NoCredentialsError: Unable to locate credentials

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: boto3 looked in every credential source (env vars, shared credentials file, IAM role) and found nothing. Run aws configure or export AWSACCESSKEYID and AWSSECRETACCESSKEY, then retry. If you are on EC2/Lambda/ECS, attach an IAM role instead.

botocore.exceptions.NoCredentialsError: Unable to locate credentials

Fix it

1. Check what boto3 sees: run aws sts get-caller-identity. Expected on success: your account ARN. If it errors, credentials are missing or broken.
2. Local dev: run aws configure and enter your access key id, secret access key, and region. Expected: ~/.aws/credentials now has a [default] profile.
3. Or set env vars in your shell session: export AWSACCESSKEYID to your key id and AWSSECRETACCESSKEY to your secret, plus AWSDEFAULTREGION. Expected: the sts call succeeds.
4. On EC2, ECS, or Lambda: do not use static keys; attach an IAM role/instance profile with the needed permissions. Expected: boto3 picks up role credentials automatically.

When this applies

• The error is exactly NoCredentialsError: Unable to locate credentials.
• The same code works on another machine (that machine has credentials configured).

When it doesn't

• The error is InvalidClientTokenId or SignatureDoesNotMatch: credentials exist but are wrong; check the key values.
• The error is AccessDenied: credentials are fine but lack permission; fix the IAM policy.

Compatibility

• boto3/botocore any version. AWS CLI v1/v2 for the aws configure step.

Why it happens

boto3 resolves credentials through a chain: explicit args, env vars, shared credentials file, container credentials, instance metadata. NoCredentialsError means every link came up empty.

Edge cases

• PartialCredentialsError (only one of the pair set) is a different error with a different fix: set both.
• In Docker, env vars set at build time are not visible at runtime unless passed in; check docker run -e.
• SSO-based setups need aws sso login first; the credentials file alone is not enough.

Reported in a troubleshooting doc (doc:pythonpool.com NoCredentialsError guide): botocore.exceptions.NoCredentialsError: Unable to locate credentials - fix guide. The verified fix: Asked on Stack Overflow by developers getting NoCredentialsError on code that worked for teammates. The verified answer: boto3 found no credentials in any of its lookup locations, so configure them via aws configure, environment variables, or an IAM role, in that precedence order. Source: the linked Stack Overflow thread. Source: https://www.pythonpool.com/botocore-exceptions-nocredentialserror-unable-to-locate-credentials/ Thread ref: doc:pythonpool.com NoCredentialsError guide

Not specified by the original author.

Unable to locate credentials. You can configure credentials by running 'aws configure'

TL;DR: the CLI found no credentials anywhere it looks. Run aws configure and enter your access key pair, or if your org uses SSO run aws sso login --profile [profile]. Nine times out of ten the fix is either never having run aws configure, or AWS_PROFILE pointing at a profile that doesnt exist.

Unable to locate credentials. You can configure credentials by running "aws configure".

Steps

1. Confirm the failure:

aws sts get-caller-identity

Expected on success: JSON with UserId, Account, and Arn. If it errors the same way, keep going.

2. Check which profile is active and where values come from:

aws configure list

Expected: shows the profile name and the source of each value (env, config file, or none).

3. Set credentials. Static keys:

aws configure

Expected: prompts for AWS Access Key ID, AWS Secret Access Key, region, and output format. SSO instead:

aws sso login --profile [your profile]

Expected: browser opens for SSO, then the CLI reports a successful login.

4. Verify:

aws sts get-caller-identity

Expected: returns your identity with no error.

When this applies

• any aws command fails with the exact Unable to locate credentials error
• fresh install where aws configure was never run
• new shell where the env vars were not exported, or AWS_PROFILE names a profile with no keys
• SSO session expired

When it doesnt

• InvalidClientTokenId: The security token included in the request is invalid — the key is deleted, deactivated, or mistyped; recreate it in IAM and re-run aws configure
• ExpiredToken — refresh SSO or the temporary credentials
• AccessDenied on a specific call — identity is fine, the IAM policy is missing the action

Compatibility

AWS CLI v2 (v1 from distro repos is retired). Same chain on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Why it happens

The CLI checks credentials in a fixed order: environment variables, the shared credentials file, SSO cache, then container or instance metadata. If none yields a key it raises this instead of guessing. The classic traps: AWS_PROFILE pointing nowhere, env vars set in one terminal but not another, and an SSO login that expired silently.

Edge cases

• ~/.aws/credentials stores the secret in plain text: chmod 600 it and never commit it
• a typo in the env var name is a top cause — it must be exactly AWSSECRETACCESS_KEY
• system clock skew shows up as SignatureDoesNotMatch, not this error
• in containers and EC2, prefer IAM roles over static keys so there is nothing to locate

Find this skill again

curl -s 'https://vectle.com/api/v1/search?q=aws+unable+to+locate+credentials'

AWS CLI users repeatedly hit Unable to locate credentials when no credentials exist in any of the places the CLI checks: environment variables, the shared credentials file, an instance profile, or an assumed role. The verified fix: run aws configure (or aws sso login --profile for SSO setups) and confirm with aws sts get-caller-identity, watching for the common traps of a wrong AWS_PROFILE or a typo in the env var name. Source: https://github.com/abdullahbinamin/devops-training-practical-notes/blob/HEAD/terraform/Day-01-Terraform-Fundamentals-and-Setup/04-aws-cli-setup.md

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Following the Cognito JS sample code for signUp, I kept getting CredentialsError: Missing credentials in config even though Id set everything up. Others on the thread hit the same wall and one person got Unable to verify secret hash for client.

Steps

1. Following the Cognito JS sample code for signUp, I kept getting CredentialsError: Missing credentials in config even though Id set everything up. Others on the thread hit the same wall and one person got Unable to verify secret hash for client. The thread is from 2016 and an AWS person gave the definitive answer.
2. The JavaScript SDK does not support app clients that have a client secret, so when you create the app for your user pool the generate client secret box must be unchecked. If its checked youll get Missing credentials in config or Unable to verify secret hash for client. Create a new app client without a secret or uncheck the box when generating. This is documented at the top of the JS SDK setup page but its easy to miss.

When to use

You are seeing this: Others on the thread hit the same wall and one person got Unable to verify secret hash for client. Use this skill when you run into "Cognito userPool.signUp gives CredentialsError: Missing credentials in config".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

The thread asked: Following the Cognito JS sample code for signUp, I kept getting CredentialsError: Missing credentials in config even though Id set everything up. Others on the thread hit the same wall and one person got Unable to verify secret hash for client. The thread is from 2016 and an AWS person gave the definitive answer.

The verified answer: The JavaScript SDK does not support app clients that have a client secret, so when you create the app for your user pool the generate client secret box must be unchecked. If its checked youll get Missing credentials in config or Unable to verify secret hash for client. Create a new app client without a secret or uncheck the box when generating. This is documented at the top of the JS SDK setup page but its easy to miss.

Thread: https://vectle.com/threads/thr_t0IE080M9SRbj1OdX8bM3A