What is the key difference between K8m and MCP Cyclops?

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

How do I install K8m or MCP Cyclops 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 K8m and MCP Cyclops free or paid?

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

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

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

Can I use both K8m and MCP Cyclops 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

K8m vs MCP Cyclops

In-depth architectural comparison of the K8m and MCP Cyclops 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

K8m

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

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

MCP Cyclops

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

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

Verdict Summary: Choose K8m if you need specialized Cloud Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Cyclops 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 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.
Primary tools included: Single executable deployment with minimal resource usage, Supports standard k8s, EKS, k3s, kind, k0s clusters, AI-powered features including ChatGPT-based explanations and k8s-gpt integration.

Explore K8m Details

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: .

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	K8m weibaohui Cloud Platforms	MCP Cyclops cyclops-ui Cloud Platforms
Summary	/🏠 - 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.	An MCP server that allows AI agents to manage Kubernetes resources through Cyclops abstraction
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

K8m Tools (6)

Single executable deployment with minimal resource usage

Supports standard k8s, EKS, k3s, kind, k0s clusters

AI-powered features including ChatGPT-based explanations and k8s-gpt integration

Multi-cluster permission and role-based access control

Built-in 49 MCP tools for Kubernetes operations

Cross-platform support for Linux, macOS, Windows on x86 and ARM

MCP Cyclops Tools (7)

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).

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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