AWS Service Reference MCP Server

The AWS Service Reference MCP server bridges the gap between AI assistants and Amazon Web Services’ extensive API catalog. By exposing a curated set of tools that query the AWS Programmatic Service Reference, it lets developers retrieve detailed information about services, actions, and policy constructs without leaving their AI workflow. This capability is especially valuable when building or refining IAM policies, automating cloud configuration, or debugging permission issues—tasks that normally require navigating the AWS documentation site or using the CLI.

At its core, the server offers five purpose‑built tools. returns every service available in AWS, enabling quick discovery of capabilities. fetches all API actions for a chosen service, giving developers a ready‑to‑use list of operations such as or . The remaining three tools drill deeper into a specific action: lists the condition keys that can be applied to fine‑tune permissions; identifies the resource types an action can target, which is critical for constructing resource‑level policies; and reveals semantic attributes—whether the action writes data, lists resources, or manages permissions. Together these tools provide a comprehensive view of an API’s security surface.

Developers can integrate the server seamlessly into their AI‑driven workflows. For example, a Claude assistant configured with this MCP can answer prompts like “Show me all the API actions for S3” or “What condition keys are supported by ?” The assistant can then use the returned data to auto‑generate IAM policy snippets, suggest least‑privilege configurations, or validate existing policies against the latest AWS specifications. Because the server queries a live reference source, it guarantees up‑to‑date information even as AWS adds new services or actions.

Real‑world scenarios that benefit from this MCP include automated cloud governance pipelines, where an AI bot reviews and updates IAM roles across multiple accounts; security audit tools that flag potentially risky write or permission‑management actions; and developer onboarding experiences that provide instant, contextual help when a new team member asks about AWS service capabilities. The server’s lightweight design and compatibility with existing MCP tooling mean it can be dropped into any Claude or similar AI environment with minimal friction.

Unique advantages of the AWS Service Reference MCP server stem from its focused, high‑value feature set. Unlike generic API discovery tools, it is tightly coupled to AWS’s official service reference, ensuring accuracy and completeness. Its fine‑grained action properties help developers distinguish between read‑only and write operations at a glance, reducing the cognitive load when crafting policies. Finally, by delivering all data through the MCP protocol, it preserves the seamless, conversational interaction model that AI assistants thrive on, allowing developers to stay in context while accessing complex cloud metadata.