AWS: Simplifying IAM Policies with AWS IAM Policy Autopilot (Open Source MCP Server)

Introduction:

For many developers, creating AWS IAM policies is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone tasks in cloud development. Understanding which actions a service needs, ensuring least privilege, and keeping policies maintainable requires deep knowledge of AWS services and their permission models.

In December 2025, AWS introduced IAM Policy Autopilot, a new open-source MCP (Model Context Protocol) server designed to simplify IAM policy creation for builders. Instead of manually researching actions or constructing JSON policies by hand, developers can now generate IAM policies automatically using a local tool that integrates with AI assistants and development environments.

IAM Policy Autopilot is designed to reduce guesswork, improve security, and speed up development — all without sending your data to AWS.

Why IAM Policy Autopilot Matters?

AWS IAM is powerful but complex. Most developers struggle with questions like:

• Which exact permissions does my Lambda function need?
• What is the correct Resource ARN pattern?
• How do I avoid overly permissive policies like `“Action”: “”``?*
• Which CloudTrail events map to which actions?

Manually creating least-privilege policies is difficult and often leads to security risks. IAM Policy Autopilot addresses this challenge by generating accurate IAM policies based on AWS service data and, optionally, CloudTrail logs.

It helps developers reduce policy creation time, avoid mistakes, and adopt better least-privilege practices.

What IAM Policy Autopilot Is?

IAM Policy Autopilot is:

• Open source
• Built as an MCP server
• Runs locally on your machine
• Integrates with AI assistants that support MCP
• Generates IAM policy JSON from high-level developer inputs

It uses a combination of:

• AWS IAM documentation
• CloudTrail API event information (optional)
• Rule-based logic
• Structured schemas defined in the GitHub repository

This ensures the generated policies are based solely on official AWS permission data.

How It Works:

IAM Policy Autopilot follows a simple workflow:

1. Developer uses an MCP-enabled tool

   For example:

   • Claude Desktop
   • VS Code extensions that support MCP
   • Any MCP-compatible terminal tool

   The developer asks for a policy (e.g., “Generate IAM permissions for reading objects from S3.”)

2. Tool connects to the local IAM Policy Autopilot server

   The Autopilot server runs locally, so no data is sent out.

3. Autopilot reads IAM documentation rules

   It looks up allowed actions, valid resource formats, and required conditions.

4. Optional: It analyzes CloudTrail events

   If the developer enables this, Autopilot can derive permissions based on logged activity.

5. A policy is generated

   Autopilot outputs a JSON policy containing only the relevant actions and resource patterns.

This workflow brings consistency, accuracy, and speed to a process that is normally tedious.

Key Features:

• Open-Source and Local — The entire server runs locally; it does not send requests to AWS or external services. Developers can inspect, customize, or extend the logic.
• MCP Integration — Because it’s built for MCP, AI assistants like Claude Desktop can call the server to generate policies directly inside your development environment.
• Supports Least-Privilege Policy Creation — The policies are generated using AWS’s own service definitions, ensuring minimal and correct permissions.
• CloudTrail-Aware (Optional) — When enabled, Autopilot can look at CloudTrail logs to determine what actions your application used — a powerful way to avoid over-permissioning.
• Service-Accurate Resource Formats — Autopilot ensures the Resource patterns match the service’s documented requirements (e.g., S3 bucket/object ARNs, DynamoDB table ARN formats).

Best Use Cases:

• Building new serverless applications — Quickly create roles for Lambda, API Gateway, or Step Functions.
• Securing microservices — Generate tightly scoped policies for ECS, EKS, or Fargate tasks.
• CloudTrail-driven least privilege — Identify exactly which permissions were used in real workloads.
• Developer onboarding — New developers can create policies without deep IAM expertise.
• Automating internal tooling — Integrate Autopilot with CI/CD or internal dev tools for consistent policy generation.

Conclusion:

IAM Policy Autopilot is a significant addition to the AWS developer ecosystem. By combining open-source accessibility, MCP integration, and IAM-aware rule logic, it brings clarity and precision to one of the most challenging aspects of AWS security.

For teams practicing least-privilege access, adopting policy-as-code, or enabling AI-assisted development, IAM Policy Autopilot becomes an invaluable tool. It is not a replacement for IAM expertise, but it gives developers a safer starting point and reduces the manual effort required to write secure policies.

Key Takeaways:

• IAM Policy Autopilot is an open-source MCP server for generating AWS IAM policies.
• It supports developer tools and AI assistants via MCP integration.
• Policies are generated using official AWS IAM documentation.
• Optional CloudTrail analysis allows generation of usage-based least-privilege policies.
• The server runs locally, keeping your data private.
• It improves accuracy, reduces over-permissive policies, and accelerates development.

References:

• AWS Official Announcement (🔗 Link)
• IAM Policy Autopilot GitHub Repo (🔗 Link)
• AWS IAM Documentation (🔗 Link)