kubectl MCP Server
CNCF Landscape-listed community kubectl MCP server. 253 tools spanning kubectl, Helm, RBAC audit, cost optimisation, network diagnostics, and a 3D cluster topology UI. Multi-distribution via npm, PyPI, Docker Hub, and GHCR.
“The widest-surface community kubectl MCP server in the directory. 253 tools, 8 prompts, 8 resources, dashboard mode, RBAC audit, cost analysis, and a 3D cluster topology UI shipped in v1.24.0. CNCF Landscape listed, maintained by a CNCF Ambassador. Pick this when you want one MCP server that covers diagnostics, cost optimisation, RBAC audit, and visual dashboards on top of any kube-context. Pick the containers/kubernetes-mcp-server alongside it for OpenShift workloads, or the Flux159 server for kubectl-and-Helm-only TypeScript shops. The 253-tool surface is both the strength and the trade-off: agents working in smaller context windows will struggle to tool-pick efficiently, so deploy with --read-only and an explicit subset for production workflows.”
INSTALL THIS SERVER
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubectl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kubectl-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubectl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kubectl-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubectl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kubectl-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubectl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kubectl-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
{
"mcpServers": {
"kubectl": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kubectl-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
7 TOOLS AVAILABLE
OUR ASSESSMENT
- Vast tool surface (253 tools) covering kubectl, Helm, RBAC audit, cost analysis, network diagnostics, dashboards.
- CNCF Landscape inclusion provides an independent quality signal beyond GitHub stars.
- Multi-distribution: npm `kubectl-mcp-server`, PyPI, Docker Hub `rohitghumare64/kubectl-mcp-server`, GHCR.
- 3D cluster topology UI (v1.24.0) for human exploration of cluster state.
- OAuth 2.1, RBAC validation, non-destructive mode, secret masking documented as enterprise features.
- 24 releases shipped over 13 months.
- 234 passing tests reported in the repo.
- 253 tools is a context-window risk on smaller models; agents will struggle to tool-pick efficiently with the full surface enabled.
- 1 commit on the default branch in the last 30 days; release cadence has slowed.
- Two open issues at time of review flag a missing destructive-command guard (#82) and a `timezone` import bug (#81), both with slow triage.
- Single-maintainer governance offset partially by maintainer CNCF Ambassador credibility; key-person risk remains.
- Some claimed integrations (browser automation, dashboard UI) are gated behind extras and pull a heavier dependency tree.
Inherits the caller kubeconfig context. Run with --read-only and a dedicated ServiceAccount with least-privilege RoleBindings for production. Prefer in-cluster deployment so kubeconfig credentials stay inside the cluster boundary. The 253-tool surface widens the blast radius if write tools are enabled; subset the toolset to the workflow at hand.
Platform teams running agentic Kubernetes operations who need maximum tool breadth in one server, operators comfortable scoping access via --read-only flag, and teams using AI clients beyond Claude (Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, 15+ supported clients).
TECHNICAL DETAILS
ADOPTION METRICS
// Reading this877 stars and 167 forks. CNCF Landscape inclusion provides an independent editorial signal beyond stars.
// Reading thisFifth-ranked in infrastructure category. The 253-tool kitchen-sink approach contrasts with the API-direct (containers/) and TypeScript-kubectl (Flux159) options already in the directory.
SOURCES & VERIFICATION
We don't take any single directory's word for it. Before scoring, we cross-reference 5 public MCP sources, install the server ourselves against the clients we cover, and record when we last re-verified.
The same server, 5 different lenses. We reconcile these signals into our editorial score, which is why our number sometimes diverges from a directory-aggregate star count.
| Source | Their rating | Their star count | Their downloads | Last synced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutomationSwitch This page | 4.2editorial | 877 | — | MAY 1, 2026 |
| PulseMCP | — unrated | unavailable | unavailable | MAY 1, 2026 |
| MCP.so | — unrated | unavailable | unavailable | MAY 1, 2026 |
| Glama | — unrated | unavailable | unavailable | MAY 1, 2026 |
| Smithery | — unrated | unavailable | unavailable | MAY 1, 2026 |
| Official MCP Registry | — unrated | unavailable | unavailable | MAY 1, 2026 |
// Counts are directory-reported; we don't adjust them. Discrepancies usually come from different snapshot times or star-caching.
OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE MCP SERVERS
Kubernetes MCP Server
Native Go MCP server for Kubernetes and OpenShift from the containers/ org. Talks directly to the Kubernetes API server, supports Helm and Tekton, ships with OpenTelemetry observability built in. Distributed as a single native binary plus npm and PyPI packages.
Sentry MCP Server
Sentry's official MCP service. Runs as remote infrastructure at mcp.sentry.dev and ships a Claude Code plugin that auto-delegates Sentry questions. Designed for human-in-the-loop coding agents working through Sentry errors, traces, and performance data.
Azure AKS MCP
Official Microsoft Azure MCP server for Azure Kubernetes Service. Workload Identity with federated tokens, three access-level guardrails (readonly, readwrite, admin), and a unified two-tool surface (call_az + call_kubectl). Top commit cadence in this batch (10 commits on main in the last 30 days).
mcp-server-kubernetes (Flux159)
Community-favourite TypeScript Kubernetes MCP. Uses local kubectl plus Helm v3, distributed via npm, and ships as an mcpb extension for one-click Claude Desktop install. Mature 3.x release stream with consistent monthly cadence.
Argo CD MCP
Argoproj-Labs-blessed Argo CD MCP server, originally donated by Akuity. Both stdio and HTTP-stream transports out of the box, MCP_READ_ONLY mode for production safety, and a tool surface covering the full Argo CD application lifecycle (list/get/sync/delete plus resource-tree traversal and workload logs).
GKE MCP Server
Google Kubernetes Engine MCP server in the GoogleCloudPlatform org. Adds GKE-specific tools (cluster management, upgrade risk reports, log queries) plus Gemini CLI extension support. Maintainers explicitly state this is for education and experimentation and is NOT FOR PRODUCTION USE.
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