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Redshift Guide

Skills#database

Stop your agent writing Postgres SQL for Amazon Redshift.

From the AWS agent toolkit. Amazon Redshift is not PostgreSQL, and this corrects the mistakes models make when they assume it is: Redshift-specific SQL, DDL, COPY and UNLOAD, and system views.

Install this skill

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

Runs the open-source skills CLI in your own terminal. It asks which agents to add the skill to. Read what it tells your agent to do before you install it.

Download skill (.zip)

Install for your agent

  • Claude Code

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a claude-code

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask Claude Code to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for Claude Code.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .claude/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .claude/skills/ for this project, or ~/.claude/skills/ for all your projects.

    Picked up in the current session, no restart needed.

    Claude Code skills docs
  • Claude.ai

    Upload the ZIP

    1. In Settings > Capabilities, turn on Code execution and file creation.
    2. Go to Customize > Skills, press +, then Create skill.
    3. Choose Upload a skill and pick the ZIP you downloaded.

    Free, Pro and Max plans. On Team and Enterprise, an owner turns skills on in Organization settings first.

    Claude.ai skills docs
  • ChatGPT

    Upload the ZIP

    1. Open Skills in ChatGPT and select Create.
    2. Select Upload from your computer and pick the ZIP you downloaded.
    3. Wait for ChatGPT's safety scan. A skill marked Needs Review asks you to check it before use.

    Skills that rely on scripts or a terminal may not work unchanged in ChatGPT.

    ChatGPT skills docs
  • Codex

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a codex

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask Codex to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for Codex.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .agents/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .agents/skills/ for this project, or ~/.agents/skills/ for all your projects.

    Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

    Codex skills docs
  • Cursor

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a cursor

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask Cursor to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for Cursor.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .cursor/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .cursor/skills/ for this project, or ~/.cursor/skills/ for all your projects.

    Run it by typing / and the skill name in chat.

    Cursor skills docs
  • GitHub Copilot

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a github-copilot

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask GitHub Copilot to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for GitHub Copilot.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .github/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .github/skills/ for this project, or ~/.copilot/skills/ for all your projects.

    Works in Copilot CLI, the cloud agent and agent mode in VS Code and JetBrains.

    GitHub Copilot skills docs
  • Antigravity

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a antigravity

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask Antigravity to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for Antigravity.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .agents/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .agents/skills/ for this project, or ~/.gemini/config/skills/ for all your projects.

    Antigravity skills docs
  • Gemini CLI

    Run this in your project

    npx skills add https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws --skill redshift-guide -a gemini-cli

    Add -g to install it for every project instead.

    Or ask Gemini CLI to do it

    Install the "redshift-guide" skill from https://github.com/aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws for Gemini CLI.
Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md, with any scripts or reference files next to it) into .gemini/skills/ in this project.
Before copying, show me the SKILL.md and list any scripts it includes, and wait for me to confirm.

    Or copy the folder yourself

    Unzip the download into .gemini/skills/ for this project, or ~/.gemini/skills/ for all your projects.

    Run /skills to check it was found.

    Gemini CLI skills docs
Installs
1.8K via skills.sh
GitHub
2.6K stars ↗
Last updated
11 Sept 2026
Licence
Apache-2.0

Security checks

Run by independent scanners and published on skills.sh. Their results, not a Viberation review.

  • Gen Agent Trust Hub Pass

    This skill provides a comprehensive technical guide for managing Amazon Redshift, including SQL syntax, data loading, and automation recipes. It incorporates security best practices such as least privilege IAM roles and encryption, and includes helpful guardrails for high-risk operations.

    28 Aug 2026

  • Socket Pass

    No alerts

    28 Aug 2026

  • Snyk Pass

    Risk: LOW · No issues

    28 Aug 2026
What's inside (8 files)
  • references/redshift-sql-ddl-copy.md5K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-extensions-semantics.md4K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-functions-types.md4.3K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-materialized-views.md2.9K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-metadata.md9.3K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-recipes-load-api.md7.8K chars
  • references/redshift-sql-syntax.md4.1K chars
  • SKILL.md10.2K chars

SKILL.md, first part. Shown as plain text.

---
name: redshift-guide
description: "Amazon Redshift is NOT PostgreSQL — corrects PostgreSQL-derived LLM mistakes; covers Redshift-specific SQL, DDL, COPY/UNLOAD, system views, metadata discovery, and operational patterns. Applies ONLY when the task is about Redshift itself (cluster, Serverless workgroup, or Redshift SQL). Pushes back on: CREATE INDEX, string_agg, pg_catalog, text type, SERIAL, stl_query, LATERAL, RETURNING. Triggers on: Redshift SQL, Redshift CREATE TABLE, Redshift COPY/UNLOAD, slow Redshift query, Redshift permission denied, Redshift disk full, Redshift system views, QUALIFY, PIVOT, MERGE, Redshift Data API, Redshift WLM, concurrency scaling, Redshift resize, Redshift Spectrum external tables. Does NOT apply to (defer to that service's own skill): Amazon S3 storage/bucket policies, Athena or Glue queries/catalogs, data-lake or Iceberg work outside Redshift, Aurora, RDS, or DynamoDB — but S3/Glue ARE in scope for Redshift COPY, UNLOAD, or data-lake queries (external schemas/tables on S3)."
metadata:
  version: "1"
---

# Amazon Redshift Guide

## Redshift is NOT PostgreSQL (read first)

Redshift speaks PostgreSQL's wire protocol and shares much of its surface syntax, so
LLMs assume PostgreSQL behavior carries over — it frequently does not. Divergences span
system tables (`pg_catalog` is incomplete), DDL (no indexes, no sequences), functions
(`string_agg`, `SUBSTR` on tables, leader-node-only functions), types (a `text` column
becomes VARCHAR(256)), and comparison semantics (trailing blanks, unenforced constraints). **Assume
divergence and verify against the reference below — do not answer from PostgreSQL habit.**
Common PostgreSQL→Redshift divergences are in `references/redshift-sql-syntax.md`.

**Works best with** the [AWS MCP server](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-mcp/) — it runs the
AWS CLI and Redshift Data API calls below in a sandboxed, audit-logged environment. All
guidance here is plain AWS CLI and SQL and works without it.

## STEP 0: Serverless or Provisioned?

Establish this before answering — APIs, system tables, and capabilities differ. Take it
from the question when it says which one; **ask** when it does not. `SELECT version()`
does not identify it.

- **Serverless** — identified by a *workgroup* (and namespace). Data API calls take
  `--workgroup-name`; the user says "workgroup"/"Serverless".
- **Provisioned** — identified by a *cluster*. Data API calls take
  `--cluster-identifier`; the user says "cluster".

| Target | System Views | Credentials API |
|---|---|---|
| **Provisioned** | `SYS_`, all `SVV_` + `STL_`, `STV_`, `SVL_`, `SVCS_` (single-AZ only — disabled on Multi-AZ) | `redshift:GetClusterCredentials` |
| **Serverless** | `SYS_` + a subset of `SVV_` ONLY (no `STL`/`STV`/`SVL`/`SVCS`) | `redshift-serverless:GetCredentials` |

## Critical Facts

- **SHOW commands are the primary metadata interface** — SHOW DATABASES, SHOW SCHEMAS, SHOW TABLES, SHOW COLUMNS, SHOW TABLE, SHOW VIEW. Do NOT default to pg_catalog or information_schema. → **Load `references/redshift-sql-metadata.md` for metadata/discovery questions and any "relation does not exist" report** — it has the diagnostic flow.
- **`SYS_` views are the preferred system views** — they work everywhere. `STL_`, `STV_`, `SVL_`, and `SVCS_` are provisioned single-AZ only, and some `SVV_` views are unsupported on Serverless. → **Load `references/redshift-sql-metadata.md` for any system-view or monitoring question.**
- **`sys_load_error_detail`** for COPY debugging (not `stl_load_errors`, which is provisioned single-AZ only).
- **DATEADD/DATEDIFF** — unit-first argument order: `DATEADD(day, -30, GETDATE())`, `DATEDIFF(day, start, end)`.
- **APPROXIMATE COUNT(DISTINCT col)** — Redshift-specific, ~2% error, much faster than exact COUNT(DISTINCT) on large datasets.
- **MERGE ... REMOVE DUPLICATES** — simplified dedup when source and target have identical schemas.
- **COPY should use IAM_ROLE** (the namespace role, not the caller role) + su

Key info

Pricing
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