mcp-kubernetes

A Model Context Protocol server for Kubernetes. It lets an MCP-capable client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, etc.) inspect and operate Kubernetes clusters across multiple contexts — with behaviour controlled entirely by flags.

The design goal is safe by default: it starts read-only, can be scoped to an allowlist of namespaces and contexts, protects system namespaces from mutation, and gates the dangerous operations (delete, apply, exec) behind explicit opt-ins.

Features

Multi-cluster — every tool accepts an optional context; scope which contexts are usable with an allowlist.
Access modes — read-only → read-write → admin, layered so a mode never exposes tools above its level.
Security flags — namespace allowlist, protected namespaces, context allowlist, plus independent opt-ins for delete / apply / exec, dry-run, and JSON audit logging (see below).
Standard auth — uses your kube-config (or in-cluster service account). No credentials are stored by the server.

Security model

Concern	Flag	Default	Effect
What can the server do at all?	`K8S_MODE`	`read-only`	`read-only` exposes only reads; `read-write` adds mutations; `admin` adds destructive tools. Tools above the mode are never registered.
Which namespaces are in scope?	`K8S_NAMESPACE_ALLOWLIST`	(all)	When set, any operation on a namespace outside the list is refused.
Which namespaces are read-only forever?	`K8S_PROTECTED_NAMESPACES`	`kube-system,kube-public,kube-node-lease`	Can be read but never mutated or deleted, regardless of mode.
Which clusters are reachable?	`K8S_CONTEXT_ALLOWLIST`	(all)	When set, only these kube-config contexts may be targeted.
Can it delete?	`K8S_ALLOW_DELETE`	`false`	`delete_resource` needs this and admin mode.
Can it apply manifests?	`K8S_ALLOW_APPLY`	`false`	`apply_manifest` needs this and read-write mode.
Can it exec into pods?	`K8S_ALLOW_EXEC`	`false`	`exec_in_pod` needs this and admin mode; the tool isn't even registered otherwise.
Preview without touching the cluster	`K8S_DRY_RUN`	`false`	Write/admin tools validate + log intent, then return without calling the API.
Audit trail	`K8S_AUDIT_LOG`	`true`	Emits a JSON line to stderr per guarded operation (`ALLOW` / `DENY` / `DRY_RUN`).
Interactive confirmation	(automatic)	—	Destructive & high-impact actions prompt the human to approve via MCP elicitation before running; clients without elicitation fall back to the `_ALLOW_` gate.

The layers are independent — e.g. admin mode with all three opt-ins false can restart and scale deployments but can neither delete resources nor exec into pods.

Tools

Read (read-only+): list_contexts, list_namespaces, list_pods, get_pod, get_pod_logs, list_deployments, list_services, list_nodes, list_events, get_resource

Write (read-write+): scale_deployment, restart_deployment, set_deployment_image, create_namespace, apply_manifest (needs K8S_ALLOW_APPLY)

Admin (admin): delete_resource (needs K8S_ALLOW_DELETE), exec_in_pod (needs K8S_ALLOW_EXEC)

Quickstart — add to your agent

Published on npm as @dockndevai/mcp-kubernetes. No clone or build needed — your MCP client runs it on demand with npx. Start in read-only mode; see .env.example for every variable and docs/CLIENTS.md for the full per-client guide.

Claude Code (CLI)

Terminal

claude mcp add kubernetes -e KUBECONFIG_PATH="/Users/you/.kube/config" -e K8S_MODE="read-only" -- npx -y @dockndevai/mcp-kubernetes

Claude Desktop · Cursor · Windsurf — same block in claude_desktop_config.json, .cursor/mcp.json, or ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dockndevai/mcp-kubernetes"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG_PATH": "/Users/you/.kube/config",
        "K8S_MODE": "read-only"
      }
    }
  }
}

OpenAI Codex CLI — in ~/.codex/config.toml:

toml

[mcp_servers.kubernetes]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@dockndevai/mcp-kubernetes"]
env = { KUBECONFIG_PATH = "/Users/you/.kube/config", K8S_MODE = "read-only" }

VS Code (GitHub Copilot, Agent mode) — in .vscode/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "servers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dockndevai/mcp-kubernetes"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG_PATH": "/Users/you/.kube/config",
        "K8S_MODE": "read-only"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run from source (development)

Prefer the published package above. To run from a clone:

Terminal

npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js   # with the environment variables set

Develop

Terminal

npm run dev        # watch mode
npm test           # unit tests for the security policy
npm run typecheck

Publishing

This server ships a server.json for the official MCP registry and an mcpName for npm ownership validation. See PUBLISHING.md for publishing to npm and listing on the MCP registry, Smithery, Glama, Cursor, and PulseMCP.

License

MIT