How to Use the Agent Toolkit for AWS: A Complete Setup Guide

The AWS Agent Toolkit provides plugins, skills, and an AWS MCP Server that enable AI coding agents to interact with AWS services through a single authenticated endpoint exposing 300+ APIs.

The agent toolkit for AWS (aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws) extends popular AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor with secure, AWS-native capabilities. This open-source repository bundles MCP (Model Context Protocol) server configurations, agent-specific plugins, and reusable skills that handle authentication and API access uniformly across AWS services.

What Is the Agent Toolkit for AWS?

The toolkit consists of three primary components:

• Plugins – Agent-specific packages that bundle MCP server configurations and AWS-focused skills
• Skills – Reusable capabilities for specific AWS tasks (CDK deployment, Bedrock agent building, data analytics)
• AWS MCP Server – A proxy server that authenticates with your AWS credentials and exposes service APIs through a standardized interface

According to the repository's README.md, the architecture ensures that any supported AI agent can discover, install, and invoke AWS capabilities without requiring individual service configurations.

Prerequisites and Supported Agents

The toolkit currently supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Kiro, and any MCP-compatible agent. Before installation, ensure you have:

• Valid AWS credentials configured in your environment
• The target AI agent installed and initialized
• Node.js and npx available (for cross-platform skill installation)

Installation Methods by Agent

Each supported agent uses a different installation path, though all rely on the same underlying MCP server and skill packages.

Claude Code

Install the starter plugin using the built-in plugin manager:

/plugin install aws-core@claude-plugins-official

Update the marketplace index if the plugin does not appear immediately:

/plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official

This command references the official plugin registry defined in the repository's README.md lines 18–23.

Codex

Add the marketplace source and install via the Codex CLI:

codex plugin marketplace add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws

Then launch Codex and run /plugins to browse and install the desired plugin (documented in README.md lines 57–66).

Cursor

For Cursor, add the repository as a Team Marketplace:

1. Navigate to Settings → Plugins → Team Marketplaces
2. Add the aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws repository
3. Install the plugin from the Plugins panel

This workflow is detailed in README.md lines 67–72.

Kiro

Kiro requires manual MCP server configuration. Create the configuration file at ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-proxy-for-aws@1.6.3",
        "https://aws-mcp.us-east-1.api.aws/mcp",
        "--metadata", "AWS_REGION=us-west-2"
      ]
    }
  }
}

After configuring the server, install the skills:

npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills

Other Agents

For any MCP-compatible agent not explicitly listed, manually configure the MCP server using the JSON configuration above, then run:

npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills

This universal installation method is documented in README.md lines 102–108.

Understanding the Plugin Architecture

The toolkit organizes capabilities into modular plugins stored in the plugins/ directory.

Core Plugin (aws-core)

The aws-core plugin serves as the starter package, covering essential AWS workflows including:

• Service selection and navigation
• CDK and CloudFormation deployment
• Serverless and container management
• Observability and billing integration
• SDK usage patterns

Documentation for this plugin resides in plugins/aws-core/README.md.

Specialized Plugins

The repository provides three additional specialized plugins:

• aws-agents – Skills for building AI agents on Amazon Bedrock and AgentCore
• aws-data-analytics – Data lake, Glue, Athena, and vector search workflows
• aws-agents-for-devsecops – Incident investigation, code review, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing

Each plugin's specific capabilities are documented in their respective README.md files within the plugins/ directory.

Configuring the AWS MCP Server

The AWS MCP Server acts as the authentication and API gateway. It requires the mcp-proxy-for-aws package (version 1.6.3) and connects to the AWS-hosted endpoint at https://aws-mcp.us-east-1.api.aws/mcp.

The server accepts metadata parameters to configure regional endpoints and credential profiles. In the configuration above, AWS_REGION=us-west-2 directs all API calls to the US West 2 region.

Installing Skills Across All Agents

Regardless of the agent you use, the npx skills add command provides a standardized way to install individual capabilities:

npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills

This command pulls the latest skill definitions from the skills/ directory, which catalogs all individual skill packages. For policy-guided usage, reference rules/aws-agent-rules.md, which contains recommended policy files that guide agents on safe AWS usage patterns.

Key Configuration Files

The repository structure contains several authoritative reference files:

File Path	Purpose
README.md	High-level overview, quick-start guides, and installation commands
plugins/aws-core/README.md	Core plugin documentation and bundled skills
plugins/aws-agents-for-devsecops/README.md	DevSecOps skills and security workflows
rules/aws-agent-rules.md	Policy files for safe AWS usage
skills/README.md	Complete catalog of individual skill packages

Summary

• The agent toolkit for AWS provides a unified interface for AI agents to access 300+ AWS APIs through the AWS MCP Server.
• Installation varies by agent: Claude Code uses /plugin install, Codex uses marketplace commands, Cursor uses Team Marketplaces, and Kiro requires manual MCP configuration.
• Four plugins cover distinct use cases: aws-core (general), aws-agents (Bedrock), aws-data-analytics (data workflows), and aws-agents-for-devsecops (security).
• Universal skill installation uses npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/skills across all supported agents.
• The MCP server configuration requires mcp-proxy-for-aws@1.6.3 and the endpoint https://aws-mcp.us-east-1.api.aws/mcp.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I authenticate the AWS MCP Server with my credentials?

The AWS MCP Server automatically uses your environment's AWS credentials. Ensure you have valid credentials configured via the AWS CLI or environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY). The server reads these credentials at startup to authenticate calls to AWS services.

Can I use the agent toolkit for AWS with custom or self-hosted AI agents?

Yes. Any agent supporting the Model Context Protocol (MCP) can connect to the AWS MCP Server. Configure the server manually using the JSON configuration provided in the repository's README.md, then install skills using the npx skills add command.

What is the difference between plugins and skills in the AWS Agent Toolkit?

Plugins are agent-specific bundles that include MCP server configurations and curated skill collections (e.g., aws-core). Skills are individual, reusable capabilities that perform specific AWS tasks. Plugins provide quick setup for specific agents, while skills can be mixed and matched across any MCP-compatible agent.

Which plugin should I install first?

Start with the aws-core plugin. According to plugins/aws-core/README.md, this plugin covers service selection, CDK/CloudFormation deployment, serverless architectures, containers, observability, and billing—providing the foundational AWS capabilities required for most workflows.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}