AWS API MCP Server

Add to your client

Copy the config for your MCP client and paste it into its config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-api-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1",
        "AWS_PROFILE": "<your-aws-profile>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step guides: Add to Claude Desktop · Add to Cursor · Add to Windsurf

Before you start

• Python 3.10 or newer (the uv/uvx toolchain is recommended for running it)
• The AWS CLI behavior is provided by the package itself; no separate CLI install is strictly required, but a working AWS account is
• AWS credentials configured via an AWS profile (set AWS_API_MCP_PROFILE_NAME) or standard AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID / AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY / AWS_SESSION_TOKEN environment variables; the IAM principal's permissions determine what the agent can do
• Optionally Docker, if you run the published ECR image instead of uvx/pip

About AWS API MCP Server

Tools & capabilities (3)

When to use it

• Use it when you want an agent to query AWS state across many services without writing a custom tool for each one
• Use it when provisioning or modifying infrastructure (S3 buckets, EC2, IAM, etc.) through natural language
• Use it when you need broad AWS coverage that automatically tracks new services and CLI features
• Use it when you want a read-only auditing/troubleshooting assistant (set READ_OPERATIONS_ONLY=true)
• Use it when you want IAM, not the tool, to be the source of truth for what the agent is allowed to touch

Quick setup

1. 1Ensure Python 3.10+ and uv are installed
2. 2Configure AWS credentials (an AWS profile or access-key environment variables) with the IAM permissions you want the agent to have
3. 3Add the server to your MCP client config, running it with `uvx awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest` (or pip install / the ECR Docker image)
4. 4Set environment variables such as AWS_API_MCP_PROFILE_NAME and AWS_REGION; optionally enable READ_OPERATIONS_ONLY for safety
5. 5Restart the MCP client and confirm the call_aws tool appears
6. 6Verify by asking the agent to run a harmless read command, e.g. list S3 buckets or describe regions

AWS API MCP Server FAQ