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Amazon Q Developer can connect to Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers from its IDE integrations and command-line interface. Add a server by choosing either HTTP for a reachable endpoint or STDIO for a local process, then review the permissions Q assigns to each tool. The exact launch command, arguments, environment variables and credentials come from the MCP server you are connecting; Amazon Q does not provide one universal installation recipe.
This guide covers the current AWS-documented IDE and CLI workflows, configuration scope, OAuth, troubleshooting and operational choices. AWS currently lists April 30, 2027 as the date support for Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins will be discontinued; that forward-looking date may change, so check the current AWS IDE documentation before committing to a long-lived workflow. AWS points readers to Kiro for similar IDE capabilities.
What you need before adding a server
- An installed and signed-in Amazon Q Developer IDE integration or the Q Developer CLI.
- An MCP server that supports the transport you plan to use: HTTP or STDIO.
- For STDIO, the server’s executable, arguments and required environment variables installed on your machine.
- For HTTP, the server’s initialization URL and any required headers, timeout and authorization details.
- A decision about scope: global configuration for reuse across projects or workspace configuration for isolation.
MCP servers expose tools that Q can discover and invoke. Server-specific documentation remains authoritative for dependencies, credentials, required arguments and expected permissions.
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Add an MCP server in the Amazon Q IDE
- Open your IDE and the Amazon Q Developer panel.
- Open Chat, then select the tools icon to reach MCP configuration.
- Select Add server.
- Choose Global to make the entry available across projects, or Local to keep it in the current workspace.
- Configure the transport, save the entry and review every tool’s permission.
A global entry is written to ~/.aws/amazonq/default.json. A workspace entry is written to .amazonq/default.json. AWS documents workspace-level configuration as taking precedence for servers and permissions, so check the local file when a project behaves differently from your global setup.
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Configure an HTTP server
- Set the server type to HTTP.
- Enter the server’s initialization URL.
- Add required HTTP headers and a timeout supplied by that server’s documentation.
- Save the configuration. If authorization is required, Q opens a browser flow to authorize access.
Headers can contain sensitive credentials. Do not put secrets in a shared workspace file or commit them to source control. Credential storage and rotation are server-specific, so follow the provider’s instructions rather than assuming that Amazon Q securely transforms an arbitrary header.
Configure a local STDIO server
- Set the server type to STDIO.
- Enter the command that launches the server and its arguments.
- Add the environment variables required by that server.
- Set a timeout appropriate for startup and initialization, then save.
AWS’s Documentation MCP Server example uses uvx with awslabs.aws-documentation-mcp-server@latest, sets FASTMCP_LOG_LEVEL=ERROR and AWS_DOCUMENTATION_PARTITION=aws, and shows a 60-second timeout. Those values are an AWS example, not a universal MCP recipe:
Command: uvx
Arguments: awslabs.aws-documentation-mcp-server@latest
FASTMCP_LOG_LEVEL=ERROR
AWS_DOCUMENTATION_PARTITION=aws
Timeout: 60 seconds (example)Replace every field with the command and variables required by your chosen server. A missing executable, incompatible runtime or incorrect working environment prevents Q from completing initialization.
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After saving, inspect each discovered tool. The IDE offers three choices:
| Setting | Behavior | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Ask | Q requests approval before using the tool. | Best default while evaluating an unfamiliar server. |
| Always allow | Q can invoke the tool without an approval prompt. | Use only after understanding the tool’s inputs and side effects. |
| Deny | Q is blocked from using the tool. | Choose for tools your project does not need. |
Use least privilege: start with Ask, move only well-understood read-only or expected operations to Always allow, and deny anything unnecessary.
Fix a connection alert
If Q displays a connection problem, select Fix Configuration, correct the URL, command, arguments, environment variables, headers or timeout, and save again. Do not rely on a server’s tools until the alert clears. A connection can fail even when the JSON appears syntactically valid if the process cannot start, the endpoint is unreachable or authorization has expired.
Manage MCP servers with the Q Developer CLI
The CLI provides the q mcp command family. The documented subcommands are add, remove, list, import, status and help. Use the built-in help for the exact flags in your installed CLI version:
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q mcp listFollow the CLI guide’s configuration format for the agent and installation you use; do not assume that the IDE’s default.json is the CLI’s active configuration file.
Add a local server
Use q mcp add with the server’s type, launch command and arguments as described by that server. The --args option supports escaped commas or a JSON array, which matters when an argument itself contains a comma. A representative shape is:
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q mcp add <name> --type stdio --command <executable> --args '["arg1","arg2"]'Use the flags shown by q mcp add --help for your release rather than copying a server’s undocumented assumptions. Then verify with q mcp status and q mcp list.
Add a remote HTTP server
Remote servers are configured with a type and URL. Supply headers or other fields required by the endpoint, keeping credentials out of shared files and shell history where possible. Confirm the resulting entry with the status and list commands.
Complete OAuth authorization
- Start a CLI agent session that includes the remote server.
- Enter
/mcpin the running session. - Open the authorization URL Q supplies in a browser while leaving the CLI session open.
- Complete the provider’s authorization and return to the CLI.
- Run
/mcpagain or invoke a tool to confirm that authentication completed.
OAuth behavior belongs to the remote server. If its authorization expires, repeat the flow instead of embedding a long-lived token in a workspace configuration.
Check that Q loaded the tools
Q loads MCP servers in the background. In a session, run /tools to see which servers and tools have loaded. If initialization is slow, increase the CLI wait period with:
q settings mcp.initTimeout <milliseconds>Choose a value based on the server’s real startup time and network conditions; the setting is in milliseconds. A longer timeout does not repair a bad command, unreachable endpoint or failed authentication.
STDIO or HTTP: which transport fits?
| Decision axis | STDIO | HTTP |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Q launches a local process; you manage its runtime and dependencies. | A remote endpoint runs elsewhere; you manage URL reachability and service availability. |
| Network | Can work without a network after dependencies are installed, subject to the server’s own needs. | Requires network access, DNS, TLS and any proxy or firewall allowance. |
| Authentication | Usually supplied through local environment variables or the server’s own mechanism. | May use headers or OAuth; the server determines the required flow. |
| Ownership | You own upgrades, process health and local secrets. | The endpoint operator owns deployment; you must evaluate its trust and availability. |
These are operational differences, not guarantees about a particular server. Read that server’s documentation before choosing.
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- Global: convenient when the same trusted server is needed in many projects.
- Workspace-local: keeps project-specific tools and permissions close to the project and limits accidental use elsewhere.
- Precedence: when both define a server or permission, the workspace configuration takes precedence according to AWS’s IDE documentation.
For team repositories, review local configuration for secrets before committing it. Prefer environment or provider-supported secret mechanisms where available.
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The server never appears in /tools
Check q mcp status, the server name and initialization output. For STDIO, verify that the executable is on PATH and can run manually. For HTTP, test DNS, TLS, proxy and firewall access, then confirm the initialization URL.
Q reports a connection error
Use Fix Configuration in the IDE, then recheck type, URL or command, arguments, environment variables, headers and timeout. A syntactically valid entry can still point to a stopped process or unauthorized endpoint.
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Initialization times out
Measure how long the server takes to start and increase mcp.initTimeout in the CLI or the IDE timeout field as appropriate. Do not hide repeated crashes with an indefinitely large timeout.
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A tool is blocked or prompts every time
Review that tool’s IDE permission. Deny blocks it; Ask prompts for approval; Always allow removes approval prompts. Change only the tools whose behavior you understand.
OAuth authorization does not finish
Keep the originating CLI session running, open the exact URL shown after /mcp, complete authorization in the browser and return to the same session. If the provider rejects the request, consult its OAuth requirements rather than inventing a token header.
Arguments containing commas are split incorrectly
Use the CLI’s --args escaping rules or pass a JSON array, then verify the stored entry with q mcp list.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does every MCP server use the same install command?
No. Amazon Q supplies the transport and configuration interface; the server author supplies the executable, dependencies, arguments, credentials and startup requirements.
Can I use one MCP server in both the IDE and CLI?
Often, if both clients support the server’s transport and you configure each client in its documented format. The IDE and CLI do not necessarily read the same active configuration file.
What is the safest initial permission setting?
Use Ask while you inspect an unfamiliar server, deny tools you do not need, and enable Always allow only for understood, intended operations.
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The Bottom Line
Choose STDIO for a locally managed process and HTTP for a reachable endpoint, configure it in the IDE or with q mcp, verify loading with /tools, and keep permissions least-privilege. Recheck AWS’s product direction before building a workflow dependent on the IDE plugin after April 30, 2027.
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