AWS Amazon Cognito Sync
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For Agents
Read, write, and synchronize per-user key-value datasets across a user's devices using Amazon Cognito Sync.
Use for: I need to sync a user setting across their phone and tablet, I want to store a small amount of per-user state in the AWS cloud, Retrieve all records in a Cognito Sync dataset, Get the count of datasets for an identity
Not supported: Does not handle large object storage, relational queries, or arbitrary application data - use only for small per-user key-value sync tied to a Cognito identity.
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Amazon Cognito Sync, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Amazon Cognito Sync stores and synchronizes user-scoped key-value data across a user's devices and the cloud. Each user has datasets containing string records that are merged on conflict and pushed to all signed-in devices via Amazon SNS push notifications. It is a legacy service - AWS now recommends AWS AppSync for new cross-device sync work - but it remains useful for apps already on Cognito Identity that need lightweight per-user state.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Amazon Cognito Sync to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Amazon Cognito Sync, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
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Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Amazon Cognito Sync API.
Store and update user-scoped key-value records in named datasets
Synchronize records across devices via UpdateRecords and ListRecords
Trigger bulk publish of all dataset records to a configured Kinesis stream
Configure push synchronization so changes propagate via SNS
Subscribe and unsubscribe a device from dataset change notifications
Register events and Lambda handlers that fire on dataset updates
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Amazon Cognito Sync API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Cross-Device User Preferences
Mobile apps that already use Amazon Cognito Identity often need to keep user preferences such as theme, language, and feature toggles in sync across the user's devices. Cognito Sync stores these as records in named datasets, merges concurrent updates, and propagates changes via push notifications. Setup is a few hours once Cognito Identity is in place.
Call UpdateRecords on the 'preferences' dataset for an IdentityId, writing a record with key 'theme' and value 'dark', then read it back with ListRecords.
Game Save State Sync
Casual mobile games store progress, settings, and unlocked content per player. Cognito Sync persists this state in the cloud, makes it available when the player switches devices, and resolves conflicts deterministically by sync count. Bulk publish to Kinesis enables downstream analytics on aggregated game state.
Write a 'save_slot_1' record containing serialized game state to a 'gameSaves' dataset and verify it appears in ListRecords for the same identity.
Push-Driven Settings Propagation
Apps that need near-real-time propagation of dataset changes can configure push synchronization. When records update, Cognito Sync publishes via Amazon SNS to subscribed devices, which then pull the latest records. This keeps user-scoped configuration consistent without polling.
Call SetCognitoEvents to register a Lambda on dataset update, then SubscribeToDataset for a device's platform endpoint and confirm the event fires when UpdateRecords is called.
Agent-Managed Per-User State
An AI agent operating on behalf of a user can persist intermediate state (such as long-running task progress or preferences) in Cognito Sync datasets without standing up a database. Through Jentic, the agent loads the UpdateRecords schema and writes records keyed by identity, then reads them back when the user returns.
Use UpdateRecords to write {key: 'last_task', value: 'summary_v3'} to an 'agentState' dataset and read it back with ListRecords.
Key Endpoints
17 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for amazon cognito sync, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/identities/{IdentityId}/datasets/{DatasetName}
Update records in a dataset
GET
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/identities/{IdentityId}/datasets
List datasets for an identity
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/bulkpublish
Trigger bulk publish of dataset data to Kinesis
GET
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}
Describe an identity pool's sync usage
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/configuration
Configure push sync settings for a pool
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/identities/{IdentityId}/datasets/{DatasetName}
Update records in a dataset
GET
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/identities/{IdentityId}/datasets
List datasets for an identity
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/bulkpublish
Trigger bulk publish of dataset data to Kinesis
GET
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}
Describe an identity pool's sync usage
POST
/identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/configuration
Configure push sync settings for a pool
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
AWS SigV4 (HMAC) credentials for the Amazon Cognito Sync are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive scoped, short-lived access via Jentic's MAXsystem rather than holding the raw AWS access key ID and secret access key in their context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic with intents like 'sync user records across devices' and Jentic returns the matching Amazon Cognito Sync operation with its input schema, so the agent can call the correct endpoint without browsing the AWS service reference.
Time to first call
Direct integration: 2-4 days for SigV4 request signing, IAM policy setup, and error handling across Amazon Cognito Sync operations. Through Jentic: under 1 hour - search by intent, load the schema, execute.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Amazon Cognito Sync API through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Amazon Cognito Sync?
AWS does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Amazon Cognito Sync via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the Amazon Cognito Sync API use?
AWS Signature v4 (HMAC) over the Cognito Identity credentials issued to the user's device. Jentic stores the underlying AWS credentials in its vault, signs requests for the agent, and never exposes the secret access key.
Can I store arbitrary blobs with the Amazon Cognito Sync API?
No. Cognito Sync records are limited to small string key-value pairs (up to 1 MB per dataset). For larger objects, store them in Amazon S3 and keep only the S3 key in the Cognito Sync record.
What are the rate limits for the Amazon Cognito Sync API?
Per-identity-pool rate limits apply to all sync operations and are enforced per AWS Region. Expect TooManyRequestsException under heavy concurrent UpdateRecords and back off exponentially; for analytics-style throughput, use BulkPublish to Kinesis instead.
How do I synchronize records across devices with Amazon Cognito Sync through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'sync user records across devices', load the UpdateRecords schema, and execute it against /identitypools/{IdentityPoolId}/identities/{IdentityId}/datasets/{DatasetName} with the record patches. Other devices then call ListRecords to pull the latest state.
Should I use Amazon Cognito Sync for new applications?
AWS recommends AWS AppSync for new cross-device sync workloads because it supports richer data models and offline conflict resolution. Cognito Sync is still supported and is a reasonable fit for existing Cognito Identity apps that need lightweight key-value sync.
GET STARTED