Starter guide to create Alexa skill

Create custom skill

• Navigate https://developer.amazon.com/home.html > ALEXA > Get Started > Create Skill

• Select Custom skill

• Enter name: Message Manager

• Click: Create skill

• Create Invocation - phrase users say to begin interation with skill. For custom skill only.

  • Intents - represents action
  • Slot - argument

Add AWS lambda endpoint

• create lambda https://console.aws.amazon.com/lambda/home?region=us-east-1#/functions
  • create role for lambda from template Simple Microservice permissions
  • click Create
• Add trigger : Alexa Skills Kit

Link Alexa Skill and AWS lambda

• Copy skill ID amzn1.ask.skill.xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxx to labbda function trigger.
• Copy ARN from AWS lambda and pasete to Alexa Skill AWS Lambda ARN

Account Linking

• Enable account linking
• Get Authentication provider details https://console.developers.google.com > Credentials
  • Create Credentians > OAuth Client ID > Web application
  • Add authorised redirect urls from Alexa skill Account linking page.
  • Create and copy client ID and client secret to Alexa skill 'Account linking` page.
  • Download JSON with connection details and put parameters on Alexa skill page.
• Configure Alexa skill
  • Choose: Auth Code Grant
  • Scope: openid
  • past: token URI and Auth URI from downloaded configuration file.

Launch Skill in Beta testing mode

• To test if Account linking works
  • click Launch > Save and Continue > Save and Continue
  • copy invitation link or invite by mail.

Add Implementation

• Create NodeJS project
• Implement required functionality see index.js as sample.
• Package all sources and dependencies (node_modules) into single zip file and deploy application to AWS lambda.

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Resources

• https://developer.amazon.com/docs/custom-skills/link-an-alexa-user-with-a-user-in-your-system.html
  • sample * sample https://github.com/patrick-michelberger/hitch/blob/master/src/skill.js
• events: https://developer.amazon.com/docs/smarthome/send-events-to-the-alexa-event-gateway.html
• custom skill: https://developer.amazon.com/docs/custom-skills/understanding-custom-skills.html
  • https://developer.amazon.com/docs/custom-skills/steps-to-build-a-custom-skill.html
• https://developer.amazon.com/docs/smarthome/steps-to-build-a-smart-home-skill.html
• CLI https://developer.amazon.com/docs/smapi/ask-cli-intro.html