Sign in Subscribe

On this page

How to Enable AWS CLI Tab Completion on zsh and bash

Vikas Yadav

• 2 min read

Introduction

Command-line tab completion speeds up AWS CLI usage and reduces typos. With a few lines in your shell profile, you can enable context-aware completions for services, subcommands, parameters, and even resource ARNs. This guide shows the minimal, reliable setup for both Bash and Zsh on macOS and Linux, including a quick way to find the correct aws_completer path for your system.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1) Confirm AWS CLI installation

aws --version
# Example output (version can vary)
# aws-cli/2.15.0 Python/3.11.6 ...

You need AWS CLI v2 for the best completion experience.

2) Locate aws_completer

command -v aws_completer || type -p aws_completer

Common locations:

  • macOS (Apple Silicon, Homebrew): /opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer
  • macOS (Intel, Homebrew): /usr/local/bin/aws_completer
  • Linux (AWS CLI v2 installer): /usr/local/bin/aws_completer

Note the absolute path. Use it in the next steps if command -v doesn’t resolve it automatically.

3) Enable completion for bash

Append the following to your ~/.bashrc (or ~/.bash_profile on macOS if you primarily launch login shells):

# AWS CLI tab completion (bash)
if command -v aws_completer >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  complete -C aws_completer aws
elif [ -x "/usr/local/bin/aws_completer" ]; then
  complete -C "/usr/local/bin/aws_completer" aws
elif [ -x "/opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer" ]; then
  complete -C "/opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer" aws
fi

Reload your shell configuration:

# Linux
source ~/.bashrc
# macOS (if using bash_profile)
source ~/.bash_profile

Test it:

aws s<Tab>
# Expect: s3  s3api  ssm  sso  sts  ...

4) Enable completion for zsh

Zsh can reuse Bash-style completions via bashcompinit. Append to your ~/.zshrc:

# AWS CLI tab completion (zsh)
autoload -Uz compinit && compinit
autoload -Uz bashcompinit && bashcompinit

if command -v aws_completer >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  complete -C aws_completer aws
elif [ -x "/usr/local/bin/aws_completer" ]; then
  complete -C "/usr/local/bin/aws_completer" aws
elif [ -x "/opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer" ]; then
  complete -C "/opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer" aws
fi

Reload and test:

source ~/.zshrc
aws cl<Tab>
# Expect: clearly expanded to 'cloudformation', 'cloudwatch', etc.

5) Optional: make aws_completer discoverable

If it aws_completer isn’t on yours,PATH either add its directory to PATH or hardcode the absolute path in the complete -C line. For example, on Apple Silicon macOS with Homebrew:

# In ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
# or
complete -C "/opt/homebrew/bin/aws_completer" aws

6) How it works (at a glance)

Terminal screenshot showing AWS CLI tab completion in action on zsh

Conclusion

Once configured, tab completion dramatically speeds up AWS CLI work and reduces mistakes. Keep your shell’s PATH correct and ensure the complete -C ... aws line loads in every session. If you upgrade or move the AWS CLI, re-check aws_completer path and update your shell profile accordingly.

Recent