create-key-pair

THE RISK

Medium Risk

Why create-key-pair needs a policy

Creating a key pair generates a new SSH credential that can be used to access EC2 instances. While reversible (the key pair can be deleted), it creates a security credential that persists in the AWS account. An AI agent with misuse could create excessive key pairs, leading to key material sprawl and potential security vulnerabilities if those keys are inadvertently exposed or stored insecurely.

From the tool's definition Tool name is 'create-key-pair' and description states 'Create a key pair in the given region'. This creates a new cryptographic credential object in AWS.

Documented attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access create-key-pair gives an agent:

POLICY

How to control create-key-pair

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway — it sits between your AI agents and AWS MCP Server, and nothing reaches the server without passing your rules. This is the rule we recommend for create-key-pair:

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "create-key-pair": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "create-key-pair_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 30,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

create-key-pair stays usable, but capped — an agent stuck in a loop can't make hundreds of changes a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

Create a free account and register AWS MCP Server — nothing to install.
Add this policy — paste it, or build it visually.
Point your MCP client (Claude, Cursor, anything) at your gateway URL.

LIMIT THIS TOOL →

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EXPLORE

Related tools and policies

More AWS MCP Server tools

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All 54 AWS MCP Server tools →

Write tools on other servers

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Go deeper

The MCP Attack Database → Documented attack patterns against MCP deployments — and the policies that stop them.
Argument validation → Checking tool call arguments against schema and policy before they run.
Scoped token → Per-person credentials that grant a defined subset of servers and tools.
Rate Limiting MCP Tool Calls: A Practical Guide →
MCP Security: Why Prompt Guardrails Aren't Enough →

FAQ

Questions about create-key-pair

What does the create-key-pair tool do? +

Create a key pair in the given region. It is categorised as a Write tool in the AWS MCP Server MCP Server, which means it can create or modify data. Consider rate limits to prevent runaway writes.

How do I enforce a policy on create-key-pair? +

Register the AWS MCP Server MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for create-key-pair: 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 MCP Server. Nothing to install.

What risk level is create-key-pair? +

create-key-pair is a Write tool with medium risk. Write tools should be rate-limited to prevent accidental bulk modifications.

Can I rate-limit create-key-pair? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the create-key-pair 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.

How do I block create-key-pair completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for create-key-pair. 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.

What MCP server provides create-key-pair? +

create-key-pair is provided by the AWS MCP Server MCP server (lokeswaran-aj/aws-mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

Enforce policy on every AWS MCP Server tool call.

Start from AWS MCP Server, add the rest of your stack, and see everything your agents can call. Then put policy on all of it.

CHECK YOUR STACK →