Inspektor Gadget MCP Server

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7 
8# Inspektor Gadget MCP Server
9 
10AI-powered debugging and inspection for Kubernetes clusters using Inspektor Gadget.
11 
12https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/86367982-c0aa-455c-ac9e-ca43348899df
13 
14## Features
15 
16- AI-powered interface for Kubernetes troubleshooting and monitoring
17- One-click Inspektor Gadget deployment and removal
18- Intelligent output summarization and analysis
19- Automatic gadget discovery from Artifact Hub
20 
21## Quick Start
22 
231. Ensure you have Docker and a valid `kubeconfig` file
242. Configure the MCP server in VS Code (see [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md))
253. Start using AI commands in VS Code Copilot Chat
264. Try: "Show me DNS traffic" or "Deploy Inspektor Gadget"
275. Head to [examples](examples/README.md) for detailed examples.
28 
29## Installation
30 
31You can use the following commands to quickly configure the Inspektor Gadget MCP server using either Docker or a binary in your VS Code settings.
32 
33### Docker
34 
35<summary>
36  <details>
37    <summary>Install Inspektor Gadget MCP Server - Artifact Hub Discovery</summary>
38    <pre><code>code --add-mcp '{
39  "name": "inspektor-gadget",
40  "command": "docker",
41  "args": [
42    "run",
43    "-i",
44    "--rm",
45    "--volume",
46    "ig-mcp-cache:/root/.cache/ig-mcp-server",
47    "--mount",
48    "type=bind,src=${env:HOME}/.kube/config,dst=/kubeconfig",
49    "ghcr.io/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server:latest",
50    "-gadget-discoverer=artifacthub"
51  ]
52}'</code></pre>
53  </details>
54<details>
55    <summary>Install Inspektor Gadget MCP Server - Specific Gadgets</summary>
56    <pre><code>code --add-mcp '{
57  "name": "inspektor-gadget",
58  "command": "docker",
59  "args": [
60    "run",
61    "-i",
62    "--rm",
63    "--volume",
64    "ig-mcp-cache:/root/.cache/ig-mcp-server",
65    "--mount",
66    "type=bind,src=${env:HOME}/.kube/config,dst=/kubeconfig",
67    "ghcr.io/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server:latest",
68    "-gadget-images=trace_dns:latest,trace_tcp:latest,snapshot_process:latest,snapshot_socket:latest"
69  ]
70}'</code></pre>
71  </details>
72</summary>
73 
74### Binary
75 
76You can head to the [Releases](https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases) page and download the latest binary for your platform:
77 
78<summary>
79  <details>
80    <summary>Linux</summary>
81    <pre><code>MCP_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)
82MCP_ARCH=amd64
83curl -sL https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/download/${MCP_VERSION}/ig-mcp-server-linux-${MCP_ARCH}.tar.gz | sudo tar -C /usr/local/bin -xzf - ig-mcp-server
84</code></pre>
85  </details>
86  <details>
87    <summary>macOS</summary>
88    <pre><code>MCP_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)
89MCP_ARCH=arm64
90curl -sL https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/download/${MCP_VERSION}/ig-mcp-server-darwin-${MCP_ARCH}.tar.gz | sudo tar -C /usr/local/bin -xzf - ig-mcp-server
91</code></pre>
92  </details>
93  <details>
94    <summary>Windows</summary>
95    <pre><code>$MCP_VERSION = (curl.exe -s https://api.github.com/repos/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/latest | ConvertFrom-Json).tag_name
96$MCP_ARCH = "amd64"
97curl.exe -L "https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/releases/download/$MCP_VERSION/ig-mcp-server-windows-$MCP_ARCH.tar.gz" -o "ig-mcp-server.tar.gz"
98$destPath = "C:\Program Files\ig-mcp-server"
99if (-Not (Test-Path $destPath -PathType Container)) { mkdir $destPath}
100tar.exe -xzf "ig-mcp-server.tar.gz" -C "$destPath"
101rm ig-mcp-server.tar.gz
102Write-Host "✅ Extracted to $destPath"
103Write-Host "👉 Please add '$destPath' to your PATH environment variable manually."
104</code></pre>
105  </details>
106</summary>
107 
108After downloading, you can run the following command to add it to your VS Code MCP configuration.
109 
110<summary>
111  <details>
112    <summary>Install Inspektor Gadget MCP Server - Artifact Hub Discovery</summary>
113    <pre><code>code --add-mcp '{
114  "name": "inspektor-gadget",
115  "command": "ig-mcp-server",
116  "args": [
117    "-gadget-discoverer=artifacthub"
118  ]
119}'</code></pre>
120  </details>
121<details>
122    <summary>Install Inspektor Gadget MCP Server - Specific Gadgets</summary>
123    <pre><code>code --add-mcp '{
124    "name": "inspektor-gadget",
125    "command": "ig-mcp-server",
126    "args": [
127      "-gadget-images=trace_dns:latest,trace_tcp:latest"
128    ]
129}'</code></pre>
130    </details>
131</summary>
132 
133## Available Tools
134 
135### Inspektor Gadget Lifecycle
136 
137- **ig_deploy**: Manage deployment of Inspektor Gadget on target Kubernetes cluster
138 
139### Gadget Lifecycle
140 
141- **ig_gadgets**: Manage the lifecycle of running gadgets (stop/list/get-results)
142 
143### Dynamic Tools
144 
145Each gadget is registered as its own MCP tool (e.g., `gadget_trace_dns`, `gadget_trace_tcp`, etc.) and supports running gadgets in foreground mode, which is useful for debugging/development and also in background mode for observability.
146 
147Also, You can control which gadgets are available by configuring the MCP server with the `-gadget-discoverer` or `-gadget-images` options, allowing you to limit the tools to only those you need.
148 
149#### Gadget Discovery
150 
151Gadget discovery allows controlling which gadgets are available for use. You can choose between two methods:
152 
153- **Automatic**: Uses Artifact Hub (`-gadget-discoverer=artifacthub`)
154- **Manual**: Specify gadgets directly (`-gadget-images=trace_dns:latest`)
155 
156![Gadget Tools](media/gadget-tools.png)
157 
158See [INSTALL.md](INSTALL.md) for configuration options.
159 
160## Security Notes
161 
162- Requires read-only access to your kubeconfig file
163- Needs network access for Artifact Hub discovery
164- See [security guide](SECURITY.md) for setting up server with minimal permissions
165 
166## Resources
167 
168- 📖 [Documentation](https://inspektor-gadget.io/docs/)
169- 🔍 [Examples](examples/README.md)
170- 🐛 [Issues](https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/ig-mcp-server/issues)
171- 💬 [Slack](https://kubernetes.slack.com/channels/inspektor-gadget)
172- 🌐 [Website](https://inspektor-gadget.io/)
173- 📋 [Troubleshooting](TROUBLESHOOTING.md)
174- 🔒 [Security Guide](SECURITY.md)
175 
176## Related Projects
177 
178- [Inspektor Gadget](https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/inspektor-gadget) - Kubernetes debugging tool
179- [MCP Specification](https://spec.modelcontextprotocol.io/) - Model Context Protocol
180 
181## License
182 
183Apache License 2.0 - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
184