reza-gholizade/k8s-mcp-server
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A Kubernetes Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with Kubernetes clusters through a standardized interface.
Kubernetes MCP Server
A Kubernetes Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for interacting with Kubernetes clusters through a standardized interface.
Features
- API Resource Discovery: Get all available API resources in your Kubernetes cluster.
- Resource Listing: List resources of any type with optional namespace and label filtering.
- Resource Details: Get detailed information about specific Kubernetes resources.
- Resource Description: Get comprehensive descriptions of Kubernetes resources, similar to
kubectl describe
. - Pod Logs: Retrieve logs from specific pods (optionally from a specific container, or all containers if unspecified).
- Node Metrics: Get resource usage metrics for specific nodes.
- Pod Metrics: Get CPU and Memory metrics for specific pods.
- Event Listing: List events within a namespace or for a specific resource.
- Resource Creation/Updating: Create new Kubernetes resources or update existing ones from a YAML or JSON manifest.
- Resource Deletion: It deletes a resource in the Kubernetes cluster based on the provided namespace and kind.
- Standardized Interface: Uses the MCP protocol for consistent tool interaction.
- Flexible Configuration: Supports different Kubernetes contexts and resource scopes.
- Multiple Modes: Run in
stdio
mode for CLI tools,sse
mode, orstreamable-http
mode for web applications, and--readonly
for no change in the cluster. - Security: Runs as non-root user in Docker containers for enhanced security.
Prerequisites
- Go 1.23 or later
- Access to a Kubernetes cluster
kubectl
configured with appropriate cluster access
Installation
-
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/reza-gholizade/k8s-mcp-server.git cd k8s-mcp-server
-
Install dependencies:
go mod download
-
Build the server:
go build -o k8s-mcp-server main.go
Usage
Starting the Server
The server can run in three modes, configurable via command-line flags or environment variables.
Stdio Mode (for CLI integrations)
This mode uses standard input/output for communication.
./k8s-mcp-server --mode stdio
Or using environment variables:
SERVER_MODE=stdio ./k8s-mcp-server
SSE Mode (for web applications)
This mode starts an HTTP server with Server-Sent Events support.
Default (port 8080):
./k8s-mcp-server --mode sse
Specify a port:
./k8s-mcp-server --mode sse --port 9090
Or using environment variables:
SERVER_MODE=sse SERVER_PORT=9090 ./k8s-mcp-server
Streamable-HTTP Mode (for web applications)
This mode starts an HTTP server with streamable-http transport support, following the MCP specification.
Default (port 8080):
./k8s-mcp-server --mode streamable-http
Specify a port:
./k8s-mcp-server --mode streamable-http --port 9090
Or using environment variables:
SERVER_MODE=streamable-http SERVER_PORT=9090 ./k8s-mcp-server
The server will be available at http://localhost:8080/mcp
(or your specified port).
If no mode is specified, it defaults to SSE on port 8080.
Read-Only Mode
The server supports a read-only mode that disables all write operations, providing a safer way to explore and monitor your Kubernetes cluster without the risk of making changes.
Enable read-only mode with the --read-only
flag:
./k8s-mcp-server --read-only
You can combine read-only mode with any server mode:
# Read-only with stdio mode
./k8s-mcp-server --mode stdio --read-only
# Read-only with SSE mode
./k8s-mcp-server --mode sse --read-only
# Read-only with streamable-http mode
./k8s-mcp-server --mode streamable-http --read-only
When read-only mode is enabled, the following tools are disabled:
createResource
(Kubernetes resource creation/updates)helmInstall
(Helm chart installations)helmUpgrade
(Helm chart upgrades)helmUninstall
(Helm chart uninstallations)helmRollback
(Helm release rollbacks)helmRepoAdd
(Helm repository additions)
All other read-only operations remain available, including listing resources, getting logs, viewing metrics, and inspecting Helm releases.
Tool Category Flags
You can selectively disable entire categories of tools using these flags:
Disable Kubernetes Tools:
./k8s-mcp-server --no-k8s
Disable Helm Tools:
./k8s-mcp-server --no-helm
Combine with other flags:
# Read-only mode with only Kubernetes tools (no Helm)
./k8s-mcp-server --read-only --no-helm
# Read-only mode with only Helm tools (no Kubernetes)
./k8s-mcp-server --read-only --no-k8s
# SSE mode with only Kubernetes tools
./k8s-mcp-server --mode sse --no-helm
Note: You cannot use both --no-k8s
and --no-helm
together, as this would result in no available tools. The server will exit with an error if both flags are provided.
When --no-k8s
is enabled, all Kubernetes tools are disabled:
getAPIResources
,listResources
,getResource
,describeResource
getPodsLogs
,getNodeMetrics
,getPodMetrics
,getEvents
createResource
(if not in read-only mode)
When --no-helm
is enabled, all Helm tools are disabled:
helmList
,helmGet
,helmHistory
,helmRepoList
helmInstall
,helmUpgrade
,helmUninstall
,helmRollback
,helmRepoAdd
(if not in read-only mode)
Using the Docker Image
You can also run the server using the pre-built Docker image from Docker Hub.
-
Pull the image:
docker pull ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest
You can replace
latest
with a specific version tag (e.g.,1.0.0
). -
Run the container:
-
SSE Mode (default behavior of the image):
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v ~/.kube/config:/home/appuser/.kube/config:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest
This maps port 8080 of the container to port 8080 on your host and mounts your Kubernetes config read-only to the non-root user's home directory. The server will be available at
http://localhost:8080
. The image defaults tosse
mode on port8080
. -
Streamable-HTTP Mode:
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v ~/.kube/config:/home/appuser/.kube/config:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest --mode streamable-http
This runs the server in streamable-http mode. The server will be available at
http://localhost:8080/mcp
. -
Stdio Mode:
docker run -i --rm -v ~/.kube/config:/home/appuser/.kube/config:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest --mode stdio
The
-i
flag is important for interactive stdio communication.--rm
cleans up the container after exit. -
Custom Port for SSE Mode:
docker run -p 9090:9090 -v ~/.kube/config:/home/appuser/.kube/config:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest --mode sse --port 9090
-
Custom Port for Streamable-HTTP Mode:
docker run -p 9090:9090 -v ~/.kube/config:/home/appuser/.kube/config:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest --mode streamable-http --port 9090
-
Alternative: Mount entire .kube directory:
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v ~/.kube:/home/appuser/.kube:ro ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest
-
Using with Docker Compose
Create a docker-compose.yml
file:
version: '3.8'
services:
k8s-mcp-server:
image: ginnux/k8s-mcp-server:latest # Or a specific version
container_name: k8s-mcp-server
ports:
- "8080:8080" # Host:Container, adjust if using a different SERVER_PORT
volumes:
- ~/.kube:/home/appuser/.kube:ro # Mount kubeconfig read-only to non-root user home
environment:
- KUBECONFIG=/home/appuser/.kube/config
- SERVER_MODE=sse # Can be 'stdio', 'sse', or 'streamable-http'
- SERVER_PORT=8080 # Port for SSE/streamable-http modes
# command: ["--read-only"] # Uncomment this line to enable read-only mode
restart: unless-stopped
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 10s
retries: 3
start_period: 10s
# To run in stdio mode with docker-compose, you might need to adjust 'ports',
# add 'stdin_open: true' and 'tty: true', and potentially override the command.
# For example, to force stdio mode:
# command: ["--mode", "stdio"]
# stdin_open: true
# tty: true
# For streamable-http mode, simply change SERVER_MODE to 'streamable-http'
To enable read-only mode, use the command
override as shown above.
Then start with:
docker compose up -d
To see logs: docker compose logs -f k8s-mcp-server
.
Security Considerations
The Docker image runs as a non-root user (appuser
with UID 1001) for enhanced security:
- The application binary is located at
/usr/local/bin/k8s-mcp-server
- The kubeconfig should be mounted to
/home/appuser/.kube/config
- Health checks are enabled to monitor container status
- The container includes minimal dependencies (ca-certificates and curl only)
Making API Calls (SSE/Streamable-HTTP Mode)
Once the server is running in SSE or streamable-http mode, you can make JSON-RPC calls to its HTTP endpoint:
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getAPIResources",
"arguments": {
"includeNamespaceScoped": true,
"includeClusterScoped": true
}
}
}' http://localhost:8080/
You can also check the health status:
curl -f http://localhost:8080/
Available Tools
1. getAPIResources
Retrieves all available API resources in the Kubernetes cluster.
Parameters:
includeNamespaceScoped
(boolean, optional): Whether to include namespace-scoped resources (defaults to true).includeClusterScoped
(boolean, optional): Whether to include cluster-scoped resources (defaults to true).
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getAPIResources",
"arguments": {
"includeNamespaceScoped": true,
"includeClusterScoped": true
}
}
}
2. listResources
Lists all instances of a specific resource type.
Parameters:
Kind
(string, required): The kind of resource to list (e.g., "Pod", "Deployment").namespace
(string, optional): The namespace to list resources from. If omitted, lists across all namespaces for namespaced resources (subject to RBAC).labelSelector
(string, optional): Filter resources by label selector (e.g., "app=nginx,env=prod").
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "listResources",
"arguments": {
"Kind": "Pod",
"namespace": "default",
"labelSelector": "app=nginx"
}
}
}
3. getResource
Retrieves detailed information about a specific resource.
Parameters:
kind
(string, required): The kind of resource to get (e.g., "Pod", "Deployment").name
(string, required): The name of the resource to get.namespace
(string, optional): The namespace of the resource (required for namespaced resources).
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getResource",
"arguments": {
"kind": "Pod",
"name": "nginx-pod",
"namespace": "default"
}
}
}
4. describeResource
Describes a resource in the Kubernetes cluster, similar to kubectl describe
.
Parameters:
Kind
(string, required): The kind of resource to describe (e.g., "Pod", "Deployment").name
(string, required): The name of the resource to describe.namespace
(string, optional): The namespace of the resource (required for namespaced resources).
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "describeResource",
"arguments": {
"Kind": "Pod",
"name": "nginx-pod",
"namespace": "default"
}
}
}
5. getPodsLogs
Retrieves the logs of a specific pod.
Parameters:
Name
(string, required): The name of the pod.namespace
(string, required): The namespace of the pod.containerName
(string, optional): The specific container name within the pod. If omitted:- If the pod has one container, its logs are fetched.
- If the pod has multiple containers, logs from all containers are fetched and concatenated.
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getPodsLogs",
"arguments": {
"Name": "my-app-pod-12345",
"namespace": "production",
"containerName": "main-container"
}
}
}
6. getNodeMetrics
Retrieves resource usage metrics for a specific node.
Parameters:
Name
(string, required): The name of the node.
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getNodeMetrics",
"arguments": {
"Name": "worker-node-1"
}
}
}
7. getPodMetrics
Retrieves CPU and Memory metrics for a specific pod.
Parameters:
namespace
(string, required): The namespace of the pod.podName
(string, required): The name of the pod.
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getPodMetrics",
"arguments": {
"namespace": "default",
"podName": "my-app-pod-67890"
}
}
}
8. getEvents
Retrieves events for a specific namespace or resource.
Parameters:
namespace
(string, optional): The namespace to get events from. If omitted, events from all namespaces are considered (subject to RBAC).resourceName
(string, optional): The name of a specific resource (e.g., a Pod name) to filter events for.resourceKind
(string, optional): The kind of the specific resource (e.g., "Pod") ifresourceName
is provided.
Example (Namespace Events):
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getEvents",
"arguments": {
"namespace": "default"
}
}
}
Example (Resource Events):
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "getEvents",
"arguments": {
"namespace": "production",
"resourceName": "my-app-pod-12345",
"resourceKind": "Pod"
}
}
}
9. createOrUpdateResource
Creates a new resource or updates an existing one from a JSON manifest.
Parameters:
manifest
(string, required): The JSON manifest of the resource.namespace
(string, optional): The namespace in which to create/update the resource. If the manifest contains a namespace, this parameter can be used to override it. If not provided and the manifest doesn't specify one, "default" might be assumed or it might be an error depending on the resource type.
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "createResource",
"arguments": {
"kind": "Deployment",
"namespace": "default",
"manifest": "{\"apiVersion\":\"apps/v1\",\"kind\":\"Deployment\",\"metadata\":{\"name\":\"nginx-deployment\"},\"spec\":{\"replicas\":1,\"selector\":{\"matchLabels\":{\"app\":\"nginx\"}},\"template\":{\"metadata\":{\"labels\":{\"app\":\"nginx\"}},\"spec\":{\"containers\":[{\"name\":\"nginx\",\"image\":\"nginx:latest\"}]}}}}"
}
}
}
10. createOrUpdateResourceYAML
Creates a new resource or updates an existing one from a YAML manifest. This tool is specifically optimized for YAML input and provides better error handling for YAML parsing issues.
Parameters:
manifest
(string, required): The YAML manifest of the resource.namespace
(string, optional): The namespace in which to create/update the resource. If the manifest contains a namespace, this parameter can be used to override it. If not provided and the manifest doesn't specify one, "default" might be assumed or it might be an error depending on the resource type.kind
(string, optional): The kind of the resource. If not provided, the kind will be inferred from the YAML manifest.
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "createOrUpdateResourceYAML",
"arguments": {
"namespace": "default",
"manifest": "apiVersion: v1\nkind: Pod\nmetadata:\n name: my-new-pod\nspec:\n containers:\n - name: nginx\n image: nginx:latest"
}
}
}
11. deleteResource
Deletes a specific resource from the Kubernetes cluster.
Parameters:
kind
(string, required): The type of resource to delete.name
(string, required): The name of the resource to delete.namespace
(string, optional): The namespace of the resource (required for namespaced resources).
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "deleteResource",
"arguments": {
"kind": "Pod",
"name": "my-pod",
"namespace": "default"
}
}
}
Helm Operations
12. helmInstall
Install a Helm chart to the Kubernetes cluster.
Parameters:
releaseName
(string, required): Name of the Helm releasechartName
(string, required): Name or path of the Helm chartnamespace
(string, optional): Kubernetes namespace for the release (defaults to "default")repoURL
(string, optional): Helm repository URLvalues
(object, optional): Values to override in the chart
Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "helmInstall",
"arguments": {
"releaseName": "my-nginx",
"chartName": "bitnami/nginx",
"namespace": "web",
"repoURL": "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami",
"values": {
"replicaCount": 3,
"service": {
"type": "LoadBalancer"
}
}
}
}
}
13. helmUpgrade
Upgrade an existing Helm release.
Parameters:
releaseName
(string, required): Name of the Helm releasechartName
(string, required): Name or path of the Helm chartnamespace
(string, required): Kubernetes namespace for the release (defaults to "default")repoURL
(string, required): Helm repository URLvalues
(object, required): Values to override in the chart Example:
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "helmUpgrade",
"arguments": {
"releaseName": "my-nginx",
"chartName": "nginx",
"namespace": "web",
"repoURL": "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami",
"values": {
"replicaCount": 2,
"service": {
"type": "NodePort"
}
}
}
}
}
14. helmList
List all Helm releases in the cluster or a specific namespace.
15. helmGet
Get details of a specific Helm release.
16. helmHistory
Get the history of a Helm release.
17. helmRollback
Rollback a Helm release to a previous revision.
18. helmUninstall
Uninstall a Helm release from the Kubernetes cluster.
Adding New Tools
- Define the Tool: In
tools/tools.go
, define a function that returns anmcp.Tool
structure. This includes the tool's name, description, and input/output schemas. - Implement the Handler: In
handlers/handlers.go
, create a handler function. This function takes*k8s.Client
as an argument and returns a function with the signaturefunc(context.Context, mcp.ToolInput) (mcp.ToolOutput, error)
. This inner function will contain the logic for your tool. - Register the Tool: In
main.go
, add your new tool to the MCP server instance usings.AddTool(tools.YourToolDefinitionFunction(), handlers.YourToolHandlerFunction(client))
.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please see for details on how to contribute to this project.
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the file for details.
VS Code Integration
Quick Setup
Automatic Installation (Recommended)
macOS/Linux:
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/reza-gholizade/k8s-mcp-server/main/scripts/install-vscode-config.sh | bash
Windows (PowerShell):
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/reza-gholizade/k8s-mcp-server/main/scripts/install-vscode-config.ps1'))
Manual Installation
-
Install the MCP extension in VS Code:
code --install-extension modelcontextprotocol.mcp
-
Add to your VS Code settings.json:
Open VS Code settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,) → Open Settings JSON → Add:
macOS/Linux:
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server", "args": ["--mode", "stdio"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:HOME}/.kube/config" } } } }
Read-Only Mode (recommended for safety):
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server", "args": ["--mode", "stdio", "--read-only"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:HOME}/.kube/config" } } } }
Kubernetes Tools Only:
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server", "args": ["--mode", "stdio", "--no-helm"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:HOME}/.kube/config" } } } }
Helm Tools Only:
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server", "args": ["--mode", "stdio", "--no-k8s"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:HOME}/.kube/config" } } } }
Read-Only with Kubernetes Tools Only:
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server", "args": ["--mode", "stdio", "--read-only", "--no-helm"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:HOME}/.kube/config" } } } }
Windows:
{ "mcp.mcpServers": { "k8s-mcp-server": { "command": "k8s-mcp-server.exe", "args": ["--mode", "stdio"], "env": { "KUBECONFIG": "${env:USERPROFILE}/.kube/config" } } } }
-
Ensure the binary is in your PATH:
Download the appropriate binary from the releases page and add it to your system PATH.
-
Restart VS Code
Usage in VS Code
Once configured, you can use the Kubernetes MCP server in VS Code with Claude or other MCP-compatible tools:
- Open VS Code
- Access Claude (or other MCP-enabled AI assistant)
- Use natural language to interact with your Kubernetes cluster:
- "List all pods in the default namespace"
- "Show me the logs for pod nginx-123"
- "Get the CPU usage for worker-node-1"
- "Describe the deployment called my-app"
Configuration Options
You can customize the configuration by modifying the settings:
{
"mcp.mcpServers": {
"k8s-mcp-server": {
"command": "k8s-mcp-server",
"args": ["--mode", "stdio"],
"env": {
"KUBECONFIG": "/path/to/your/kubeconfig",
"KUBERNETES_CONTEXT": "your-context-name"
}
}
}
}
Troubleshooting
- Binary not found: Ensure
k8s-mcp-server
is in your PATH - Kubernetes connection issues: Verify your
KUBECONFIG
path is correct - Permission errors: Ensure your kubeconfig has the necessary RBAC permissions
- Extension not loading: Restart VS Code after configuration changes