aws / aws/amazon-q-developer-cli
AWS MCP deployment solution incompatible with standard MCP clients due to mandatory Cognito authentication
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Description
## Expected Behavior
The AWS MCP deployment solution should provide options for both secure (Cognito) and standard (no-auth/simple-auth) deployments to ensure compatibility with the broader MCP ecosystem while still supporting enterprise security requirements.
## Actual Behavior
The AWS MCP deployment solution (https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/guidance/deploying-model-context-protocol-servers-on-aws/) requires Cognito authentication, making it incompatible with standard MCP clients including:
- VS Code MCP extensions
- Cursor MCP integration
- Claude Desktop MCP
- Q CLI MCP (mcp-remote)
This severely limits adoption and integration with the existing MCP ecosystem.
## Steps to Reproduce
1. Deploy MCP server using AWS Solutions Guidance
2. Try to connect with any standard MCP client (VS Code extension, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Q CLI)
3. All connections fail due to authentication requirements
4. Only custom clients with Cognito implementation work
## Impact
- Limits practical adoption of AWS MCP deployment solution
- Creates barrier between AWS solution and MCP ecosystem
- Forces developers to choose between security and compatibility
## Suggested Solutions
1. **Optional authentication** - allow deployment with/without Cognito
2. **Include auth proxy** - provide local proxy for standard clients
3. **Multiple deployment modes** - enterprise vs. developer-friendly variants
4. **Better documentation** - clearly state compatibility limitations
## Related
This affects the core value proposition of the AWS MCP deployment solution by making it incompatible with the tools developers actually use.
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Assessment
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