mcp-k8s-go

What is mcp-k8s-go?

mcp-k8s-go is a Golang-based server that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to interact with Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to browse and manage Kubernetes resources such as pods, logs, events, and namespaces, providing a programmatic interface for various tools and applications.

How to use mcp-k8s-go?

mcp-k8s-go can be used in several ways:

• With Inspector: Run npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @strowk/mcp-k8s to use the latest published version.
• With Claude Desktop: Multiple installation options are available:
  • Smithery: npx -y @smithery/cli install @strowk/mcp-k8s --client claude
  • mcp-get: npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @strowk/mcp-k8s
  • Pre-built NPM: npm install -g @strowk/mcp-k8s and configure claude_desktop_config.json.
  • GitHub Releases: Download pre-built binaries from GitHub releases, place mcp-k8s-go in your PATH, and configure claude_desktop_config.json.
  • Building from Source: Requires Golang. Use go get github.com/strowk/mcp-k8s-go and go install github.com/strowk/mcp-k8s-go, then configure claude_desktop_config.json.
  • Using Docker: Run with docker run -i -v ~/.kube/config:/home/nonroot/.kube/config --rm mcpk8s/server:latest and configure claude_desktop_config.json.

Environment variables and command-line options like KUBECONFIG, --allowed-contexts, and --readonly can be used for configuration.

Key Features of mcp-k8s-go

• List Kubernetes contexts, namespaces, and nodes.
• List and retrieve any Kubernetes resources, including custom mappings for pods, services, and deployments.
• Get Kubernetes events and pod logs.
• Run commands within Kubernetes pods.
• Extensible design.

Use Cases of mcp-k8s-go

• Kubernetes Resource Management: Programmatically interact with and manage various Kubernetes resources.
• Integration with AI Tools: Facilitate AI models like Claude Desktop in understanding and interacting with Kubernetes clusters for tasks like log analysis and resource monitoring.
• Automated Operations: Enable automation of Kubernetes-related tasks through scripting and integration with other tools.

FAQ about mcp-k8s-go

Q: What is MCP? A: MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, which is a protocol designed to help AI models understand and interact with various contexts and tools.

Q: Can I restrict access to certain Kubernetes contexts? A: Yes, you can use the --allowed-contexts command-line option to specify a comma-separated list of allowed Kubernetes contexts.

Q: Can I run mcp-k8s-go in read-only mode? A: Yes, you can use the --readonly command-line option to disable any tools that can write changes to the cluster.

Features

MCP 💬 prompt 🗂️ resource 🤖 tool

• 🗂️🤖 List Kubernetes contexts
• 💬🤖 List Kubernetes namespaces
• 🤖 List and get any Kubernetes resources
  • includes custom mappings for resources like pods, services, deployments, but any resource can be listed and retrieved
• 🤖 List Kubernetes nodes
• 💬 List Kubernetes pods
• 🤖 Get Kubernetes events
• 🤖 Get Kubernetes pod logs
• 🤖 Run command in Kubernetes pod

Browse With Inspector

To use latest published version with Inspector you can run this:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @strowk/mcp-k8s

Use With Claude

Following chat with Claude Desktop demonstrates how it looks when selected particular context as a resource and then asked to check pod logs for errors in kube-system namespace:

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop (or any other client) you might need to choose which way of installation to use.

You have multiple options:

	Smithery	mcp-get	Pre-built NPM	Pre-built in Github	From sources	Using Docker
Claude Setup	Auto	Auto	Manual	Manual	Manual	Manual
Prerequisite	Node.js	Node.js	Node.js	None	Golang	Docker

Using Smithery

To install MCP K8S Go for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @strowk/mcp-k8s --client claude

Using mcp-get

To install MCP K8S Go for Claude Desktop automatically via mcp-get:

npx @michaellatman/mcp-get@latest install @strowk/mcp-k8s

Manually with prebuilt binaries

Prebuilt from npm

Use this if you have npm installed and want to use pre-built binaries:

npm install -g @strowk/mcp-k8s

Then check version by running mcp-k8s --version and if this printed installed version, you can proceed to add configuration to claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_k8s": {
      "command": "mcp-k8s",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

, or using npx with any client:

npx @strowk/mcp-k8s

For example for Claude:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_k8s": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@strowk/mcp-k8s"
      ]
    }
  }
}

From GitHub releases

Head to GitHub releases and download the latest release for your platform.

Unpack the archive, which would contain binary named mcp-k8s-go, put that binary somewhere in your PATH and then add the following configuration to the claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_k8s": {
      "command": "mcp-k8s-go",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Building from source

You would need Golang installed to build this project:

go get github.com/strowk/mcp-k8s-go
go install github.com/strowk/mcp-k8s-go

, and then add the following configuration to the claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_k8s_go": {
      "command": "mcp-k8s-go",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Using Docker

This server is built and published to Docker Hub since 0.3.1-beta.2 release with multi-arch images available for linux/amd64 and linux/arm64 architectures.

You can use latest tag f.e like this:

docker run -i -v ~/.kube/config:/home/nonroot/.kube/config --rm mcpk8s/server:latest

Windows users might need to replace ~/.kube/config with //c/Users/<username>/.kube/config at least in Git Bash.

For Claude:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp_k8s_go": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "-v",
        "~/.kube/config:/home/nonroot/.kube/config",
        "--rm",
        "mcpk8s/server:latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables and Command-line Options

The following environment variables are used by the MCP server:

• KUBECONFIG: Path to your Kubernetes configuration file (optional, defaults to ~/.kube/config)

The following command-line options are supported:

• --allowed-contexts=<ctx1,ctx2,...>: Comma-separated list of allowed Kubernetes contexts that users can access. If not specified, all contexts are allowed.
• --readonly: Disables any tool which can write changes to the cluster
• --help: Display help information
• --version: Display version information

For example if you are configuring Claude Desktop, you can add the following configuration to claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "mcp_k8s": {
            "command": "mcp-k8s",
            "args": [
                "--allowed-contexts=dev,prod",
                "--readonly"
            ]
        }
    }
}

, which would allow only dev and prod contexts to be used and would disable any tool which can write changes to the cluster.