Kubernetes MCP Server

Provides safe, read-only access to Kubernetes cluster resources for debugging and inspection.

Kubernetes MCP Server

tests codecov License: MIT

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/89df70b0-65d1-461c-b4ab-84b2087136fa

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides safe, read-only access to Kubernetes resources for debugging and inspection. Built with security in mind, it offers comprehensive cluster visibility without modification capabilities.

Features

  • 🔒 Read-only security: Safely inspect Kubernetes resources without modification capabilities
  • 🎯 CRD support: Works seamlessly with any Custom Resource Definitions in your cluster
  • 🌐 Multi-cluster support: Switch between different Kubernetes contexts seamlessly
  • 🔍 Smart discovery: Find resources by API group substring (e.g., "flux" for FluxCD, "argo" for ArgoCD)
  • ⚡ High performance: Efficient resource querying with filtering and pagination
  • 🛠️ Comprehensive toolset:
    • list_resources: List and filter Kubernetes resources with advanced options
    • describe_resource: Get detailed information about specific resources
    • get_pod_logs: Retrieve pod logs with sophisticated filtering capabilities
    • list_events: List and filter Kubernetes events for debugging and monitoring
    • list_contexts: List all available Kubernetes contexts from kubeconfig

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Kubernetes cluster access with a valid kubeconfig file
  • Go 1.24+ (for building from source)

Installation Options

Option 1: Install with Go (Recommended)

go install github.com/kkb0318/kubernetes-mcp@latest

The binary will be available at $GOPATH/bin/kubernetes-mcp (or $HOME/go/bin/kubernetes-mcp if GOPATH is not set).

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/kkb0318/kubernetes-mcp.git
cd kubernetes-mcp
go build -o kubernetes-mcp .

⚙️ Configuration

MCP Server Setup

Add the server to your MCP configuration:

Basic Configuration

Uses ~/.kube/config automatically:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "/path/to/kubernetes-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Custom Kubeconfig

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "/path/to/kubernetes-mcp",
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "/path/to/your/kubeconfig"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace /path/to/kubernetes-mcp with your actual binary path.

Standalone Usage

# Default kubeconfig (~/.kube/config)
./kubernetes-mcp

# Custom kubeconfig path
KUBECONFIG=/path/to/your/kubeconfig ./kubernetes-mcp

Important: Ensure you have appropriate read permissions for the Kubernetes resources you want to inspect.

🛠️ Available Tools

list_resources

List and filter Kubernetes resources with advanced capabilities.

ParameterTypeDescription
contextoptionalKubernetes context name from kubeconfig (leave empty for current context)
kindrequiredResource type (Pod, Deployment, Service, etc.) or "all" for discovery
groupFilteroptionalFilter by API group substring for project-specific resources
namespaceoptionalTarget namespace (defaults to all namespaces)
labelSelectoroptionalFilter by labels (e.g., "app=nginx")
fieldSelectoroptionalFilter by fields (e.g., "metadata.name=my-pod")
limitoptionalMaximum number of resources to return
timeoutSecondsoptionalRequest timeout (default: 30s)
showDetailsoptionalReturn full resource objects instead of summary

Examples:

// List pods with label selector
{
  "kind": "Pod",
  "namespace": "default",
  "labelSelector": "app=nginx"
}

// List pods from a specific cluster context
{
  "kind": "Pod",
  "context": "production-cluster",
  "namespace": "default"
}

// Discover FluxCD resources
{
  "kind": "all",
  "groupFilter": "flux"
}

describe_resource

Get detailed information about a specific Kubernetes resource.

ParameterTypeDescription
contextoptionalKubernetes context name from kubeconfig (leave empty for current context)
kindrequiredResource type (Pod, Deployment, etc.)
namerequiredResource name
namespaceoptionalTarget namespace

Example:

{
  "kind": "Pod",
  "name": "nginx-pod",
  "namespace": "default"
}

get_pod_logs

Retrieve pod logs with sophisticated filtering options.

ParameterTypeDescription
contextoptionalKubernetes context name from kubeconfig (leave empty for current context)
namerequiredPod name
namespaceoptionalPod namespace (defaults to "default")
containeroptionalSpecific container name
tailoptionalNumber of lines from the end (default: 100)
sinceoptionalDuration like "5s", "2m", "3h"
sinceTimeoptionalRFC3339 timestamp
timestampsoptionalInclude timestamps in output
previousoptionalGet logs from previous container instance

Example:

{
  "name": "nginx-pod",
  "namespace": "default",
  "tail": 50,
  "since": "5m",
  "timestamps": true
}

list_events

List and filter Kubernetes events with advanced filtering options for debugging and monitoring.

ParameterTypeDescription
contextoptionalKubernetes context name from kubeconfig (leave empty for current context)
namespaceoptionalTarget namespace (leave empty for all namespaces)
objectoptionalFilter by object name (e.g., pod name, deployment name)
eventTypeoptionalFilter by event type: "Normal" or "Warning" (case-insensitive)
reasonoptionalFilter by event reason (e.g., "Pulled", "Failed", "FailedScheduling")
sinceoptionalDuration like "5s", "2m", "1h"
sinceTimeoptionalRFC3339 timestamp (e.g., "2025-06-20T10:00:00Z")
limitoptionalMaximum number of events to return (default: 100)
timeoutSecondsoptionalRequest timeout (default: 30s)

Examples:

// List recent warning events
{
  "eventType": "Warning",
  "since": "30m"
}

// List events for a specific pod
{
  "object": "nginx-pod",
  "namespace": "default"
}

// List failed scheduling events
{
  "reason": "FailedScheduling",
  "limit": 50
}

list_contexts

List all available Kubernetes contexts from your kubeconfig file.

Parameters: None - this tool takes no parameters.

Example Response:

{
  "contexts": [
    {
      "name": "production-cluster",
      "is_current": false
    },
    {
      "name": "staging-cluster", 
      "is_current": true
    },
    {
      "name": "development-cluster",
      "is_current": false
    }
  ],
  "current_context": "staging-cluster",
  "total": 3
}

Use Case: Perfect for multi-cluster workflows where you need to:

  • Discover available Kubernetes contexts
  • Identify the current active context
  • Plan operations across multiple clusters

🌟 Advanced Features

🌐 Multi-Cluster Support

Seamlessly work with multiple Kubernetes clusters using context switching:

  • Context Parameter: All tools now support an optional context parameter to specify which cluster to query
  • Automatic Discovery: Uses your existing kubeconfig file and automatically discovers available contexts
  • Default Context: When no context is specified, uses the current context from your kubeconfig
  • Cached Connections: Efficiently manages connections to multiple clusters with connection caching

Multi-cluster Examples:

// Query production cluster
{
  "kind": "Pod",
  "context": "production-cluster",
  "namespace": "default"
}

// Get logs from staging environment
{
  "name": "api-server",
  "context": "staging-cluster",
  "namespace": "api"
}

// Compare resources across environments (use multiple calls)
{
  "kind": "Deployment",
  "context": "production-cluster",
  "namespace": "app"
}

🎯 Custom Resource Definition (CRD) Support

Automatically discovers and works with any CRDs in your cluster. Simply use the CRD's Kind name with list_resources or describe_resource tools.

🔍 Smart Resource Discovery

Use the groupFilter parameter to discover resources by API group substring:

FilterDiscoversExamples
"flux"FluxCD resourcesHelmReleases, Kustomizations, GitRepositories
"argo"ArgoCD resourcesApplications, AppProjects, ApplicationSets
"istio"Istio resourcesVirtualServices, DestinationRules, Gateways
"cert-manager"cert-manager resourcesCertificates, Issuers, ClusterIssuers

🔒 Security & Safety

Built with security as a primary concern:

  • Read-only access - No resource creation, modification, or deletion
  • Production safe - Secure for use in production environments
  • Minimal permissions - Only requires read access to cluster resources
  • No destructive operations - Cannot harm your cluster

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please ensure all changes maintain the read-only nature of the server and include appropriate tests.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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