tfmcp vs AWS API MCP Server

A side-by-side comparison of two DevOps & Cloud servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	tfmcp Terraform MCP server letting AI assistants read, plan, apply, analyze, and manage Terraform infrastructure. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Rust	AWS API MCP Server Official AWS Labs server that lets agents call any AWS API via the AWS CLI surface. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	DevOps & Cloud	DevOps & Cloud
Language	Rust	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	369	9.3k
Last commit	2 months ago	9 days ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`cargo install tfmcp`	`uvx awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick tfmcp if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick AWS API MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add tfmcp

Install / run

cargo install tfmcp

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tfmcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/your/tfmcp",
      "args": [
        "mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HOME": "/Users/yourusername",
        "PATH": "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin",
        "TERRAFORM_DIR": "/path/to/your/terraform/project"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add AWS API MCP Server

Install / run

uvx awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-api-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.aws-api-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1",
        "AWS_PROFILE": "<your-aws-profile>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

tfmcp or AWS API MCP Server — which is better?

Pick tfmcp if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick AWS API MCP Server if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both tfmcp and AWS API MCP Server?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do tfmcp and AWS API MCP Server work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View tfmcp →View AWS API MCP Server →More comparisons →