k0rdent

The k0rdent MCP server exposes your k0rdent management cluster capabilities to downstream AI agents via the Model Context Protocol. It runs locally and requires an existing admin kubeconfig to connect to your k0rdent management cluster. Once you start the server, clients can interact with Kubernetes resources, cluster templates, and credentials through MCP-enabled tools and Claude Code workflows. Because this is an experimental tool, expect occasional instability and exercise caution when performing cluster operations; only run on localhost and with admin kubeconfig. The included Claude Code integration demonstrates how to connect and issue natural language requests such as listing namespaces, viewing available cluster templates, and deploying clusters using the MCP interface. Start in a safe, read-only mode to familiarize yourself with the state of your management cluster before attempting any deployment actions.

Prerequisites

• A running k0rdent management cluster and admin kubeconfig
• Go 1.24+ for building from source
• A local environment to run the MCP server (localhost access only)

Step-by-step installation

1. Clone the repository and build the server

git clone https://github.com/randybias/k0rdent-mcp-server.git
cd k0rdent-mcp-server

# Build the server executable
go build -o server cmd/server/main.go

2. Configure environment variables

# Required: Point to your k0rdent cluster kubeconfig
export K0RDENT_MGMT_KUBECONFIG_PATH=/path/to/admin-kubeconfig

# Optional: Override default listen address (defaults to 127.0.0.1:6767)
export LISTEN_ADDR=127.0.0.1:3000

# Optional: Set log level (e.g., debug, info)
export LOG_LEVEL=debug

3. Run the server

./server start

4. Connect via MCP client or Claude Code as shown in the documentation. Ensure localhost access and that the admin kubeconfig is valid.

Tips and caveats:

• This server is a development tool and is not production-ready. It runs on localhost with no TLS.
• It requires an admin kubeconfig; RBAC and OIDC behaviors are not fully tested.
• Deploying clusters may create real cloud resources and incur costs; start with read-only operations.
• If you restart the server, you may need to reconnect your MCP client or Claude Code using the /mcp workflow.
• The environment variables control critical behavior: K0RDENT_MGMT_KUBECONFIG_PATH, LISTEN_ADDR, and LOG_LEVEL. Use them to tailor security and visibility.
• Known limitations include potential race conditions during concurrent operations and possible orphaned resources on failures. Always validate state after operations.
• If you plan to experiment with Claude Code, ensure Claude Code is configured to connect to the MCP server using the k0rdent MCP server entry.