.Bucket with forceDestroy: true |
aws-s3/notifications-resource-handler | Replace with aws.s3.BucketNotification |
aws-logs/log-retention-handler | Replace with aws.cloudwatch.LogGroup with explicit retentionInDays |
aws-iam/oidc-handler | Replace with aws.iam.OpenIdConnectProvider |
aws-route53/delete-existing-record-set-handler | Replace with aws.route53.Record with allowOverwrite: true |
aws-dynamodb/replica-handler | Replace with aws.dynamodb.TableReplica |
Cross-account/region handlers:
aws-cloudfront/edge-function→ Useaws.lambda.Functionwithregion: "us-east-1"aws-route53/cross-account-zone-delegation-handler→ Use separate aws provider with cross-account role assumption
Graceful degradation for unknown handlers:
Keep the
CustomResourceEmulator(default behavior)Document the custom resource in the migration report with:
Original handler name and purpose (if discernible from CDK path)
Note that it uses Lambda invocation at runtime
Recommend user review for potential native replacement
2.2 Provider Strategy
Default: Use
aws-nativewhenever the resource type is available.Fallback: Use
awswhen aws-native does not support equivalent features.
2.3 Assets & Bundling
CDK uses Assets and Bundling to handle deployment artifacts. These are processed by the CDK CLI before CloudFormation deployment and appear in the cdk.out directory alongside *.assets.json metadata files. CloudFormation templates contain hard-coded references to asset locations (S3 bucket/key or ECR repo/tag).
# Inspect asset definitions
jq '.files, .dockerImages' cdk.out/*.assets.jsonMigration strategies by asset type:
| Asset Type | Detection | Pulumi Migration |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Image | dockerImages in assets.json | Use docker-build.Image to build and push. Replace hard-coded ECR URI with image output. |
| File with build command | files with executable field | Flag to user - build command needs setup in Pulumi |
| Static file | files without executable, no bundling in CDK source | Use pulumi.FileArchive or pulumi.FileAsset |
| Bundled file | files without executable, but CDK source uses bundling | Flag to user - bundling needs setup in Pulumi |
Detecting Bundling in CDK Source:
Check the CDK source code for bundling constructs (NodejsFunction, PythonFunction, GoFunction, or resources using the bundling option). If bundling is used, the build step needs to be replicated in Pulumi for ongoing development - otherwise source changes would require manually re-running cdk synth.
When bundling is detected, inform the user:
Build Step Detected: This CDK application uses <BUNDLING_TYPE> which builds deployable artifacts during synthesis. This build step needs to be replicated in Pulumi for ongoing development.
Options:
CI/CD Pipeline (Recommended): Move the build step to your CI pipeline and reference the pre-built artifact in Pulumi
Pulumi Command Provider: Use
command.local.Commandto run the build command duringpulumi upPre-build Script: Create a build script that runs before
pulumi upand outputs to a known locationEach option has tradeoffs around caching, reproducibility, and deployment speed. For production workloads, option 1 is typically preferred.
2.4 TypeScript Handling for aws-native
aws-native outputs often include undefined. Avoid ! non-null assertions. Always safely unwrap with .apply():
// ❌ WRONG - Will cause TypeScript errors
functionName: lambdaFunction.functionName!,
// ✅ CORRECT - Handle undefined safely
functionName: lambdaFunction.functionName.apply(name => name || ""),2.5 Environment Logic Preservation
Carry forward all conditional behaviors:
if (currentEnv.createVpc) {
// create resources
} else {
const vpcId = pulumi.output(currentEnv.vpcId);
}3. Resource Import (optional)
After conversion you can optionally import the existing resources to now be managed by Pulumi. If the user does not request this you should suggest this as a follow up step to conversion.
Always start with automated import using the
cdk-importertool. Follow cdk-importer.md to perform the automated import.For any resources that fail to import with the automated tool, import them manually.
If you need to manually import resources:
Follow cloudformation-id-lookup.md to look up CloudFormation import identifiers.
Use the web-fetch tool to get content from the official Pulumi documentation.
Finding AWS import IDs -> https://www.pulumi.com/docs/iac/guides/migration/aws-import-ids/
Manual migration approaches -> https://www.pulumi.com/docs/iac/guides/migration/migrating-to-pulumi/migrating-from-cdk/migrating-existing-cdk-app/#approach-b-manual-migration
3.1 Running preview after import
After performing an import you need to run pulumi preview to ensure there are no changes. No changes means:
NO updates
NO replaces
NO creates
NO deletes
If there are changes you must investigate and update the program until there are no changes.
Working with the User
If the user asks for help planning or performing a CDK to Pulumi migration use the information above to guide the user towards the automated migration approach.
For Detailed Documentation
When the user wants to deviate from the recommended path detailed above, use the web-fetch tool to get content from the official Pulumi documentation -> https://www.pulumi.com/docs/iac/guides/migration/migrating-to-pulumi/migrating-from-cdk/migrating-existing-cdk-app
This documentation covers topics:
Migration Strategy
Convert vs. Rewrite
Import vs. Rehydrate
Best Practices
Handling Multiple CDK Stacks
Handling CDK Stages
Code organization
Converting CDK Constructs
Execution Strategies
Automated Migration (recommended)
Manual Migration
OUTPUT FORMAT (REQUIRED)
When performing a migration, always produce:
Overview (high-level description)
Migration Plan Summary
Pulumi Code Outputs (TypeScript; structured by file)
Resource Mapping Table (CDK → Pulumi)
Custom Resources Summary (if any):
Handlers migrated to native Pulumi resources
Handlers kept as
CustomResourceEmulatorwith rationaleAny handlers requiring user attention
Assets & Bundling Summary (if any):
Migrated: Assets successfully converted (e.g., Docker images →
docker-build.Image, static files →pulumi.FileArchive)Requires attention: Assets with bundling steps, options presented, and decision if made
Final Migration Report (PR-ready)
Next Steps (optional refactors)
Keep code syntactically valid and clearly separated by files.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer874 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md11.6 KiB
- agents/openai.yaml212 B
- cdk-convert.md2.8 KiB
- cdk-importer.md4.1 KiB
- cloudformation-id-lookup.md2.8 KiB
- use_cases.yaml2.0 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
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Needs: Needs network access, Needs a command-line tool, Needs Node.js
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Pulumi
- Publisher
- Pulumi (Official)
- Source
- pulumi/agent-skills · migration/skills/pulumi-cdk-to-pulumi · commit 82f222a
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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