AWS CLI Credentials Not Found — Unable to Locate Credentials Error

Fix AWS CLI 'Unable to locate credentials' error when running commands without configured access keys, IAM roles, or environment variables. This guide covers everything you need to know about this topic, including common causes, step-by-step solutions, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Here are the key things to understand: AWS CLI requires credentials (access key ID and secret access key) to authenticate API requests. Credentials can come from: environment variables, ~/.aws/credentials file, IAM roles, or SSO. The error 'Unable to locate credentials' means none of the credential sources returned valid credentials. AWS CLI checks credentials in order: environment variables > credentials file > IAM instance role. On EC2 instances, IAM instance profiles provide credentials automatically without configuration. Understanding these fundamentals will help you diagnose and resolve this issue more effectively.

The most common reasons this occurs include: AWS CLI not configured — aws configure was never run on this machine. Credentials file (~/.aws/credentials) missing, corrupted, or has wrong permissions. Environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY) not set or expired. IAM role not attached to the EC2 instance, Lambda function, or ECS task. Identifying the root cause is the first step toward finding the right solution.

To resolve this, follow these recommended steps: Run 'aws configure' and enter your access key ID, secret access key, default region, and output format. Verify credentials file exists: cat ~/.aws/credentials — should have [default] profile with keys. For EC2: attach an IAM instance profile/role to the instance via AWS Console > EC2 > Actions > Security. For temporary credentials: set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, and AWS_SESSION_TOKEN environment variables. Test configuration: run 'aws sts get-caller-identity' to verify credentials are working. If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider consulting additional resources or a qualified professional.

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