Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Hybrid Cloud Networking agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The hybrid-cloud-networking skill is a reference guide that lets an AI agent help you connect on-premises data centers or office networks to cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to add it to Claude, how to phrase requests so it triggers, and what to check before you use any output in a real network.
Hybrid Cloud Networkingwshobson/agents · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the hybrid-cloud-networking ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Extract it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Describe your architecture. Ask in plain language, naming your cloud provider and whether you need a VPN or a dedicated link.
- 5Review the output. Check every IP address, ASN and resource setting against your real environment.
- 6Validate with an engineer. Have a qualified network engineer test the design, including failover and BGP behavior, before deployment.
What the skill makes the agent do
Without the skill, an agent answers network questions from general knowledge. With it, the agent works from a structured reference on hybrid connectivity. The skill covers encrypted IPSec VPN tunnels over the internet, private dedicated links (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect and OCI FastConnect), network patterns such as hub-and-spoke and multi-cloud, BGP routing settings, security practices, high-availability layouts, monitoring metrics and CLI commands for checking connection status.
- Compare a site-to-site VPN with a dedicated connection for your bandwidth, latency and budget
- Suggest hybrid designs such as hub-and-spoke or multi-cloud
- Draft starter Terraform (HCL) for VPN gateways, customer gateways and connections
- Explain BGP AS numbers and route advertisement
- List troubleshooting commands for aws, az and oci
Install the skill from the ZIP or the Claude apps
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page. You can add it in one of two ways. For a personal setup, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, open the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP there.
After unzipping, the skill folder should contain SKILL.md and references/direct-connect.md. SKILL.md holds the instructions the agent reads; the reference file holds a comparison table of dedicated connectivity options and design guidance.
~/.claude/skills/hybrid-cloud-networking/SKILL.mdTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe your situation in plain language. The skill's description targets requests about building hybrid cloud architectures, connecting data centers to cloud, or implementing secure cross-premises networking, so phrase requests around those goals. Name the cloud provider and the connection type when you know them, because the skill's examples are organized by provider.
- Should I use a VPN or Direct Connect to link our data center to AWS?
- Draft Terraform for an Azure VPN gateway connected to our on-premises router.
- Design a hub-and-spoke hybrid network for production, staging and development.
- Give me commands to check the status of our OCI IPSec VPN connection.
Example workflow: choosing between VPN and a dedicated link
A typical session starts with a comparison. Ask the agent which option fits your bandwidth and budget. The skill notes that site-to-site VPN is cost-effective for moderate bandwidth, with higher latency and internet dependence, while dedicated links offer lower latency and consistent bandwidth but cost more and need setup time. The reference file also recommends using VPN as a backup even when a dedicated link is primary, so ask the agent to design a primary and backup pair.
What you need before you start
The skill itself is guidance text. To use the examples you need Terraform for the HCL snippets, and the cloud provider CLIs such as aws, az and oci if you want troubleshooting commands. If you ask the agent to run commands against real infrastructure, you also need cloud provider accounts and credentials. The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network.
- Terraform, for the HCL examples
- aws, az and oci CLIs, for the troubleshooting commands
- Cloud accounts and credentials, only if the agent will touch real infrastructure
Safety notes before deploying anything
The snippets use example values, such as the sample customer gateway IP 203.0.113.1 and BGP AS number 65000. Replace them with your own, and have a qualified network engineer review and validate every configuration before deployment. The skill is a reference, not a tested deployment. Its security list is a starting point: use private connectivity where possible, encrypt VPN tunnels, configure network ACLs and security groups, enable flow logs, and run redundant tunnels. Validate BGP advertisements, failover behavior and MTU assumptions during testing.
- Never apply generated Terraform to production without review
- Confirm every IP address and ASN is yours before use
- Scope cloud credentials narrowly when the agent runs CLI commands
What people use it for
- Deciding between a site-to-site VPN and AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect or OCI FastConnect
- Drafting a starter Terraform configuration for a VPN gateway and customer gateway
- Planning a hub-and-spoke layout with a transit hub and production, staging and development networks
- Reviewing a dual-tunnel high-availability design with BGP failover
- Getting a list of CLI commands to check VPN tunnel status on AWS, Azure or OCI
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the hybrid cloud networking agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to use the hybrid-cloud-networking skill?
The skill's examples use Terraform for HCL and the aws, az and oci CLIs for troubleshooting. You need cloud accounts and credentials only if the agent will run commands against real infrastructure. The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network.
Is the hybrid cloud networking skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence. This page does not list pricing, so check the licence file in the source repository for the exact terms.
Should I use a VPN or Direct Connect for hybrid cloud?
The skill says site-to-site VPN is cost-effective for moderate bandwidth but has higher latency and depends on the internet. Dedicated links such as Direct Connect or ExpressRoute give lower latency and consistent bandwidth but cost more and take longer to set up. Many designs use a dedicated link as primary with VPN as backup.
Can the skill deploy my network for me?
No. It gives guidance and example snippets, not a tested deployment. A qualified network engineer should validate the configuration, because the examples use placeholder IPs and ASNs.
Is this skill a good alternative to a network engineer?
No. It helps engineers plan and draft faster, but it does not replace hands-on review. If you only need a public cloud service with no on-premises link, the skill adds complexity you do not need.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are a cloud or network engineer planning a hybrid architecture, comparing VPN with a dedicated link, or wanting starter Terraform and troubleshooting commands. Skip it if you need a finished, ready-to-run network or only use a public cloud service with no on-premises connection.
Download the skill