AWS Billing vs AWS MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the AWS Billing and AWS MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose AWS Billing for cloud platforms work over a hosted endpoint; choose AWS MCP Server for cloud platforms as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose AWS Billing when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
- You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
- You want tools like
aws_billing_list_accounts, aws_billing_cost, aws_billing_forecast.
Choose AWS MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
aws_whoami, aws_login_start, aws_login_complete.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Cloud Platforms | Cloud Platforms |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 64/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Remote HTTP/SSE | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 5 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 10 | 28 |
| Full listing | View AWS Billing | View AWS MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
AWS Billing tools 10
aws_billing_list_accountsList AWS Billing credential records linked to this install.aws_billing_costGet normalized AWS Cost Explorer cost and usage with daily breakdown and top services. The adapter drains NextPageToken internally.aws_billing_forecastGet normalized AWS Cost Explorer forecast for the next 30 days or an explicit date range.aws_billing_anomaliesGet normalized AWS Cost Anomaly Detection anomalies for a date range. The adapter drains NextPageToken internally.show_versionShow the current MCP platform and adapter versions.report_bugReport a bug, missing feature, or send feedback. Include the conversation array with recent messages for reproduction.connectReturns connection status and URLs. When all providers are connected, returns authenticated:true and empty pending[]. When credentials are missing, returns connect_url for the toolkit and per-install URLs.toolkit_infoReturns the current toolkit state: installed MCPs, their connection status, the accounts connected to each one, and how many catalog tools each exposes.marketplaceThe official mcp.ai marketplace — the in-platform catalog of every MCP/tool, AND the way to run them. Covers capability requests like "find an MCP that does X", "consulta um CPF", "is there a tool for Y". Core flow: action=search discovers MCPs by intent → describe returns one MCP's full profile (every tool with its id + params, pricing, auth) so you pick the right tool_id → invoke RUNS that tool. KEY: invoke works even when the MCP is NOT installed — it runs the tool pontualmente (one-off), without adding the MCP to the toolkit and without bloating the tool list. If the MCP needs a credential/login, invoke returns a connect link; if it is paid and the wallet is empty, invoke returns a checkout/top-up link (the user opens it, then you retry). Use install only to make an MCP PERMANENT in the active toolkit (its tools then show up natively in future sessions); prefer invoke for a single/occasional use. list_tools lists what is callable right now. subscribe/cancel handle per-MCP billing; report_bug sends feedback; request_mcp asks us to build a NEW MCP when nothing fits. Search/describe flag installed_in_toolkit vs installed_in_workspace. Writes (install/uninstall/subscribe/cancel and the one-off install behind invoke) require workspace owner/admin. It also carries the mcp.ai PROMPT LIBRARY, which is about ready-made prompt TEXT rather than MCPs: search_prompts finds one, get_prompt returns its full text with {{variables}} filled, and publish_prompt saves a prompt and returns a shareable mcp.ai/p/<slug> link that opens without login.authenticateMCP.AI for IDE agents (Cursor, etc.): log in in the browser, copy the access token. Best: add it to this server's config as a header `Authorization: Bearer <token>` for a permanent, non-expiring connection. Or paste it here for a session-only login: call with { token: "<jwt>" } after the user pastes, or with no args to get the link.
AWS MCP Server tools 28
aws_whoamiShow the current AWS identity (account, role ARN, user ID) plus SSO token status and time remaining. Use this first to verify auth before running other AWS operations. Returns a structured fix-it message if SSO is expired.aws_login_startStart an AWS SSO login via the device-code flow (no browser spawned from this process). Returns a verification URL and short code -- surface these to the user so they can open the URL in their own browser and paste the code. After they auth, call aws_login_complete with the returned sessionId to confirm completion.aws_login_completeBlock until the SSO login started by aws_login_start finishes (user completed auth in browser, or subprocess exited with error). Returns the new identity on success, or a structured error.aws_refresh_if_expiring_soonProactive SSO token check. If the cached token has fewer than `thresholdMinutes` left (default 10), this kicks off aws_login_start and returns the verification URL + code in one round-trip. If plenty of time remains, returns `status: 'ok'` with the minutes left. Use at the start of a multi-step AWS workflow to avoid mid-session expiry. `status: 'ok'` is a point-in-time reading of the cache, not a lease: nothing re-checks afterwards, so a token that lapses mid-workflow still surfaces as an sso_expired error from the next aws_call / aws_whoami. Raise `thresholdMinutes` to cover the expected length of the workflow rather than treating 'ok' as a guarantee.aws_session_setSet the default AWS profile and/or region for the rest of this MCP session. Subsequent calls to aws_whoami, aws_login_*, and other AWS tools will use these values unless they override explicitly. Use when the user says 'switch to prod', 'use us-west-2', 'look at the staging account', etc. Both params are optional; pass whichever changed. Returns the resulting session state.aws_session_getShow the current session's default AWS profile and region, and where each value came from ('session' = set by aws_session_set, 'env' = AWS_PROFILE/AWS_REGION env var, 'default' = built-in fallback). Useful for confirming state before running operations or debugging why a call hit the wrong account.aws_session_clearRemove session-set profile and/or region overrides so subsequent calls fall back to env vars / defaults. No args clears both. Pass `profile: true` or `region: true` to clear just one. Use when the user says 'go back to the default profile,' 'unset the region,' or 'reset session.'aws_callRun an arbitrary AWS API operation via the aws CLI. Use kebab-case service and operation names as in `aws help` (service='s3api', operation='list-buckets'). Pass params as a JSON object using the AWS API's PascalCase keys (e.g. {Bucket: 'foo'}); they go through --cli-input-json. Session profile/region (from aws_session_set) are used by default; override per-call when needed. Hand-written CLI commands (aws s3 cp/ls/sync, aws logs tail) and operations that stream their response to an output file (s3api get-object, bedrock-runtime invoke-model, bedrock-agentcore invoke-agent-runtime, lambda invoke) do not accept --cli-input-json and cannot run here -- use aws_lambda_invoke or aws_logs_tail where they exist, bedrock-runtime converse for text inference, otherwise your shell. Waiters work: operation 'wait instance-running'. Blob-typed members of params (KMS Plaintext, Kinesis Data, DynamoDB B) take base64 -- the server runs the CLI with --cli-binary-format base64 whatever your AWS config says. Returns parsed JSON output by default, plus the literal command that was run.aws_list_profilesList AWS profiles configured in ~/.aws/config. Returns profile name, region, and SSO metadata (start URL, region, session name) where set, plus an `isSso` flag. Use when the user hasn't named a profile, when they ask to switch profiles, or when an SSO-expired error mentions a profile you haven't seen.aws_paginateFetch one page of a paginated AWS list/describe operation. Identical to aws_call plus `maxItems` (page size) and `startingToken` (resume cursor). When `query` is supplied it is wrapped server-side as {NextToken, items: <query>} so pagination survives a projection that would otherwise drop NextToken; the handler unwraps `items` before returning. Returns the parsed response, a `nextToken` (null when the list is exhausted), and `hasMore`. Call again with the returned nextToken as startingToken until hasMore is false. Use this instead of aws_call for operations that might exceed the 5 MB stdout cap: list-objects-v2, describe-instances, describe-log-streams, list-roles, etc.aws_assume_roleCall STS AssumeRole and stash the returned temporary credentials as a named profile in the shared credentials file ($AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE when set, otherwise ~/.aws/credentials; the resolved path is returned as credentialsPath). Subsequent calls to aws_call / aws_whoami / aws_paginate can use profile='mcp-<sessionName>' (or your overridden targetProfile name). The raw secret key / session token are NOT returned to the caller — only the profile name, expiration, and assumed identity. Use for cross-account access: a source profile (your SSO identity) assumes a role in another account. Default timeout is 120s (raise via timeoutMs for slow SAML / credential_process setups on cold start).aws_logs_tailFetch the newest CloudWatch Logs events for one log group over the last `since` (default 10m), via FilterLogEvents ('aws logs filter-log-events'). Returns events oldest first as {timestamp (ISO 8601 UTC), logStreamName, message (verbatim)}; any of the three is null on an event that arrived without it, which is kept rather than dropped. At most `maxEvents` come back (default 500, max 10000); when the window held more, the OLDEST are dropped and `truncated` is true. On AWS CLI 2.35.8+ the read goes newest-first and stops once it has enough, so a busy group costs a page or two -- and a truncated result reports `totalEvents: null` because the rest was never read. Older CLIs read the whole window (exact `totalEvents`); narrow `since` or add `filterPattern` if a wide window times out. `logGroupName` takes a bare name or a log-group ARN in the call's region; an ARN is sent as logGroupIdentifier, so a source-account ARN works from a cross-account monitoring account (AWS CLI 2.9.15+). Does not stream: call again for newer events. eventId and ingestionTime are omitted -- use aws_call for them.- +16 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
AWS Billing
{
"mcpServers": {
"aws-billing": {
"url": "https://api.mcp.ai/p_aws_billing"
}
}
}
AWS MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"aws-mcp-server-3": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@yawlabs/aws-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
AWS Billing is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. AWS MCP Server belongs to Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick AWS Billing for cloud platforms work and AWS MCP Server for cloud platforms.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
AWS Billing has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. AWS MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add aws-billing and aws-mcp-server-3 as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, AWS Billing has a quality signal of 55/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. AWS MCP Server has 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars.