Shabrinath/eks-mcp-server-with-cursor

Setting up AWS EKS MCP Server with Cursor on macOS

This guide will walk you through setting up the AWS EKS MCP (Model Context Protocol) server with Cursor IDE on macOS. The MCP server enables Cursor to interact with your AWS EKS clusters directly, providing powerful Kubernetes management capabilities.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your macOS system:

1. Required Software

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
• Cursor IDE - Download from cursor.sh
• Python 3.8+ - Install via python.org or Homebrew
• Git - For version control

2. AWS Prerequisites

• AWS CLI - Install via Homebrew or download from AWS
• AWS Account with appropriate permissions
• EKS Cluster (existing or you'll create one)
• AWS Credentials configured

3. Homebrew (Recommended)

If you don't have Homebrew installed, install it first:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Installation Steps

Step 1: Install Python and uv

The AWS EKS MCP server requires Python and the uv package manager for optimal performance.

# Install Python via Homebrew
brew install python

# Install uv package manager
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Restart your terminal or source your shell profile
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bash_profile for bash users

Step 2: Install AWS CLI

# Install AWS CLI via Homebrew
brew install awscli

# Verify installation
aws --version

Step 3: Configure AWS Credentials

# Configure your AWS credentials
aws configure

# You'll be prompted for:
# - AWS Access Key ID
# - AWS Secret Access Key
# - Default region (e.g., us-west-2)
# - Default output format (json)

Alternative: Use AWS SSO (Recommended for enterprise users)

aws configure sso

Step 4: Install Cursor IDE

1. Download Cursor from cursor.sh
2. Install the downloaded .dmg file
3. Launch Cursor and complete the initial setup

Step 5: Configure MCP Server in Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings:

   • Press Cmd + , (Command + Comma)
   • Or go to Cursor > Settings

2. Navigate to MCP Settings:

   • Search for "MCP" in the settings search bar
   • Or navigate to AI > MCP Servers

3. Add the EKS MCP Server:

   • Click "Add Server"
   • Use the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "awslabs.eks-mcp-server": {
      "autoApprove": [],
      "disabled": false,
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "awslabs.eks-mcp-server@latest",
        "--allow-write",
        "--allow-sensitive-data-access"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FASTMCP_LOG_LEVEL": "ERROR"
      },
      "transportType": "stdio"
    }
  }
}

Step 6: Verify Installation

1. Restart Cursor after adding the MCP server
2. Open Command Palette (Cmd + Shift + P)
3. Type "MCP" to see available MCP commands
4. Test the connection by running an MCP command

Configuration Options

MCP Server Flags

The EKS MCP server supports several configuration flags:

• --allow-write: Enables write operations (create, update, delete resources)
• --allow-sensitive-data-access: Allows access to sensitive data like logs and secrets
• --log-level: Set logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR)

Environment Variables

You can configure additional environment variables:

"env": {
  "FASTMCP_LOG_LEVEL": "ERROR",
  "AWS_DEFAULT_REGION": "us-west-2",
  "AWS_PROFILE": "your-profile-name"
}

Sample Prompts for Cursor Chat

Try these prompts in Cursor's chat interface to interact with your EKS cluster:

Quick Start

• "Show me all pods in the default namespace"
• "List all services across all namespaces"
• "Get logs from the nginx pod"
• "What's the status of my deployments?"

Common Operations

• "Deploy nginx with 3 replicas"
• "Scale my frontend to 5 replicas"
• "Why is my pod stuck in Pending?"
• "Show me recent pod failures"

Troubleshooting

• "Get events for the failing pod"
• "Check CPU/memory usage of my pods"
• "Show me logs from the last 10 minutes"
• "What's causing high memory usage?"

Tips

• Be specific (mention namespaces, pod names)
• Use natural language
• Ask follow-up questions
• Reference previous findings

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. MCP Server Not Starting

Problem: The MCP server fails to start or shows connection errors.

Solutions:

• Verify Python and uv are installed: uv --version
• Check AWS credentials: aws sts get-caller-identity
• Ensure the MCP configuration is correct in Cursor settings
• Check Cursor's developer console for error messages

2. Permission Denied Errors

Problem: Getting permission errors when trying to access EKS resources.

Solutions:

• Verify your AWS user/role has EKS permissions
• Check if your EKS cluster is accessible from your current AWS profile
• Ensure the cluster's security groups allow your IP address

3. uv Command Not Found

Problem: Cursor can't find the uv command.

Solutions:

• Ensure uv is in your PATH: which uv
• Restart Cursor after installing uv
• Use absolute path to uv in MCP configuration if needed

4. AWS Region Issues

Problem: MCP server can't find your EKS cluster.

Solutions:

• Verify the correct AWS region is configured
• Check if your EKS cluster exists in the configured region
• Use aws eks list-clusters to verify cluster names

Debug Mode

To enable debug logging, modify the MCP configuration:

"env": {
  "FASTMCP_LOG_LEVEL": "DEBUG"
}

Security Considerations

1. IAM Permissions

• Use the principle of least privilege
• Only grant necessary EKS permissions
• Consider using AWS SSO for enterprise environments

2. Network Security

• Ensure your EKS cluster's security groups are properly configured
• Use private subnets when possible
• Consider using AWS VPN or Direct Connect for secure access

3. Credential Management

• Never commit AWS credentials to version control
• Use AWS IAM roles when possible
• Rotate access keys regularly

Support and Resources

Official Documentation

• AWS EKS Documentation
• Cursor Documentation
• MCP Protocol Specification

Community Resources

• AWS EKS Community
• Cursor Discord
• MCP Community

License

This guide is provided as-is for educational purposes. Please refer to the respective licenses for AWS EKS, Cursor IDE, and the MCP server.

Note: This guide assumes you have basic familiarity with AWS, Kubernetes, and command-line tools. If you're new to these technologies, consider reviewing the official documentation first.