MCP Server that can connect to a Kubernetes cluster and manage it. Supports loading kubeconfig from multiple sources in priority order. Before using this MCP server with any tool, make sure you have: 1. kubectl installed and in your PATH 2. A valid kubeconfig file with contexts configured 3. Access to a Kubernetes cluster configured for kubectl (e.g. minikube, Rancher Desktop, GKE, etc.) 4. Helm v
Add this skill
npx mdskills install Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetesComprehensive Kubernetes management with extensive tool coverage and strong security options
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
Before using this MCP server with any tool, make sure you have:
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.
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.
Add the following configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubernetes": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"]
}
}
}
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.
For VS Code integration, you can use the MCP server with extensions that support the Model Context Protocol:
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubernetes": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-server-kubernetes"],
"description": "Kubernetes cluster management and operations"
}
}
}
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.
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 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
kubectl_getkubectl_describekubectl_getkubectl_createkubectl_applykubectl_deletekubectl_logskubectl_contextexplain_resourcelist_api_resourceskubectl_scalekubectl_patchkubectl_rolloutkubectl_genericpingkubectl_scale (replaces legacy scale_deployment)port_forwardhelm_template_apply) to bypass authentication issueshelm_template_uninstall) to bypass authentication issuescleanup_pods) in states: Evicted, ContainerStatusUnknown, Completed, Error, ImagePullBackOff, CrashLoopBackOffnode_management) for maintenance and scaling operationsk8s-diagnose)
kubectl get secrets commands, does not affect logs)The MCP Kubernetes server includes specialized prompts to assist with common diagnostic operations.
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.
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
bun run dev
bun run test
bun run build
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js
# Follow further instructions on terminal for Inspector link
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-kubernetes": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/your/mcp-server-kubernetes/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
bun run chat
See the CONTRIBUTING.md file for details.
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"
}
}
}
}
All read-only and resource creation/update operations remain available:
kubectl_get, kubectl_describe, kubectl_logs, explain_resource, list_api_resourceskubectl_apply, kubectl_create, kubectl_scale, kubectl_patch, kubectl_rolloutinstall_helm_chart, upgrade_helm_chart, helm_template_apply, helm_template_uninstallport_forward, stop_port_forwardkubectl_contextThe following destructive operations are disabled:
kubectl_delete: Deleting any Kubernetes resourcesuninstall_helm_chart: Uninstalling Helm chartscleanup: Cleanup of managed resourcescleanup_pods: Cleaning up problematic podsnode_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.
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.
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
SSE Transport
Client->>Transport: Send Request
Transport->>Server: Forward Request
alt Tools Request
Server->>Filter: Filter available tools
Note over Filter: Remove destructive tools
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.
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.
Adding clusters to kubectx.
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}
}
Install via CLI
npx mdskills install Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetesMCP Server Kubernetes is a free, open-source AI agent skill. MCP Server that can connect to a Kubernetes cluster and manage it. Supports loading kubeconfig from multiple sources in priority order. Before using this MCP server with any tool, make sure you have: 1. kubectl installed and in your PATH 2. A valid kubeconfig file with contexts configured 3. Access to a Kubernetes cluster configured for kubectl (e.g. minikube, Rancher Desktop, GKE, etc.) 4. Helm v
Install MCP Server Kubernetes with a single command:
npx mdskills install Flux159/mcp-server-kubernetesThis downloads the skill files into your project and your AI agent picks them up automatically.
MCP Server Kubernetes works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Vscode Copilot, Windsurf, Continue Dev, Gemini Cli, Amp, Roo Code, Goose. Skills use the open SKILL.md format which is compatible with any AI coding agent that reads markdown instructions.