AWS Lambda Powertools Documentation Search MCP server for AI agents

Powertools for AWS MCP is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that provides search functionality for AWS Lambda documentation across multiple runtimes. This tool enables your LLM agents to search for documentation and examples related to the Powertools for AWS Lambda toolkit, helping you quickly find information needed to use these resources effectively.

Installation

You can use the Powertools for AWS MCP server with most clients that support the Model Context Protocol. The setup process uses Node.js package manager to run the MCP server locally.

Basic Configuration

For most MCP clients, use the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Client-Specific Installation

Amazon Q Developer CLI

You can add the MCP server using CLI commands:

qchat mcp add powertools npx -y powertools-for-aws-mcp

For manual configuration, add the server details to ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json (global scope) or .amazonq/mcp.json (local scope):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Kiro

To configure in Kiro:

Navigate to Kiro > MCP Servers
Select the + Add button
Add the following configuration:

For macOS/Linux:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "disabled": false,
      "timeout": 60,
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

In Cursor, you can configure the MCP server in two ways:

Project Configuration: Create a .cursor/mcp.json file in your project directory
Global Configuration: Create a ~/.cursor/mcp.json file in your home directory

Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

To use the tool, prompt Cursor specifically: "Using the Powertools MCP Server, do..."

Windsurf

To set up in Windsurf:

Navigate to Windsurf - Settings > Advanced Settings
Look for "Model Context Protocol (MCP) Servers" section
Select "Add Server" or manually edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code

Configure the MCP server in VS Code settings or in .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add the MCP server using CLI commands:

claude mcp add powertools

Or manually edit the configuration file at ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "powertools": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "powertools-for-aws-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

After editing the config file, restart Claude Code for the changes to take effect.

Usage

Once installed and configured, the Powertools MCP server allows your LLM agents to:

Search for documentation and examples across the Powertools for AWS Lambda toolkit
Find specific topics or keywords within the documentation
Understand how to use Powertools for AWS Lambda effectively

The server will be automatically used by your MCP-enabled client when it determines the tool is relevant to your query. For most clients, you can explicitly invoke the tool by mentioning it in your prompt, such as "Using the Powertools MCP Server, find documentation about..."

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "powertools" '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","powertools-for-aws-mcp"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "powertools": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "powertools-for-aws-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "powertools": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "powertools-for-aws-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect