AWS MSK MCP Server

What is AWS MSK MCP Server?

The AWS MSK MCP Server provides a standardized interface for AI-powered assistants, chatbots, and agents to seamlessly interact with Amazon MSK clusters. By translating high-level requests into secure, validated AWS MSK API operations, it allows users to discover, monitor, and manage Kafka resources programmatically or via conversational UI—bridging the gap between LLM capabilities and streaming data infrastructure on AWS.

How to Configure

1. Prerequisites
   • Ensure you have Python and uv installed.
   • Set up AWS credentials (via environment variables, ~/.aws/credentials file, or AWS SSO/profile).
   • Assign your user/role permission to access MSK clusters and necessary resources.
2. Add MCP Server to Configuration
   • Edit your MCP client config file (e.g., ~/.aws/amazonq/mcp.json, .cursor/mcp.json, etc.) as follows:

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

   • Adjust AWS_PROFILE and AWS_REGION as needed for your environment.
3. (Optional) Docker
   • You can also run the server inside a Docker container using proper --env variables and volume mounts for credentials.
4. Restart your MCP Client
   • After configuring, restart your MCP-compatible tool (Q Developer CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.) to enable the MSK server.

How to Use

1. Discover Tools
   • Use your AI assistant's interface to list available AWS MSK tools or run the tools/list MCP endpoint.
2. Invoke Operations
   • You can issue natural language commands such as "List all my MSK clusters," "Describe the health of Kafka brokers," or "Retrieve connection info for a specific cluster."
   • The LLM or agent will call the corresponding MCP tools (i.e., API functions) exposed by the server.
3. Workflow Integration
   • Incorporate MSK streaming operations into larger workflows involving other AWS resources, or automate tasks like monitoring, scaling, or topic management.
4. Approval & Security
   • By default, most clients will display a prompt to approve potentially sensitive actions, ensuring safe operation of your MSK resources.

Key Features

• Cluster Discovery: List and detail all available Amazon MSK clusters in your account and region.
• Cluster Monitoring: Retrieve the health, status, and performance metrics of running Kafka clusters and brokers.
• Resource Management: Access connection details, manage topics, and query cluster configurations.
• Seamless AI Integration: Direct plug-in for LLM agents and assistants, supporting natural language operations and workflow automation.
• Up-to-Date Context: Surface latest cluster configuration, monitoring info, and integration points using real-time AWS APIs.
• Security and Control: Leverage IAM permissions and MCP approval flows to ensure safe, auditable actions.

Use Cases

• Developer Productivity: Quickly find MSK cluster endpoints or topic details while coding or configuring data pipelines.
• Operational Monitoring: Automate health checks and troubleshoot performance issues in Kafka clusters via AI assistants.
• Conversational DevOps: Enable chatbots to answer "Is my Kafka cluster healthy?" or "How can I connect my application to this MSK broker?" in real time.
• Automated Data Engineering: Integrate MSK topic management or stream status checks into larger AI-driven workflows that span multiple AWS services.
• AI-Assisted Troubleshooting: Generate remediation steps or diagnostic commands in natural language for faster incident resolution.

FAQ

Q: What permissions are needed for the AWS MSK MCP Server?
A: The server requires permissions for actions like kafka:ListClusters, kafka:DescribeCluster, and other relevant MSK APIs. Attach a managed policy or custom policy with least privilege access to your AWS identity.

Q: Can I use the MSK MCP Server locally and in the cloud?
A: Yes. You can run the server locally for development/testing, or deploy it on a remote/cloud instance for team-wide or always-on usage. Both modes are fully supported.

Q: How do I ensure secure operations?
A: All actions are validated against your IAM permissions, and interactive approval flows (if enabled in your client) require human confirmation before high-impact commands are executed.

Q: Does this support MSK Serverless clusters?
A: Yes, discovery and management of both provisioned and serverless MSK clusters are supported, subject to API coverage in your AWS region.

Q: Is there extra cost to using this server?
A: AWS MCP Servers themselves are open source and free, but interacting with AWS resources may incur standard AWS service charges.