MCP Server Kubernetes

What is MCP Server Kubernetes about?

Provides an MCP server that can automatically load kubeconfig, connect to the current kubectl context, and expose a rich set of Kubernetes management tools (kubectl commands, Helm operations, port‑forwarding, troubleshooting prompts, and a non‑destructive mode).

How to use MCP Server Kubernetes?

Add the server to your Claude Desktop or mcp‑chat configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"]
    }
  }
}

Run the server with npx mcp-server-kubernetes. Use environment variable ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS=true to enable read‑only mode. The server will immediately connect to the kubeconfig found at ~/.kube/config (or other configured sources).

Key features of MCP Server Kubernetes

Automatic kubeconfig discovery (home directory, env vars, custom paths)
Unified API exposing common kubectl actions: kubectl_get, kubectl_describe, kubectl_create, kubectl_apply, kubectl_delete, kubectl_logs, kubectl_scale, kubectl_patch, kubectl_rollout, kubectl_generic, kubectl_context, list_api_resources, explain_resource, port_forward, stop_port_forward
Helm support: install, upgrade, uninstall charts with custom values
Built‑in troubleshooting prompt k8s-diagnose for systematic pod analysis
Non‑destructive mode that disables delete‑type operations while keeping read and create/update capabilities
Secrets masking for safe display of secret resources
Ping tool to verify connectivity

Use cases of MCP Server Kubernetes

Automating routine cluster administration tasks from AI assistants or chat interfaces
Providing a safe, read‑only view of production clusters for auditors or support teams
Integrating Helm chart lifecycle management into conversational workflows
Rapid troubleshooting of pod failures via the k8s-diagnose prompt
Enabling developers to run kubectl commands without installing the full CLI locally (via the MCP transport layer)

FAQ from the MCP Server Kubernetes

Q: Which kubeconfig locations are supported? A: The server loads from ~/.kube/config by default, then checks environment variables (KUBECONFIG), custom paths set in ADVANCED_README.md, and other standard locations.

Q: Do I need Helm installed on the host? A: Yes, Helm v3 must be in the PATH for Helm‑related tools; the server itself does not bundle Helm.

Q: How can I enable read‑only mode? A: Prefix the command with ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS=true, e.g., ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS=true npx mcp-server-kubernetes.

Q: What if a destructive tool is needed temporarily? A: Remove or unset the ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS variable to re‑enable all tools.

Q: Can I run the server on Windows? A: Yes, with Bun or Node.js installed; the same npx command works across platforms.

Q: How do I test the server locally? A: Use bun run dev for hot‑reload development, bun run test for unit tests, or the Inspector tool (npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js).

MCP Server that can connect to a Kubernetes cluster and manage it. Supports loading kubeconfig from multiple sources in priority order.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f25f8f4e-4d04-479b-9ae0-5dac452dd2ed

Installation & Usage

Prerequisites

Before using this MCP server with any tool, make sure you have:

kubectl installed and in your PATH
A valid kubeconfig file with contexts configured
Access to a Kubernetes cluster configured for kubectl (e.g. minikube, Rancher Desktop, GKE, etc.)
Helm v3 installed and in your PATH (no Tiller required). Optional if you don't plan to use Helm.

You can verify your connection by running kubectl get pods in a terminal to ensure you can connect to your cluster without credential issues.

By default, the server loads kubeconfig from ~/.kube/config. For additional authentication options (environment variables, custom paths, etc.), see ADVANCED_README.md.

Claude Code

Add the MCP server to Claude Code using the built-in command:

claude mcp add kubernetes -- npx mcp-server-kubernetes

This will automatically configure the server in your Claude Code MCP settings.

Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop Connector via mcpb

MCP Server Kubernetes is also available as a mcpb (formerly dxt) extension. In Claude Desktop, go to Settings (Cmd+, on Mac) -> Extensions -> Browse Extensions and scroll to find mcp-server-kubernetes in the modal. Install it & it will install & utilize kubectl via command line & your kubeconfig.

To manually install, you can also get the .mcpb by going to the latest Release and downloading it.

VS Code

For VS Code integration, you can use the MCP server with extensions that support the Model Context Protocol:

Install a compatible MCP extension (such as Claude Dev or similar MCP clients)
Configure the extension to use this server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"],
      "description": "Kubernetes cluster management and operations"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Cursor supports MCP servers through its AI integration. Add the server to your Cursor MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"]
    }
  }
}

The server will automatically connect to your current kubectl context. You can verify the connection by asking the AI assistant to list your pods or create a test deployment.

Usage with mcp-chat

mcp-chat is a CLI chat client for MCP servers. You can use it to interact with the Kubernetes server.

npx mcp-chat --server "npx mcp-server-kubernetes"

Alternatively, pass it your existing Claude Desktop configuration file from above (Linux should pass the correct path to config):

Mac:

npx mcp-chat --config "~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json"

Windows:

npx mcp-chat --config "%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json"

Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI allows you to install mcp servers as extensions. From a shell, install the extension by pointing to this repo:

gemini extensions install https://github.com/Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetes

Features

Connect to a Kubernetes cluster
Unified kubectl API for managing resources
- Get or list resources with kubectl_get
- Describe resources with kubectl_describe
- List resources with kubectl_get
- Create resources with kubectl_create
- Apply YAML manifests with kubectl_apply
- Delete resources with kubectl_delete
- Get logs with kubectl_logs
- Manage kubectl contexts with kubectl_context
- Explain Kubernetes resources with explain_resource
- List API resources with list_api_resources
- Scale resources with kubectl_scale
- Update field(s) of a resource with kubectl_patch
- Manage deployment rollouts with kubectl_rollout
- Execute any kubectl command with kubectl_generic
- Verify connection with ping
Advanced operations
- Scale deployments with kubectl_scale (replaces legacy scale_deployment)
- Port forward to pods and services with port_forward
- Run Helm operations
  - Install, upgrade, and uninstall charts
  - Support for custom values, repositories, and versions
  - Template-based installation (helm_template_apply) to bypass authentication issues
  - Template-based uninstallation (helm_template_uninstall) to bypass authentication issues
- Pod cleanup operations
  - Clean up problematic pods (cleanup_pods) in states: Evicted, ContainerStatusUnknown, Completed, Error, ImagePullBackOff, CrashLoopBackOff
- Node management operations
  - Cordoning, draining, and uncordoning nodes (node_management) for maintenance and scaling operations
Troubleshooting Prompt (k8s-diagnose)
- Guides through a systematic Kubernetes troubleshooting flow for pods based on a keyword and optional namespace.
Non-destructive mode for read and create/update-only access to clusters
Secrets masking for security (masks sensitive data in kubectl get secrets commands, does not affect logs)

Prompts

The MCP Kubernetes server includes specialized prompts to assist with common diagnostic operations.

/k8s-diagnose Prompt

This prompt provides a systematic troubleshooting flow for Kubernetes pods. It accepts a keyword to identify relevant pods and an optional namespace to narrow the search. The prompt's output will guide you through an autonomous troubleshooting flow, providing instructions for identifying issues, collecting evidence, and suggesting remediation steps.

Local Development

Make sure that you have bun installed. Clone the repo & install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetes.git
cd mcp-server-kubernetes
bun install

Development Workflow

Start the server in development mode (watches for file changes):

bun run dev

Run unit tests:

bun run test

Build the project:

bun run build

Local Testing with Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js
# Follow further instructions on terminal for Inspector link

Local testing with Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-server-kubernetes": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/your/mcp-server-kubernetes/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Local testing with mcp-chat

bun run chat

Contributing

See the CONTRIBUTING.md file for details.

Advanced

Non-Destructive Mode

You can run the server in a non-destructive mode that disables all destructive operations (delete pods, delete deployments, delete namespaces, etc.):

ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS=true npx mcp-server-kubernetes

For Claude Desktop configuration with non-destructive mode:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes-readonly": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"],
      "env": {
        "ALLOW_ONLY_NON_DESTRUCTIVE_TOOLS": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Commands Available in Non-Destructive Mode

All read-only and resource creation/update operations remain available:

Resource Information: kubectl_get, kubectl_describe, kubectl_logs, explain_resource, list_api_resources
Resource Creation/Modification: kubectl_apply, kubectl_create, kubectl_scale, kubectl_patch, kubectl_rollout
Helm Operations: install_helm_chart, upgrade_helm_chart, helm_template_apply, helm_template_uninstall
Connectivity: port_forward, stop_port_forward
Context Management: kubectl_context

Commands Disabled in Non-Destructive Mode

The following destructive operations are disabled:

kubectl_delete: Deleting any Kubernetes resources
uninstall_helm_chart: Uninstalling Helm charts
cleanup: Cleanup of managed resources
cleanup_pods: Cleaning up problematic pods
node_management: Node management operations (can drain nodes)
kubectl_generic: General kubectl command access (may include destructive operations)

For additional advanced features, see the ADVANCED_README.md and also the docs folder for specific information on helm_install, helm_template_apply, node management & pod cleanup.

Architecture

See this DeepWiki link for a more indepth architecture overview created by Devin.

This section describes the high-level architecture of the MCP Kubernetes server.

Request Flow

The sequence diagram below illustrates how requests flow through the system:

sequenceDiagram participant Client participant Transport as Transport Layer participant Server as MCP Server participant Filter as Tool Filter participant Handler as Request Handler participant K8sManager as KubernetesManager participant K8s as Kubernetes API Note over Transport: StdioTransport or<br>SSE Transport Client->>Transport: Send Request Transport->>Server: Forward Request alt Tools Request Server->>Filter: Filter available tools Note over Filter: Remove destructive tools<br>if in non-destructive mode Filter->>Handler: Route to tools handler alt kubectl operations Handler->>K8sManager: Execute kubectl operation K8sManager->>K8s: Make API call else Helm operations Handler->>K8sManager: Execute Helm operation K8sManager->>K8s: Make API call else Port Forward operations Handler->>K8sManager: Set up port forwarding K8sManager->>K8s: Make API call end K8s-->>K8sManager: Return result K8sManager-->>Handler: Process response Handler-->>Server: Return tool result else Resource Request Server->>Handler: Route to resource handler Handler->>K8sManager: Get resource data K8sManager->>K8s: Query API K8s-->>K8sManager: Return data K8sManager-->>Handler: Format response Handler-->>Server: Return resource data end Server-->>Transport: Send Response Transport-->>Client: Return Final Response

See this DeepWiki link for a more indepth architecture overview created by Devin.

Publishing new release

Go to the releases page, click on "Draft New Release", click "Choose a tag" and create a new tag by typing out a new version number using "v{major}.{minor}.{patch}" semver format. Then, write a release title "Release v{major}.{minor}.{patch}" and description / changelog if necessary and click "Publish Release".

This will create a new tag which will trigger a new release build via the cd.yml workflow. Once successful, the new release will be published to npm. Note that there is no need to update the package.json version manually, as the workflow will automatically update the version number in the package.json file & push a commit to main.

Not planned

Adding clusters to kubectx.

Star History

🖊️ Cite

If you find this repo useful, please cite:

@software{Patel_MCP_Server_Kubernetes_2024,
author = {Patel, Paras and Sonwalkar, Suyog},
month = jul,
title = {{MCP Server Kubernetes}},
url = {https://github.com/Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetes},
version = {2.5.0},
year = {2024}
}

MCP Server Kubernetes