diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index a9b7dda9..6b6327c1 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ development source code and as such may not be routinely kept up to date.
 
 # __NEXT__
 
+## Bug fixes
+
+* Commands that authenticate with nextstrain.org, such as `nextstrain login`,
+  `nextstrain whoami`, and `nextstrain remote` with nextstrain.org addresses,
+  no longer load AWS credentials, which they don't use.  Previously, a local
+  AWS profile using console login credentials (from `aws login`) caused these
+  commands to fail with an error about a missing `botocore[crt]` dependency.
+  ([#533](https://github.com/nextstrain/cli/issues/533), [#552](https://github.com/nextstrain/cli/pull/552))
 
 # 11.1.1 (22 October 2026)
 
diff --git a/doc/changes.md b/doc/changes.md
index 6bd35ab7..01f61c73 100644
--- a/doc/changes.md
+++ b/doc/changes.md
@@ -16,6 +16,15 @@ development source code and as such may not be routinely kept up to date.
 (v-next)=
 ## __NEXT__
 
+(v-next-bug-fixes)=
+### Bug fixes
+
+* Commands that authenticate with nextstrain.org, such as `nextstrain login`,
+  `nextstrain whoami`, and `nextstrain remote` with nextstrain.org addresses,
+  no longer load AWS credentials, which they don't use.  Previously, a local
+  AWS profile using console login credentials (from `aws login`) caused these
+  commands to fail with an error about a missing `botocore[crt]` dependency.
+  ([#533](https://github.com/nextstrain/cli/issues/533), [#552](https://github.com/nextstrain/cli/pull/552))
 
 (v11-1-1)=
 ## 11.1.1 (22 October 2026)
diff --git a/nextstrain/cli/authn/session.py b/nextstrain/cli/authn/session.py
index f252bc1c..1fdaa620 100644
--- a/nextstrain/cli/authn/session.py
+++ b/nextstrain/cli/authn/session.py
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 import secrets
 
 from base64 import b64encode
+from botocore import UNSIGNED
+from botocore.config import Config
 from errno import EADDRINUSE
 from hashlib import sha256
 from http.server import ThreadingHTTPServer, BaseHTTPRequestHandler
@@ -704,7 +706,15 @@ def __init__(self, origin: Origin):
         self.user_pool_id     = self.client_configuration["aws_cognito_user_pool_id"]
         self.user_pool_region = self.user_pool_id.split("_")[0]
 
-        self.cognito = boto3.client("cognito-idp", region_name = self.user_pool_region)
+        # Cognito's user pool auth APIs (InitiateAuth, RespondToAuthChallenge)
+        # don't use AWS credentials, so don't load any.  Loading them can fail
+        # depending on local AWS configuration, e.g. a profile from `aws login`
+        # when the optional awscrt dependency isn't installed.
+        # <https://github.com/nextstrain/cli/issues/533>
+        self.cognito = boto3.client(
+            "cognito-idp",
+            region_name = self.user_pool_region,
+            config = Config(signature_version = UNSIGNED))
 
         self.can_authenticate_with_password = True