Get detailed information about a specific IAM user. This tool retrieves comprehensive information about an IAM user including attached policies, group memberships, and access keys. Use this to get a complete picture of a user's permissions and configuration. ## Usage Tips: - Use this after list_u...
AI agents call get_user to retrieve information from AWS without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
This tool performs a query/lookup operation on IAM metadata with no side effects. It returns read-only information about user configuration and permissions. While the information retrieved could be sensitive (policies, keys), the tool itself does not create, modify, delete, or execute any actions.
From the tool's definition Tool retrieves comprehensive information about an IAM user including attached policies, group memberships, and access keys. Description explicitly states 'retrieves' and 'Use this to get a complete picture'.
Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access get_user gives an agent:
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and AWS, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for get_user:
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"get_user": {}
}
}get_user is read-only, so it stays allowed — but everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
Free to start. No card required.
Get detailed information about a specific IAM user. This tool retrieves comprehensive information about an IAM user including attached policies, group memberships, and access keys. Use this to get a complete picture of a user's permissions and configuration. ## Usage Tips: - Use this after list_users to get detailed information about specific users - Review attached policies to understand user permissions - Check access keys to identify potential security issues Args: ctx: MCP context for error reporting user_name: The name of the IAM user Returns: UserDetailsResponse containing comprehensive user information. It is categorised as a Read tool in the AWS MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the AWS MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for get_user: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches AWS. Nothing to install.
get_user is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the get_user rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for get_user. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
get_user is provided by the AWS MCP server (@awslabs/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Start from AWS, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.
Free to start. No card required.
300 AWS tools catalogued and risk-classified — across an index of 43,000+ MCP servers.