/aws-mcp-setup

name: aws-mcp-setup
description: Configure AWS MCP servers for documentation search and API access. Use when setting up AWS MCP, configuring AWS documentation tools, troubleshooting MCP connectivity, or when user mentions aws-mcp, awsdocs, uvx setup, or MCP server configuration. Covers both Full AWS MCP Server (with uvx + credentials) and lightweight Documentation MCP (no auth required).
allowed-tools:
  - Bash(which *)
  - Bash(aws sts get-caller-identity*)
  - Bash(claude mcp *)
  - Bash(cat *mcp.json*)
  - Bash(cat *claude.json*)

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:

# 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:

# 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**:

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

**Configuration** (add to your MCP settings):

{
  "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**:

1. **AWS Profile** (recommended for development):

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

2. **Environment Variables**:

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

3. **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**:

{
  "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 |