mysql-aurora-playbook

MySQL 8.0 & Aurora MySQL 3 Playbook

Use this as a router. Load only the reference file or files needed for the current database task.

Aurora MySQL 3.x is MySQL 8.0-compatible, but exact feature behavior depends on the Aurora minor version. Check select aurora_version(); or select @@aurora_version; before relying on version-gated features.

When to Use

• Writing or reviewing SQL queries (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
• Designing tables, indexes, or choosing data types
• Diagnosing slow queries, deadlocks, or HLL growth
• Planning DDL / schema migrations (instant DDL, gh-ost, pt-osc)
• Configuring Aurora endpoints, serverless v2, connection pools
• Setting up monitoring, alerts, or slow query logging

Not for: PostgreSQL, MariaDB-specific features, DynamoDB, or pure application-layer ORM patterns.

For Caruso Ent schema or migration implementation, use caruso-ent-orm-mysql first. Use this skill for SQL, MySQL, Aurora, index, migration safety, and operational tradeoffs below the ORM layer.

DDL Safety Rule

Before any production DDL:

SET SESSION lock_wait_timeout = 10;

Then check blockers, choose the lowest-impact algorithm, and prove the migration path. DDL can queue behind metadata locks and then block all later reads/writes on the same table.

Quick Reference

Task	Default Pattern	Load
Indexes, leftmost prefix, covering index, JSON index, cardinality	Prefer workload-shaped composite indexes; verify with EXPLAIN	references/indexes.md
Types, UUID, DATETIME, charset, utf8mb4 index length	Size to domain and index byte limits	references/data-types.md
Aurora endpoints, Serverless v2, I/O-Optimized, Backtrack, Blue/Green, failover	Version-gate Aurora-specific behavior	references/aurora-features.md
EXPLAIN, slow query, optimizer hints, hash join, histogram, upsert	Inspect actual plan before forcing hints	references/query-optimization.md
Cursor pagination, deep OFFSET, row constructors	Cursor with unique tiebreaker	references/pagination.md
SELECT *, coercion, long transaction, HLL, deadlock detect	Fix query shape and transaction scope first	references/anti-patterns.md
DDL, MDL, instant DDL, gh-ost, pt-osc, OPTIMIZE TABLE	Set lock wait timeout, check blockers, choose algorithm	references/ddl-migration.md
Bulk insert, chunked update/delete, sparse IDs	PK-window or keyset batches with throttling	references/batch-ops.md
Pooling, RDS Proxy, JDBC Wrapper, failover reconnect	Budget total connections across app instances	references/connection-mgmt.md
CloudWatch, Performance Insights, slow log, pt-query-digest, lock waits	Use live metrics plus slow-query evidence	references/monitoring.md
Skill validation scenarios	Check whether agents avoid known traps	references/pressure-tests.md