Kubernetes MCP server

Last verified: 2026-09

kubectl-style cluster access.

Community Cloud & infra Needs a secret Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code

What it does

kubectl-shaped tools against the current kubeconfig: get, describe, apply, delete, logs, rollout, helm. Same blast radius as handing someone kubectl.

It sits in Cloud & infra: Most of these are admin APIs.

Good for

kubectl_get pods in one sandbox namespace.
kubectl_logs on a crashing pod instead of context-switching.
kubectl_describe when you already know the resource name.
Leave apply/delete/helm off a cluster you cannot recreate.

Tools

kubectl_get / kubectl_describe / kubectl_logs / kubectl_context / explain_resource / list_api_resources — Read.
kubectl_create / kubectl_apply / kubectl_patch / kubectl_scale / scale_deployment / kubectl_rollout — Mutate.
kubectl_delete / kubectl_generic / helm_template_apply / port_forward — Dangerous extras.

Config (Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf)

Paste the JSON below. Same mcpServers shape. Replace placeholder paths and secrets. Windows paths look like C:\\Users\\you\\project, not /path/to. Host-side steps →

Claude Desktop

OS	Config file
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json` (usually `C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Claude\`)
Linux	`~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`

Cursor

Scope	macOS / Linux	Windows
This project	`.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root
This user	`~/.cursor/mcp.json`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json`

Windsurf

OS	Config file
macOS / Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`
Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kubernetes": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-kubernetes"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KUBECONFIG": "/path/to/sandbox.kubeconfig"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf remote MCP: use serverUrl instead of url if the block below is HTTP.

One-liner: npx -y mcp-server-kubernetes

Secrets it wants: KUBECONFIG

Source repo →

How to get started

Point KUBECONFIG at a sandbox cluster or a read-only user.
Ask for kubectl_get pods in one namespace.
Do not use a kubeconfig that can delete nodes.

Access risk

kubectl_delete and apply on prod. A stolen kubeconfig is cluster admin if you used the default user.

When to skip it

Skip it for Docker-only local work, or for cloud consoles you already have as AWS/GCP/Azure MCP.

Instead: Docker, AWS, Grafana.

Cloud & infraDockerList containers and images on the local daemon. Cloud & infraAWSCall AWS APIs with the default credential chain. Cloud & infraGrafanaDashboards and datasources.

Vs alternatives

Server	Official?	Needs a secret?	Best for
Kubernetes	No	Yes	kubectl-style cluster access.
Docker	No	No	List containers and images on the local daemon.
AWS	No	Yes	Call AWS APIs with the default credential chain.
Grafana	No	Yes	Dashboards and datasources.

More in Cloud & infra

OfficialAWS Knowledge BaseQuery an Amazon Bedrock knowledge base. Cloud & infraAWSCall AWS APIs with the default credential chain. Cloud & infraAzureAzure Resource Manager via MCP. Cloud & infraCloudflareWorkers, KV, R2, and DNS via Cloudflare.

All 15 in this category →

FAQ

Which kubeconfig?

KUBECONFIG pointing at a sandbox or a read-only user. Cluster-admin plus Fetch in the same chat is prompt-injection → kubectl.

Is this kubectl?

kubectl-shaped tools (get, describe, apply, delete, logs, rollout, helm). Same blast radius as handing someone kubectl.

Kubernetes or Docker?

Cluster vs local daemon. EKS/GKE still wants this plus a locked-down cloud identity, not the other way around.

port_forward?

In the tool list. That opens a tunnel from your machine. Know what you are exposing.