Getting started with AWS Startup Advisor

You can get started with AWS Startup Advisor on the web, in a supported integrated development environment (IDE), or in Claude Code and other coding agents. Choose the entry point that fits your workflow. The same curated skills are available across all access methods, so you get the same guidance no matter which one you choose.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, review the prerequisites in Setting up AWS Startup Advisor. An AWS account is recommended, and you need one to deploy and build on AWS. A submitted AWS Activate Credit application is optional. If you submit one, AWS Startup Advisor can use it to tailor its guidance to your startup. The same curated skills are available across all access methods.

Get started on the web

You can start using AWS Startup Advisor on the web. No install is required.

1. Open https://startups.aws.com/.

2. Answer a few questions about your startup.

AWS Startup Advisor uses your AWS Activate Credit application to pick up your stack and stage.

Install the plugin for Claude Code and Codex

You can install the AWS Startup Advisor plugin for Claude Code and Codex. Every plugin install includes the curated skills and configures the aws-mcp server, so you get the skills and live AWS data in one step. For more information about the Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, see Configure live data with the MCP server (optional). The plugin works on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

For Claude Code, run the following command in your terminal:

claude plugin install aws-startup-advisor@claude-plugins-official

The claude-plugins-official marketplace is added to Claude Code by default.

Tip

If you get Plugin not found, update the marketplace index first. In Claude Code, run the following command:

/plugin marketplace update claude-plugins-official

Alternatively, you can install the plugin from the Agent Toolkit for AWS repository’s own marketplace. In Claude Code, run the following commands:

/plugin marketplace add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws
/plugin install aws-startup-advisor@agent-toolkit-for-aws
/reload-plugins

Use this alternative to get the newest version from the Agent Toolkit for AWS repository on GitHub as soon as it’s released, before it reaches claude-plugins-official. Install from one marketplace, not both.

For the plugin’s marketplace listing, see the AWS Startup Advisor Claude Code Plugin Marketplace page. To download Claude Code, see the Claude Code page.

Install the plugin for Codex

To add the marketplace, run the following command in a terminal:

codex plugin marketplace add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws

Then, start Codex, run /plugins, and install aws-startup-advisor.

Install the IDE extension

You can install the AWS Startup Advisor extension for Cursor, VS Code, or Kiro. Other VS Code-based IDEs can install the extension from the Open VSX Registry.

Install the tool you want to use before you install the extension. For more information, see the official download site for each tool.

The simplest way to install is from within your IDE. Search for AWS Startup Advisor in your IDE’s Extensions view and choose Install. The per-IDE command-line and marketplace options follow.

Note

Requirements: VS Code 1.85 or later (or Kiro or Cursor), an AWS account, and an AWS CLI profile, an IAM Identity Center (SSO) start URL, or IAM access keys. A read-only profile is sufficient, because the extension never writes to your account.

Install the extension for Cursor

To download Cursor, see the Cursor downloads page.

The Cursor extension is available from the Open VSX Registry. For the marketplace listing, see AWS Startup Advisor on the Open VSX Registry.

To install the extension from the command line, run the following command:

cursor --install-extension amazonwebservices.aws-startup-advisor

This command requires the cursor CLI command on your PATH. To add it in Cursor, open the Command Palette and choose Install 'cursor' command in PATH.

Alternatively, you can install the extension from within Cursor:

1. Open Extensions ( Cmd +Shift +X on macOS, or Ctrl +Shift +X on Windows and Linux).

2. Search for AWS Startup Advisor.

3. Choose Install.

Install the extension for VS Code

To download VS Code, see the VS Code downloads page.

The VS Code extension is available from the Visual Studio Marketplace. For the marketplace listing, see AWS Startup Advisor on the Visual Studio Marketplace.

To install the extension from the command line, run the following command:

code --install-extension AmazonWebServices.aws-startup-advisor

This command requires the code CLI command on your PATH. To add it in VS Code, open the Command Palette and choose Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH.

Alternatively, you can install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace listing by choosing Install, which uses the vscode:extension/AmazonWebServices.aws-startup-advisor deep link.

Install the extension for Kiro

To download Kiro, see the Kiro downloads page.

The Kiro extension is available from the Open VSX Registry. For the marketplace listing, see AWS Startup Advisor on the Open VSX Registry.

To install the extension from the command line, run the following command:

kiro --install-extension amazonwebservices.aws-startup-advisor

This command requires the kiro CLI command on your PATH. To add it in Kiro, open the Command Palette and choose Install 'kiro' command in PATH.

Sign in

After you install the extension, sign in to connect it to your AWS account. When you sign in, you give the extension permission to read your account, which turns on alerts. Before you sign in, you can preview the Cost & Credits and Alerts views with illustrative data, and Prompts are available without signing in. You can sign in using one of the following methods: AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO) (recommended), an AWS CLI profile, or IAM access keys.

1. Choose the AWS Startup Advisor icon in the activity bar.

2. Choose one of the following sign-in options:

   • Sign in with SSO – Paste your IAM Identity Center start URL and follow the browser flow.

   • Sign in with AWS profile – Choose a profile.

   • Sign in with IAM access keys – Enter your IAM access key ID and secret access key.

After you sign in, the extension takes a few seconds to read your account. The sidebar then populates with alerts.

Install the AWS Startup Advisor skills in other coding agents (npx)

For agents beyond the IDE extension and the plugin, for example Kiro, fx, or GitHub Copilot, you can install just the skills with the skills CLI. This path requires Node.js. To download Node.js, see the Node.js downloads page.

To install the skills, run the following command:

npx skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/plugins/aws-startup-advisor/skills --skill '*'

If you get an npm authentication or registry error, retry against the public registry:

npx --registry https://registry.npmjs.org skills add aws/agent-toolkit-for-aws/plugins/aws-startup-advisor/skills --skill '*'

The --skill '*' option installs all 12 skills together, which we recommend because the skills depend on each other. Installing the skills requires no AWS credentials. This path installs the skills, but it does not configure the MCP server. For more information, see Configure live data with the MCP server (optional).

Next steps

How you get the AWS Startup Advisor skills depends on how you installed AWS Startup Advisor:

• Plugin (Claude Code or Codex) – The skills are included when you install the plugin, on every host. You can start using them right away.

• IDE extension (VS Code, Cursor, or Kiro) – Installing the extension provides alerts and prompts, but not the skills. To add the skills, choose Install AWS Startup Advisor skills in the banner that the extension displays. After the skills install, they are available in your coding agent, which invokes them when they are relevant to your request.

• Other coding agents (npx) – The npx skills add command installs the skills directly, as described in the previous section.

For more information, see Using AWS Startup Advisor skills.