AWS Cost Explorer MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AWS Cost Explorer API access to Claude Desktop. Query your AWS costs and usage data directly from Claude conversations.

Architecture

Local MCP Server (Current Implementation)

graph TB
    subgraph "Your Machine"
        CD[Claude Desktop]
        MCP[MCP Server<br/>Node.js Process]
        ENV[.env file<br/>AWS Credentials]

        CD -->|stdio| MCP
        MCP -->|reads| ENV
    end

    subgraph "AWS Cloud"
        CE[Cost Explorer API]
    end

    MCP -->|HTTPS| CE

    style CD fill:#4A90E2
    style MCP fill:#50C878
    style CE fill:#FF9900

Component Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant Claude Desktop
    participant MCP Server
    participant AWS Cost Explorer

    Claude Desktop->>MCP Server: Request cost data (stdio)
    MCP Server->>MCP Server: Load AWS credentials from env
    MCP Server->>AWS Cost Explorer: GetCostAndUsage API call

    alt API Success
        AWS Cost Explorer-->>MCP Server: Cost data response
        MCP Server-->>Claude Desktop: Formatted cost data
    else Rate Limited
        AWS Cost Explorer-->>MCP Server: ThrottlingException
        MCP Server-->>Claude Desktop: Error: Rate limit exceeded
    else Other Error
        AWS Cost Explorer-->>MCP Server: Error response
        MCP Server-->>Claude Desktop: Error message
    end

System Architecture

graph LR
    subgraph "MCP Server Components"
        A[index.ts<br/>MCP Protocol Handler]
        B[cost-explorer.ts<br/>AWS Client Wrapper]
    end

    A -->|uses| B
    B -->|AWS SDK| C[Cost Explorer API]

    style A fill:#E8F4F8
    style B fill:#FFF4E6
    style C fill:#FF9900

Features

• Simple Cost Queries: Get cost and usage data for any time period

• Flexible Grouping: Group costs by Service, Usage Type, Region, Account, etc.

• Multiple Metrics: BlendedCost, UnblendedCost, AmortizedCost, and more

• Rate Limit Handling: Respects AWS API constraints with proper error handling

• Secure: Credentials stay local, no hardcoded secrets

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+

• AWS Account with Cost Explorer enabled

• AWS IAM credentials with ce:GetCostAndUsage permission

• Claude Desktop application

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd aws-mcp-cost-explorer

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env and configure for your authentication method:

   Option A: AWS SSO (Recommended)

   AWS_REGION=us-west-2
   AWS_PROFILE=your-sso-profile-name

   Then login via SSO:

   aws sso login --profile your-sso-profile-name

   Option B: IAM Credentials

   AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key_here
   AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_key_here
   AWS_REGION=us-east-1

4. Build the project

   npm run build

Configuration

Claude Desktop Setup

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option A: AWS SSO (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-cost-explorer": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/aws-mcp-cost-explorer/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "AWS_REGION": "us-west-2",
        "AWS_PROFILE": "your-sso-profile-name"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B: IAM Credentials

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-cost-explorer": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/aws-mcp-cost-explorer/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID": "your_access_key",
        "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY": "your_secret_key",
        "AWS_REGION": "us-east-1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option C: Use default AWS credentials

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-cost-explorer": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/aws-mcp-cost-explorer/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

This uses credentials from ~/.aws/credentials or environment variables automatically.

Required IAM Permissions

Your AWS IAM user/role needs these permissions:

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "ce:GetCostAndUsage"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Available Tools

get_cost_and_usage

Query AWS Cost Explorer for cost and usage data.

Parameters:

• startDate (required): Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format

• endDate (required): End date in YYYY-MM-DD format

• granularity (optional): DAILY, MONTHLY, or HOURLY (default: DAILY)

• metrics (optional): Array of metrics to retrieve (default: BlendedCost, UnblendedCost)

  • Available: BlendedCost, UnblendedCost, AmortizedCost, NetAmortizedCost, UsageQuantity, NormalizedUsageAmount

• groupBy (optional): Array of dimensions to group by

  • Example: [{"type": "DIMENSION", "key": "SERVICE"}]

  • Common dimensions: SERVICE, USAGE_TYPE, REGION, LINKED_ACCOUNT, INSTANCE_TYPE

Example Queries in Claude:

"What were my AWS costs last month?"

"Show me daily costs for the last 7 days grouped by service"

"Get my AWS costs from 2024-01-01 to 2024-01-31 by service"

AWS API Limits & Constraints

Important Rate Limits:

• Cost Explorer API has a rate limit of approximately 1-2 requests per second

• Exceeded limits result in ThrottlingException errors

• The server handles throttling gracefully with error messages

Best Practices:

• Avoid rapid successive queries

• Use appropriate granularity (MONTHLY for long periods)

• Limit groupBy dimensions to reduce response size

• Cost data typically has 24-48 hour delay

Cost Explorer Pricing:

• API calls are not free

• First query per month: free

• Additional queries: $0.01 per request

• Check AWS pricing for current rates

Development

Build the project:

npm run build

Watch mode for development:

npm run dev

Run the server:

npm start

Security Notes

• ✅ No secrets hardcoded in source code

• ✅ .env file is gitignored

• ✅ .env.example provided as template

• ✅ AWS credentials stay on local machine

• ⚠️ Ensure your .env file has proper permissions (chmod 600)

• ⚠️ Never commit AWS credentials to git

Troubleshooting

Server not appearing in Claude Desktop:

• Check config file path is correct

• Verify absolute path to build/index.js

• Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

• Check Claude Desktop logs for errors

AWS Authentication Errors:

• Verify credentials in .env file

• Check IAM permissions include ce:GetCostAndUsage

• Ensure AWS Cost Explorer is enabled in your account

Rate Limit Errors:

• Wait a few seconds between queries

• Cost Explorer has low rate limits by design

• Consider caching results for repeated queries

Future Enhancements

Remote Deployment (Planned)

Future versions may support remote deployment with SSE transport for:

• Team-wide access

• Centralized credential management

• Higher availability

This would require:

• HTTP server with SSE endpoints

• Authentication/authorization layer

• Secure credential storage (AWS Secrets Manager, etc.)

• HTTPS/TLS configuration

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please ensure:

• No secrets in commits

• Follow existing code style

• Update README for new features

• Test with Claude Desktop before submitting