Check the AWS profile configuration

Oct 13, 2025 by magicalceylontours.com 47 views

Introduction

AWS Q CLI is a powerful tool for interacting with AWS services, but it has a critical issue when it comes to using the default region specified in the AWS profile configuration. In this article, we will explore the problem, its causes, and the steps to reproduce it. We will also discuss the expected behavior and the actual behavior of Q CLI when using a local AWS profile with a specific region configured.

Expected Behavior

When using AWS Q CLI with a local AWS profile that has a specific region configured, Q CLI should respect and use that default region when executing AWS CLI commands. In this case, when using the davidmgre profile which has us-west-2 configured as its default region, all AWS CLI commands executed through Q CLI should automatically use us-west-2 unless explicitly overridden.

Actual Behavior

However, AWS Q CLI ignores the default region specified in the AWS profile configuration and defaults to us-east-1 instead. When asked to perform operations against AWS resources, Q CLI initially attempts to run all commands in us-east-1, regardless of the region set in the profile configuration. This results in failed operations or missing resources when they exist in the configured region but not in us-east-1.

Steps to Reproduce

To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

Create or modify an AWS profile in ~/.aws/config with a non-default region:
```
[profile davidmgre]
output=json
region=us-west-2
```
Start AWS Q CLI and specify this profile:
```
q chat
```

Ask Q to perform an operation that would use AWS CLI with this profile:

Using the davidmgre AWS profile, tell me about the last data points for turbine 1 from our wind farm in sitewise.

Observe that Q CLI attempts to execute AWS CLI commands using us-east-1 instead of us-west-2:

Running aws cli command:
Service name: iotsitewise
Operation name: list-assets
Parameters:
Profile name: davidmgre
Region: us-east-1
Label: List SiteWise assets

Only when the initial commands fail does Q CLI try with the correct region (us-west-2), and only then are resources found.

Environment

Here is the environment information for the Q CLI version used to reproduce this issue:

[q-details]
version = "1.7.0"
hash = "8885a6708f2f07d02d29460a96f9c422da095e49"
date = "2025-03-06T01:03:54.119908Z (5d ago)"
variant = "full"

[system-info]
os = "macOS 15.3.1 (24D70)"
chip = "Apple M1 Max"
total-cores = 10
memory = "64.00 GB"

[environment]
cwd = "/Users/USER"
cli-path = "/Users/USER"
os = "Mac"
shell-path = "/bin/zsh"
shell-version = "5.9"
terminal = "iTerm 2"
install-method = "unknown"

QTERM_SESSION_ID = "6f1ac702d0dd468ab9a252a5320870bc"
Q_SET_PARENT_CHECK = "1"
Q_TERM = "1.7.0"
SHELL = "/bin/zsh"
TERM = "xterm-256color"
__CFBundleIdentifier = "com.googlecode.iterm2"

Conclusion

Q: What is the expected behavior of Q CLI when using a local AWS profile with a specific region configured?

A: When using AWS Q CLI with a local AWS profile that has a specific region configured, Q CLI should respect and use that default region when executing AWS CLI commands. In this case, when using the davidmgre profile which has us-west-2 configured as its default region, all AWS CLI commands executed through Q CLI should automatically use us-west-2 unless explicitly overridden.

Q: What is the actual behavior of Q CLI when using a local AWS profile with a specific region configured?

A: AWS Q CLI ignores the default region specified in the AWS profile configuration and defaults to us-east-1 instead. When asked to perform operations against AWS resources, Q CLI initially attempts to run all commands in us-east-1, regardless of the region set in the profile configuration. This results in failed operations or missing resources when they exist in the configured region but not in us-east-1.

Q: How can I reproduce this issue?

A: To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

Create or modify an AWS profile in ~/.aws/config with a non-default region:
```
[profile davidmgre]
output=json
region=us-west-2
```
Start AWS Q CLI and specify this profile:
```
q chat
```

Ask Q to perform an operation that would use AWS CLI with this profile:

Using the davidmgre AWS profile, tell me about the last data points for turbine 1 from our wind farm in sitewise.

Observe that Q CLI attempts to execute AWS CLI commands using us-east-1 instead of us-west-2:

Running aws cli command:
Service name: iotsitewise
Operation name: list-assets
Parameters:
Profile name: davidmgre
Region: us-east-1
Label: List SiteWise assets

Only when the initial commands fail does Q CLI try with the correct region (us-west-2), and only then are resources found.

Q: What is the environment information for the Q CLI version used to reproduce this issue?

A: Here is the environment information for the Q CLI version used to reproduce this issue:

[q-details]
version = "1.7.0"
hash = "8885a6708f2f07d02d29460a96f9c422da095e49"
date = "2025-03-06T01:03:54.119908Z (5d ago)"
variant = "full"

[system-info]
os = "macOS 15.3.1 (24D70)"
chip = "Apple M1 Max"
total-cores = 10
memory = "64.00 GB"

[environment]
cwd = "/Users/USER"
cli-path = "/Users/USER"
os = "Mac"
shell-path = "/bin/zsh"
shell-version = "5.9"
terminal = "iTerm 2"
install-method = "unknown"

QTERM_SESSION_ID = "6f1ac702d0dd468ab9a252a5320870bc"
Q_SET_PARENT_CHECK = "1"
Q_TERM = "1.7.0"
SHELL = "/bin/zsh"
TERM = "xterm-256color"
__CFBundleIdentifier = "com.googlecode.iterm2"

Q: What are the possible causes of this issue?

A: The possible causes of this issue are:

Incorrect configuration: The AWS profile configuration may be incorrect or incomplete, leading to Q CLI using the default region instead of the specified region.
Q CLI bug: There may be a bug in Q CLI that causes it to ignore the default region specified in the AWS profile configuration.
Environment variables: Environment variables may be set incorrectly or not set at all, leading to Q CLI using the default region instead of the specified region.

Q: How can I resolve this issue?

A: To resolve this issue, you can try the following:

Check the AWS profile configuration: Ensure that the AWS profile configuration is correct and complete.
Update Q CLI: Update Q CLI to the latest version to ensure that you have the latest bug fixes and features.
Set environment variables correctly: Set environment variables correctly to ensure that Q CLI uses the specified region instead of the default region.

Q: What are the consequences of this issue?

A: The consequences of this issue are:

Failed operations: Q CLI may fail to perform operations against AWS resources that exist in the configured region but not in us-east-1.
Missing resources: Q CLI may not find resources that exist in the configured region but not in us-east-1.
Inefficient and confusing behavior: Q CLI's behavior may be inefficient and confusing to users, leading to frustration and wasted time.