What is the key difference between Awslabs MCP and MCP Cyclops?

Awslabs MCP belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution, while MCP Cyclops belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Awslabs MCP or MCP Cyclops in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Awslabs MCP and MCP Cyclops free or paid?

Awslabs MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (API Key required). MCP Cyclops operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Awslabs MCP lists 5 tools with 1 views and 9,716 GitHub stars. MCP Cyclops lists 7 tools with 2 views and 30 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Awslabs MCP and MCP Cyclops together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Awslabs MCP vs MCP Cyclops

In-depth architectural comparison of the Awslabs MCP and MCP Cyclops MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Awslabs MCP

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 48/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

MCP Cyclops

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 45/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Awslabs MCP if you need specialized Cloud Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Cyclops if your workspace requires Cloud Platforms integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Awslabs MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, AWS_REGION.
Primary tools included: Open source MCP servers specialized for AWS, Supports multiple AWS services and resources, Compatible with various MCP clients.

Explore Awslabs MCP Details

Choose MCP Cyclops when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: KUBECONFIG, CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT, CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Awslabs MCP awslabs Cloud Platforms	MCP Cyclops cyclops-ui Cloud Platforms
Summary	AWS MCP servers for seamless integration with AWS services and resources.	An MCP server that allows AI agents to manage Kubernetes resources through Cyclops abstraction
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Awslabs MCP Tools (5)

Open source MCP servers specialized for AWS

Supports multiple AWS services and resources

Compatible with various MCP clients

Provides transport mechanisms for MCP communication

Includes documentation and sample configurations

MCP Cyclops Tools (7)

create_module

Create new Module. Before calling this tool, make sure to call `get_template_schema` to validate values for the given template

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Awslabs MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "awslabs-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "YOUR_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID_HERE",
        "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "YOUR_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY_HERE",
        "AWS_REGION": "YOUR_AWS_REGION_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP Cyclops Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "YOUR_KUBECONFIG_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Awslabs MCP is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Cyclops belongs to Cloud Platforms using local stdio subprocess. Select Awslabs MCP when you need capabilities focused on cloud platforms and MCP Cyclops when you require tools for cloud platforms.

More alternatives to Awslabs MCP More alternatives to MCP Cyclops Cloud Platforms category hub