Where Does Amazon Q Developer Store Config and History?
Amazon Q Developer shares one .aws amazonq tree between CLI and IDE, with agent configs, MCP registry and chat history inside.
Last updated
Amazon Q keeps CLI and IDE on a single tree. Global state sits in .aws amazonq with the MCP registry, agent configs and chat history beneath it. Projects mirror the pattern in a local .amazonq folder for workspace overrides.
History deserves its own mention since it is genuinely useful in backups. The history folder holds chat JSON that recovery guides rely on. Auth never appears as a file, living in the OS credential store instead, so copying the tree moves configuration without moving login.
Where Amazon Q stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\.aws\amazonq
Shared Q tree with default.json, cli-agents and history chat JSON. Workspace mirrors at {project}/.amazonq. Auth tokens stay in the credential store, never in these files.
~/.aws/amazonq
Same shared tree on Mac with legacy profiles auto-migrating into cli-agents. IDE keys under amazonQ in VS Code settings complement these files rather than replacing them.
~/.aws/amazonq
Same shared tree on Linux. Plain AWS CLI config and credentials sit one level up and are only relevant when Q runs under IAM profiles.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Amazon Q MCP config?
Edit ~/.aws/amazonq/default.json for the current MCP set and settings, with workspace overrides at {project}/.amazonq/default.json. Agent definitions live in cli-agents beside it. Legacy mcp.json still works when the legacy flag is on, but default.json is the current home.
How do I back up Amazon Q chat history?
Copy the history folder with its chat-history JSON files. That folder is the prompt log the community recovery guides point at. Profiles from older installs auto-migrate into cli-agents, so archive both trees during upgrades.
Is this the same as my AWS CLI config?
They are separate neighbors. Plain AWS CLI profiles sit in ~/.aws/config and credentials, while Q owns the amazonq subfolder. Auth tokens for Builder ID or Identity Center live in the system credential store rather than any portable file.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.