AWS CLI auto-prompt mode + AWS Shell

[kyleknap]

Hi everyone. We recently opened an issue on the AWS CLI repository tracking preview feedback for an improved auto-prompt mode for AWS CLI v2. You may notice from that there is a significant amount of overlap between the new auto-prompt mode and the AWS Shell. This GitHub issue is meant to help answer questions about its relationship with AWS CLI auto-prompt mode and the future of the AWS Shell.

Why are we releasing AWS CLI auto-prompt mode when the AWS Shell exists?

The prompting and completion functionality provided by the AWS Shell is powerful, but one notable disadvantage is that it is not built directly into the AWS CLI. The intention of AWS CLI auto-prompt mode is to integrate the same type of productivity-improving features from the AWS Shell directly into the AWS CLI v2. This direction of building AWS Shell functionality into the AWS CLI v2 is advantageous because:

• You no longer have to install and manage the tool outside of the AWS CLI. When you install the AWS CLI v2, you will immediately have access to the same functionality from the AWS Shell.
• It makes the productivity-improving features of the shell a seamless extension to the AWS CLI. With AWS CLI auto-prompt mode, you can append --cli-auto-prompt to any command to help build up the command or configure your CLI to enter auto-prompt mode if you ever enter an incorrect AWS CLI command (e.g. on-partial mode)
• The AWS Shell requires building of an index on first boot. Now, we pre-build the index directly into the available AWS CLI v2 artifacts.

Is the updated AWS CLI auto-prompt mode a replacement for the AWS Shell?

Currently, the improved auto-prompt mode is not a complete drop-in replacement for the AWS Shell, but it has most of the features provided by the AWS Shell and some completely new features (e.g., more granular shorthand completion). The biggest difference is the lack of a “shell” mode where you can continually enter AWS CLI commands in a single prompting session. In general, this mode should provide a similar level of productivity as the AWS Shell provides and we encourage you to use it when it is launched in a public release of the AWS CLI v2.

Will AWS CLI auto-prompt mode offer an auto-prompt “shell” mode?

We are open to the idea because we suspect that there will still be some workflows that are better from an AWS-specific shell context instead of one-off prompting pattern. We encourage you to try the preview build for AWS CLI auto-prompt mode and use the 👍 reaction on this GitHub issue if you find yourself still wanting a “shell” mode.

What is the future of the AWS Shell project?

We will continue to support AWS Shell by providing security updates and critical bug fixes to ensure that it works with the latest version of CLI v1. For CLI v2, we will be focusing our efforts on enhancing and investing in this enhanced auto-prompt mode.

Please let us know if you have any more questions and provide us any feedback with regards to the AWS CLI auto-prompt mode preview by opening an issue in the AWS CLI GitHub repository. Thanks!

[ianchanning]

If the aws-shell doesn't support v2 - could you make this clear on the AWS CLI home page https://aws.amazon.com/cli/

Currently it says the aws-shell is the 'developer preview' (suggesting more advanced) version of the AWS CLI, when it is now in maintenance only mode.

Could you also update the readme here to indicate that this is not compatible with CLI v2 and is now in maintenance mode?

[ianchanning]

It would also be very useful if you could document any differences between the two.

Sorry, you've already documented these beautifully above:

• You no longer have to install and manage the tool outside of the AWS CLI. When you install the AWS CLI v2, you will immediately have access to the same functionality from the AWS Shell.
• It makes the productivity-improving features of the shell a seamless extension to the AWS CLI. With AWS CLI auto-prompt mode, you can append --cli-auto-prompt to any command to help build up the command or configure your CLI to enter auto-prompt mode if you ever enter an incorrect AWS CLI command (e.g. on-partial mode)
• The AWS Shell requires building of an index on first boot. Now, we pre-build the index directly into the available AWS CLI v2 artifacts.

I guess that isn't really the differences, but they are very clear benefits of integrating the two.