What is the key difference between MCP Cyclops and K8m?

MCP Cyclops belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution, while K8m belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution.

How do I install MCP Cyclops or K8m in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are MCP Cyclops and K8m free or paid?

MCP Cyclops operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). K8m operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

MCP Cyclops lists 7 tools with 2 views and 30 GitHub stars. K8m lists 6 tools with 2 views and 884 GitHub stars.

Can I use both MCP Cyclops and K8m together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

MCP Cyclops vs K8m

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP Cyclops and K8m MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

MCP Cyclops

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 45/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

K8m

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose MCP Cyclops if you need specialized Cloud Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose K8m if your workspace requires Cloud Platforms integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP Cyclops when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: KUBECONFIG, CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT, CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE, CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE.
Primary tools included: create_module, get_module, list_modules.

Explore MCP Cyclops Details

Choose K8m when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: KUBECONFIG, JWT_TOKEN_SECRET, ADMIN_USERNAME, ADMIN_PASSWORD.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP Cyclops cyclops-ui Cloud Platforms	K8m weibaohui Cloud Platforms
Summary	An MCP server that allows AI agents to manage Kubernetes resources through Cyclops abstraction	/🏠 - Provides MCP multi-cluster Kubernetes management and operations, featuring a management interface, logging, and nearly 50 built-in tools covering common DevOps and development scenarios. Supports both standard and CRD resources.
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

MCP Cyclops Tools (7)

create_module

Create new Module. Before calling this tool, make sure to call `get_template_schema` to validate values for the given template

get_module

Fetch Module by name

list_modules

List all Cyclops Modules

update_module

Update Module by Name. Before calling this tool, make sure to call `get_template_schema` to validate values for the given template

get_template_schema

Returns JSON schema for the given template. Needs to be checked before calling `create_module` tool

get_template_store

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

MCP Cyclops Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "cyclops-ui-mcp-cyclops"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "YOUR_KUBECONFIG_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_KUBE_CONTEXT_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_HELM_RELEASE_NAMESPACE_HERE",
        "CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE": "YOUR_CYCLOPS_MODULE_TARGET_NAMESPACE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

K8m Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "weibaohui-k8m": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "weibaohui-k8m"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "YOUR_KUBECONFIG_HERE",
        "JWT_TOKEN_SECRET": "YOUR_JWT_TOKEN_SECRET_HERE",
        "ADMIN_USERNAME": "YOUR_ADMIN_USERNAME_HERE",
        "ADMIN_PASSWORD": "YOUR_ADMIN_PASSWORD_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

MCP Cyclops is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, K8m belongs to Cloud Platforms using local stdio subprocess. Select MCP Cyclops when you need capabilities focused on cloud platforms and K8m when you require tools for cloud platforms.