# AWSentral MCP Setup Guide for Amazon Quick Desktop

**Author:** Peter Kruger (peterkru@)
**Last Updated:** April 20, 2026
**Status:** Verified working (macOS). Windows support is limited -- see notes below.

> A quick-start guide to connecting AWSentral (Salesforce/SFDC) to Amazon Quick Desktop via the AWSentral MCP server. This gives Quick full read/write access to accounts, opportunities, contacts, tech activities, SIFT insights, spend data, PFRs, and more (76 tools total).

---

## Prerequisites

| Requirement | How to Check |
|---|---|
| **Amazon Quick Desktop** | You're reading this in Quick, so you're good. If not: [Install page](https://aws-quick-work.harmony.a2z.com/) |
| **Node.js v22+** | `node --version` in Terminal |
| **Builder Toolbox** | `toolbox --version` in Terminal |
| **AIM (Amazon Install Manager)** | Bundled with Toolbox. `aim --version` to confirm |
| **Midway credentials** | Run `mwinit` if your cookie is stale |

**No special access request or pilot group is needed.** AWSentral MCP is in the general MCP registry and available to all Amazon employees with Salesforce/SFDC access.

### If you're missing Node.js

```bash
brew install mise
mise use -g node@24
```

Or simply `brew install node`. Verify with `node --version` (must be 22+).

### If you're missing Toolbox

```bash
# Follow your team's dev setup guide, or:
# https://w.amazon.com/bin/view/BuilderToolbox/
```

---

## Step 1: Install AWSentral MCP

Open Terminal and run:

```bash
toolbox install aim && aim mcp install aws-sentral-mcp
```

> **Common mistakes people hit (from [#amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback](https://amazon.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0ASRR957GU)):**
> - `toolbox install aws-sentral-mcp` does NOT work. AWSentral installs via AIM, not directly via toolbox.
> - `aim install aws-sentral-mcp` (missing `mcp`) does NOT work. The correct subcommand is `aim mcp install`.

Verify the binary exists:

```bash
which aws-sentral-mcp
# Expected: ~/.toolbox/bin/aws-sentral-mcp (or similar)
```

### Alternative install method (if `aim mcp install` fails)

Some users have had success with the direct registry approach. This is a **community workaround**, not the official install path -- use it only if `aim mcp install` doesn't work for you:

```bash
toolbox registry add s3://buildertoolbox-registry-aws-sentral-mcp-registry-us-west-2/tools.json
toolbox install aws-sentral-mcp
```

You can also check the [MCP Registry page](https://ai-registry.amazon.dev/mcp-registry/server/aws-sentral-mcp) for the latest install instructions.

---

## Step 2: Configure in Amazon Quick Desktop

1. Open **Amazon Quick Desktop**
2. Go to **Settings** (gear icon, bottom-left)
3. Navigate to **Capabilities** > **MCP** tab
4. Click **"+ Add MCP / Skill"**
5. Select the **Local (stdio)** tab
6. Fill in:

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **ID** | `aws-sentral-mcp` |
| **Name** | `AWSentral` |
| **Command** | `/Users/<your-alias>/.toolbox/bin/aws-sentral-mcp` |
| **Arguments** | *(leave empty)* |
| **Timeout** | `60` seconds (bump from default 30) |

> **Use the full binary path, not just `aws-sentral-mcp`.** This is the #1 fix for connection failures. Quick Desktop's subprocess doesn't always inherit your shell PATH, so the bare command name won't resolve. Get your path with `which aws-sentral-mcp`.

7. Click **Save**

### If it still won't connect: the environment variable fix

The `aws-sentral-mcp` binary is actually a toolbox-exec symlink that needs specific environment variables. If Quick can't start it, you may need to edit `~/.quickwork/mcp_config.json` directly.

> **Security note:** Rather than dumping your full `$PATH`, scope it to only the directories the binary needs. The example below shows the minimum required paths. Adjust for your system.

```json
{
  "servers": [
    {
      "id": "aws-sentral-mcp",
      "name": "AWSentral MCP",
      "transport": "stdio",
      "enabled": true,
      "command": "/Users/<your-alias>/.toolbox/bin/aws-sentral-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PATH": "/Users/<your-alias>/.toolbox/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin",
        "HOME": "/Users/<your-alias>"
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

---

## Step 3: Verify It Works

In any Quick conversation, ask:

> "Can you check if AWSentral is connected? Try looking up my SFDC user info."

Quick should return your Salesforce data. You should see 76 tools loaded, covering:

- **Accounts** -- search, details, territory info, spend data
- **Opportunities** -- search, create, update, line items, contact roles, tags
- **Contacts & Leads** -- CRUD operations
- **Tech Activities** -- create/manage SA activity logs (the LOGAN replacement)
- **SIFT/Leadership Insights** -- create and manage
- **Spend & Revenue** -- AWS spend tracking, trends, service breakdowns
- **PFRs** -- Product Feature Requests with customer influence
- **Campaigns & Events** -- management and associations

---

## Troubleshooting

These are real issues people have reported in [#amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback](https://amazon.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0ASRR957GU). They're listed in order of how commonly they come up.

### 1. MCP stays in "Error" state after setup

**Most likely cause:** Quick can't find or execute the binary.

**Fix:**
- Use the **full path** to the binary in the Command field (e.g., `/Users/yourlogin/.toolbox/bin/aws-sentral-mcp`), not just `aws-sentral-mcp`
- If that still fails, add the environment variables (PATH + HOME) as shown in Step 2 above
- Launch Quick from Terminal (`open /Applications/Amazon\ Quick.app`) so it inherits your shell environment
- Run `mwinit` to refresh your Midway credentials -- a stale cookie can cause silent auth failures

### 2. Shell startup timeout (MCP fails silently)

Amazon Quick has a **3-second shell initialization timeout**. If your shell profile (`.zshrc`, `.bashrc`) is heavy (nvm, conda, mise, custom prompts), the MCP server startup gets killed before it can respond.

**Fix:** Use the full binary path instead of relying on shell PATH resolution. This bypasses the shell entirely.

### 3. `toolbox install aws-sentral-mcp` fails

AWSentral uses a different install path than most MCP servers. It goes through AIM, not toolbox directly.

**Correct command:** `aim mcp install aws-sentral-mcp`

If that fails too, try the direct registry method (community workaround):
```bash
toolbox registry add s3://buildertoolbox-registry-aws-sentral-mcp-registry-us-west-2/tools.json
toolbox install aws-sentral-mcp
```

The S3 bucket path is from the [official AWSentral MCP wiki](https://w.amazon.com/bin/view/AWS/SUDS/Internal/DeveloperDocs/Permissions/AFX-Agent-Identity/AWSentral-MCP-Toolbox-Infrastructure/) but the registry-add workflow isn't documented as a user-facing install path.

### 4. Node.js version errors

AWSentral MCP requires Node.js v22+. Older versions cause cryptic startup failures.

```bash
node --version  # Must be 22+
brew install mise && mise use -g node@24  # If you need to upgrade
```

### 5. MCP config disappears after restart

Some users reported MCPs vanishing after app restart. This appears to be a known beta issue. Workaround: re-add from Settings, or edit `~/.quickwork/mcp_config.json` directly (it persists across restarts).

### 6. Quick hangs or crashes when adding MCP

If the app hangs while saving MCP settings, force-quit and restart. The MCP config is saved to disk, so your other settings should survive. Avoid saving partial/incomplete MCP entries -- fill in all fields before clicking Save.

---

## Windows Users

As of April 20, 2026: **MCP registry (`aim mcp`) is not supported on Windows yet.** The workaround is to install via WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and configure the binary path accordingly. Several people in the feedback channel are actively working through Windows-specific issues -- check the [#amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback](https://amazon.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0ASRR957GU) channel for the latest.

The Builder MCP also has a known issue on Windows (built-in binary is macOS-only; manual install via Toolbox is the workaround).

---

## What's Coming

The Quick Desktop team is working on **server-side (remote) MCP support** for AWSentral, which would eliminate the local install entirely. Central configuration via Quick Web/Quick Suite is currently in staging. Once that ships, the local setup instructions in this guide become optional.

Follow [#amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback](https://amazon.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0ASRR957GU) for updates.

---

## What You Can Do With It

Once connected, you (or your AI assistant) can:

- **Log tech activities** against accounts/opportunities automatically
- **Create SIFT entries** for leadership visibility into customer initiatives
- **Search opportunities** by account, stage, or custom filters
- **Look up account details**, spend history, and territory info
- **Manage contacts and leads** in Salesforce
- **Track PFRs** and customer influence

> **Pro tip:** AWSentral MCP works with Amazon Quick's scheduled agents. You can build agents that auto-log activities, generate weekly SIFT summaries, or flag opportunity team gaps on a recurring schedule.

---

## Useful Links

- [AWSentral MCP Wiki](https://w.amazon.com/bin/view/AWS/SUDS/Internal/DeveloperDocs/Permissions/AFX-Agent-Identity/AWSentral-MCP-Toolbox-Infrastructure/)
- [MCP Registry Page](https://ai-registry.amazon.dev/mcp-registry/server/aws-sentral-mcp)
- [AWSentral MCP Usage Dashboard](https://us-east-1.prod.dash.telemetry.toolbox.builder-tools.aws.dev/v1/aws-sentral-mcp)
- [#amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback](https://amazon.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0ASRR957GU) (Slack -- setup help and bug reports)
- [Amazon Quick Install](https://aws-quick-work.harmony.a2z.com/)

---

*Built from real setup experience and community troubleshooting in #amazon-quick-desktop-beta-feedback (April 17-20, 2026). Contributors: Peter Kruger, Scott Hewitt, Lorenzo Winfrey, Omer Czerniak, Joshua Samuel. Questions? Reach out to peterkru@ or post in the feedback channel.*