k8s-mcp-server
Provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes Kubernetes API functionality (read-only resource inspection plus optional mutation like deleting pods and scaling deployments) over MCP transports (stdio by default and SSE).
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Security depends primarily on Kubernetes RBAC least-privilege. README recommends restricted service accounts and read-only mode, which reduces risk. No explicit transport security details are provided for the SSE server (e.g., TLS requirements, auth for the MCP endpoint). No explicit error-handling/log redaction guidance or secret-handling guarantees are described in the provided content.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
Used with least-privilege Kubernetes credentials and read-only mode, integrated locally via stdio or carefully secured via SSE in controlled environments.
Avoid When
Avoid running with broad RBAC or with --read-only=false unless you have strong operational controls and guardrails for agent-initiated actions.
Use Cases
- • Letting AI agents query Kubernetes cluster state (pods, deployments, services, configmaps, namespaces, nodes).
- • Debugging and troubleshooting workloads by combining cluster reads with agent workflows.
- • Automating operational tasks with controlled write access (e.g., scale deployments, delete pods).
Not For
- • Public/Internet-facing use without network controls and strict RBAC, since it can perform cluster mutations when read-only is disabled.
- • Handling sensitive cluster data without careful consideration of logging/telemetry and least-privilege credentials.
- • Replacing full operational tooling where robust audit/compliance workflows are required (not evidenced in the provided docs).
Interface
Authentication
Authentication/authorization is delegated to Kubernetes RBAC via the provided kubeconfig or in-cluster service account. No separate user/auth layer for the MCP server is described in the README.
Pricing
Open-source MIT licensed; no pricing information in provided content.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ Default read-only is enabled ("default true"); agent requests that assume write access will fail unless read-only is disabled.
- ⚠ Cross-namespace and other wider permissions depend entirely on the kubeconfig/service account RBAC; mis-scoped credentials can broaden access.
- ⚠ Tool availability/coverage may depend on enabled resource types/toolsets via flags/env (K8S_MCP_RESOURCE_TYPES, K8S_MCP_TOOLSETS).
Alternatives
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-04-04.