SentinelBot Lambda

Overview

This folder contains the AWS Lambda function for SentinelBot.

The Lambda:

• Receives requests from API Gateway
• Uses cache or Anthropic API to generate answers
• Logs all requests to DynamoDB

Prerequisites

• AWS CLI installed
• AWS CLI configured with access keys
• Correct region set to us-east-1
• IAM user has permission for Lambda (AWSLambda_FullAccess)

Deploying from VS Code

From this folder, run:

chmod +x deploy.sh
./deploy.sh

What this does:

• Zips index.js into function.zip
• Uploads the zip to AWS Lambda
• Updates the function code

Updating Environment Variables

Use AWS CLI:

aws lambda update-function-configuration \
  --function-name sentinelbot-handler \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --environment "Variables={DYNAMO_TABLE=shieldbearer-sentinel-logs,ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY}"

Notes:

• Do not include SENTINEL_SYSTEM_PROMPT (now embedded in code)
• Keep secrets out of source control

Verifying Deployment

aws lambda get-function \
  --function-name sentinelbot-handler \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --query 'Configuration.FunctionName'

Expected output:

"sentinelbot-handler"

Testing Flow

1. Update index.js
2. Run ./deploy.sh
3. Open website
4. Ask SentinelBot a question
5. Check DynamoDB logs

Notes

• Logging is best-effort and should not break the API
• Cached answers return instantly
• Anthropic answers may take 1-2 seconds
• Keep deployment package small for faster updates

Future Improvements

• Add CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions)
• Move secrets to AWS Secrets Manager
• Add environment separation (dev/prod)
• Build admin UI for DynamoDB logs