MKP (Model Kontext for K8s) MCP — Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Native client-go — structured JSON outputs, no kubectl text parsing
Read pods/services/deployments + logs + events
Apply manifests with dry-run support
RBAC-aware: only exposes verbs the bound serviceaccount has
Multi-context support via kubeconfig

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

mkp-mcp.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mkp-mcp": {
      "command": "mkp",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mkp-mcp": {
      "command": "mkp",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mkp-mcp": {
      "command": "mkp",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mkp-mcp": {
      "command": "mkp",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "mkp-mcp",
      "command": "mkp",
      "args": [
        "serve"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "mkp-mcp": {
      "command": {
        "path": "mkp",
        "args": [
          "serve"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add mkp-mcp -- mkp serve

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use MKP (Model Kontext for K8s)

Find which pod is OOMKilling and propose a fix

👤 K8s operators ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: You're paged for memory pressure and don't have a dashboard up.

Prerequisites

Server/skill installed and authenticated — See repo README

Flow

Spot the OOMs

Find pods in any namespace with restartCount > 3 in the last hour. Show pod, namespace, last termination reason.✓ Copied

→ Targeted list, likely with OOMKilled in the reason
Propose the fix

Get the limits/requests for the worst offender. Tell me what to raise and write an apply_manifest dry-run patch.✓ Copied

→ Resource diff + a dry-run apply

Outcome: Targeted patch ready to apply, RBAC-checked.

Pitfalls

MKP only exposes what the bound SA can do — MKP only exposes what the bound SA can do — to enable apply_manifest you must bind an SA with patch permission.

Combine with: portainer-mcp

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

mkp-mcp + portainer-mcp

Pair with portainer-mcp for complementary capabilities

Use this server together with portainer-mcp to complete a multi-step task.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
list_resources	kind, namespace, label_selector	Inventory any resource type	1 API call
get_logs	pod, container, tail_lines	Triage a pod	1 API call
apply_manifest	yaml, dry_run	Deploy a change (dry-run first)	1 API call

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: See provider docs for rate limits
Tokens per call: Varies by tool
Monetary: See repo README for pricing details
Tip: Cache tool results and avoid repeated identical calls.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: Use environment variables; never commit secrets

Data egress: Tool calls go to the provider's API as documented

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Forbidden on list pods

Bind a Role/ClusterRole with pods:get,list,watch to the SA mkp uses. Use kubectl auth can-i to verify.

Verify: kubectl auth can-i list pods

context not found

Set KUBECONFIG to a file with the right context, or pass --context.

Verify: kubectl config get-contexts

Alternatives

MKP (Model Kontext for K8s) vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
containers/kubernetes-mcp-server	You want the most-starred option	Similar feature set; pick by org preference

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills