Chapter 1: Getting Started

April 13, 2026 · View on GitHub

The awslabs/mcp repository is a monorepo containing 65+ production-grade MCP servers for AWS services, maintained by AWS Labs. Each server wraps one or more AWS service APIs as MCP tools, allowing LLM agents in Claude Desktop, Cursor, Amazon Q Developer, and other MCP clients to perform AWS operations through natural language.

Learning Goals

Identify one or two servers that match your immediate needs
Configure installation for your primary MCP host client
Validate first tool calls with minimal environment risk
Establish baseline profiles and runtime settings

Repository Overview

graph TD
    REPO[awslabs/mcp monorepo]
    REPO --> SRC[src/ — 65+ MCP servers\none directory per server]
    REPO --> DOCS[docusaurus/ — documentation site]
    REPO --> SCRIPTS[scripts/ — CI tooling\nverify_tool_names.py]
    REPO --> VIBE[VIBE_CODING_TIPS_TRICKS.md]
    REPO --> DESIGN[DESIGN_GUIDELINES.md]
    REPO --> DEV[DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md]

    SRC --> CORE[core-mcp-server\nOrchestration + meta-server]
    SRC --> DOCS_SRV[aws-documentation-mcp-server\nAWS service docs + search]
    SRC --> API[aws-api-mcp-server\nAWS API discovery + execution]
    SRC --> IaC[terraform-mcp-server\ncdk-mcp-server · cfn-mcp-server]
    SRC --> DATA[Multiple DB servers\ndynamodb · postgres · mysql · redis...]

Server Categories at a Glance

Category	Example Servers
Documentation & discovery	`aws-documentation-mcp-server`, `aws-api-mcp-server`, `aws-knowledge-mcp-server`
Infrastructure as Code	`terraform-mcp-server`, `cdk-mcp-server`, `cfn-mcp-server`, `aws-iac-mcp-server`
Compute	`eks-mcp-server`, `ecs-mcp-server`, `lambda-tool-mcp-server`
Data stores	`dynamodb-mcp-server`, `postgres-mcp-server`, `mysql-mcp-server`, `aurora-dsql-mcp-server`
AI/ML	`bedrock-kb-retrieval-mcp-server`, `amazon-bedrock-agentcore-mcp-server`, `sagemaker-ai-mcp-server`
Observability	`cloudwatch-mcp-server`, `cloudtrail-mcp-server`, `prometheus-mcp-server`
Cost & billing	`cost-explorer-mcp-server`, `billing-cost-management-mcp-server`, `aws-pricing-mcp-server`
Security	`iam-mcp-server`, `well-architected-security-mcp-server`

Fast Start Loop

flowchart TD
    SELECT[1. Select a server for your task]
    SELECT --> INSTALL[2. Install via uvx pattern\nor Docker]
    INSTALL --> AUTH[3. Configure AWS credentials\nor profile]
    AUTH --> TEST[4. Run a low-risk read-only query]
    TEST --> BASELINE[5. Capture config as team baseline]
    BASELINE --> EXPAND[Expand to more servers as needed]

Step 1: Select Your First Server

For most AWS users, start with:

aws-documentation-mcp-server: Search AWS service documentation — safe, read-only, no AWS credentials needed for basic usage
aws-api-mcp-server: Discover and call AWS APIs directly — requires AWS credentials
core-mcp-server: Meta-server for orchestrating other servers

Step 2: Install

All servers follow the same uvx pattern:

# Run directly (no install step)
uvx awslabs.aws-documentation-mcp-server

# Or install into a project
uv add awslabs.aws-documentation-mcp-server

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "awslabs-docs": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["awslabs.aws-documentation-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "AWS_PROFILE": "your-profile",
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1",
        "MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "WARNING"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 4: Validate with a Read-Only Query

User: "Search AWS documentation for Lambda function timeout limits"
→ aws-documentation-mcp-server uses search tools to find relevant docs
→ Returns documentation content as markdown

User: "What AWS APIs are available for ECS task management?"
→ aws-api-mcp-server discovers relevant API operations
→ Returns API names, parameters, and documentation

Fully Qualified Tool Names

The repository enforces a naming convention for all tool names. The scripts/verify_tool_names.py CI tool validates this:

Format: awslabs<server_name_underscored>___<tool_name>
Example: awslabsaws_documentation_mcp_server___search_documentation

This prevents tool name collisions when multiple AWS MCP servers are loaded simultaneously in the same MCP client.

Source References

Summary

The awslabs/mcp repo provides a catalog of 65+ AWS-focused MCP servers, each installable via uvx. Start with the documentation or API discovery servers for read-only exploration. Use the fully qualified tool name convention (awslabs<server>___<tool>) to understand how tools are namespaced when multiple servers are active simultaneously.

Next: Chapter 2: Server Catalog and Role Composition