Prerequisites for Using the AWS Agent Toolkit: Complete Setup Guide

You need only two components to use the AWS Agent Toolkit: the uv Python package manager installed on your system and valid AWS credentials configured locally.

The AWS Agent Toolkit is a collection of plugins, skills, and a managed AWS MCP Server that enables AI coding agents to interact with AWS services. Before installing the aws-core plugin or invoking AWS API calls through agents like Claude Code or Codex, you must satisfy specific prerequisites for using the AWS Agent Toolkit. According to the repository source code at aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws, these requirements are minimal but mandatory.

Essential Prerequisites for the AWS Agent Toolkit

Install the uv Python Package Manager

The toolkit's scripts and MCP Server client rely on uv, the fast Rust-based Python package manager from Astral. As documented in the top-level README.md, uv is the runtime required to execute the toolkit's components.

# Install uv on Linux/macOS

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Verify installation

uv --version

Configure AWS Credentials Locally

You need an active AWS account with credentials stored locally so the MCP Server can authenticate API requests. The README.md specifically states that AWS credentials must be configured for API calls and script execution. You can set this up using the AWS CLI.

# Configure credentials via AWS CLI

aws configure

This command prompts for your Access Key, Secret Key, default region, and output format. Alternatively, you can use environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_REGION), as the toolkit follows standard AWS SDK credential resolution chains.

Installing the Toolkit After Prerequisites

Once uv is available and AWS credentials are set, you can install the core plugin. The installation command varies slightly by agent interface.

For Claude Code:

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

For terminal-based agents like Codex:

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

The plugins/aws-core/README.md assumes these prerequisites are satisfied before configuring the AWS MCP Server. Additionally, the skill at plugins/aws-core/skills/signing-in-to-aws/SKILL.md depends on these configured credentials to function. Optional rule files in the rules/ directory also expect a working MCP Server, which requires the same two prerequisites.

Summary

• Install uv: The Rust-based Python package manager is required to run the toolkit's MCP Server and scripts.
• Configure AWS credentials: Valid AWS account credentials must be available locally via aws configure or environment variables.
• Verify before installing: Confirm uv --version and AWS CLI configuration before attempting to install the aws-core plugin.
• Agent-specific commands: While all agents require the same two prerequisites, installation commands differ slightly between Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and Kiro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Python installed separately to use the AWS Agent Toolkit?

No. The toolkit specifically requires uv, which includes its own Python runtime. While traditional Python installations work, uv is the recommended and supported method according to the repository's README.md at aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws.

Can I use environment variables instead of aws configure for AWS credentials?

Yes. The toolkit accepts any standard AWS credential configuration method, including environment variables. The MCP Server reads credentials using standard AWS SDK resolution chains as implemented in the source code.

Are there different prerequisites for different AI agents like Claude Code versus Codex?

No. All supported agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Kiro) share the same fundamental prerequisites: uv installed and AWS credentials configured. The only differences are the specific UI commands used to install the plugin after setup.

Where can I find the core plugin documentation after meeting the prerequisites?

The core plugin documentation is located at plugins/aws-core/README.md in the repository. This file describes how to configure the AWS MCP Server once you have satisfied the initial prerequisites for using the AWS Agent Toolkit.

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