AWS MCP Server Configuration Guide

Overview

This guide helps you configure AWS MCP tools for AI agents. Two options are available:

Option	Requirements	Capabilities
Full AWS MCP Server	Python 3.10+, uvx, AWS credentials	Execute AWS API calls + documentation search
AWS Documentation MCP	None	Documentation search only

Step 1: Check Existing Configuration

Before configuring, check if AWS MCP tools are already available using either method:

Method A: Check Available Tools (Recommended)

Look for these tool name patterns in your agent's available tools:

```
mcp__aws-mcp__*
```
or
```
mcp__aws__*
```
→ Full AWS MCP Server configured
```
mcp__*awsdocs*__aws___*
```
→ AWS Documentation MCP configured

How to check: Run

/mcp

command to list all active MCP servers.

Method B: Check Configuration Files

Agent tools use hierarchical configuration (precedence: local → project → user → enterprise):

Scope	File Location	Use Case
Local	`.claude.json` (in project)	Personal/experimental
Project	`.mcp.json` (project root)	Team-shared
User	`~/.claude.json`	Cross-project personal
Enterprise	System managed directories	Organization-wide

Check these files for

mcpServers

containing

aws-mcp

aws

, or

awsdocs

keys:

bash

# Check project config
cat .mcp.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(aws-mcp|aws|awsdocs)"'

# Check user config
cat ~/.claude.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(aws-mcp|aws|awsdocs)"'

# Or use Claude CLI
claude mcp list

If AWS MCP is already configured, no further setup needed.

Step 2: Choose Configuration Method

Automatic Detection

Run these commands to determine which option to use:

bash

# Check for uvx (requires Python 3.10+)
which uvx || echo "uvx not available"

# Check for valid AWS credentials
aws sts get-caller-identity || echo "AWS credentials not configured"

Option A: Full AWS MCP Server (Recommended)

Use when: uvx available AND AWS credentials valid

Prerequisites:

Python 3.10+ with
```
uv
```
package manager
AWS credentials configured (via profile, environment variables, or IAM role)

Required IAM Permissions:

json

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [{
    "Effect": "Allow",
    "Action": [
      "aws-mcp:InvokeMCP",
      "aws-mcp:CallReadOnlyTool",
      "aws-mcp:CallReadWriteTool"
    ],
    "Resource": "*"
  }]
}

Configuration (add to your MCP settings):

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-proxy-for-aws@latest",
        "https://aws-mcp.us-east-1.api.aws/mcp",
        "--metadata", "AWS_REGION=us-west-2"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Credential Configuration Options:

AWS Profile (recommended for development):

json

"args": [
  "mcp-proxy-for-aws@latest",
  "https://aws-mcp.us-east-1.api.aws/mcp",
  "--profile", "my-profile",
  "--metadata", "AWS_REGION=us-west-2"
]

Environment Variables:

json

"env": {
  "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "...",
  "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "...",
  "AWS_REGION": "us-west-2"
}

IAM Role (for EC2/ECS/Lambda): No additional config needed - uses instance credentials

Additional Options:

```
--region <region>
```
: Override AWS region
```
--read-only
```
: Restrict to read-only tools
```
--log-level <level>
```
: Set logging level (debug, info, warning, error)

Reference: https://github.com/aws/mcp-proxy-for-aws

Option B: AWS Documentation MCP Server (No Auth)

Use when:

No Python/uvx environment
No AWS credentials
Only need documentation search (no API execution)

Configuration:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "awsdocs": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://knowledge-mcp.global.api.aws"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Verification

After configuration, verify tools are available:

For Full AWS MCP:

Look for tools:

mcp__aws-mcp__aws___search_documentation

mcp__aws-mcp__aws___call_aws

For Documentation MCP:

Look for tools:

mcp__awsdocs__aws___search_documentation

mcp__awsdocs__aws___read_documentation

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
`uvx: command not found`	uv not installed	Install with `pip install uv` or use Option B
`AccessDenied` error	Missing IAM permissions	Add aws-mcp:* permissions to IAM policy
`InvalidSignatureException`	Credential issue	Check `aws sts get-caller-identity`
Tools not appearing	MCP not started	Restart your agent after config change

aws-mcp-setup

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

AWS MCP Server Configuration Guide

Overview

Step 1: Check Existing Configuration

Method A: Check Available Tools (Recommended)

Method B: Check Configuration Files

Step 2: Choose Configuration Method

Automatic Detection

Option A: Full AWS MCP Server (Recommended)

Option B: AWS Documentation MCP Server (No Auth)

Step 3: Verification

Troubleshooting