rancher-mcp-server

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Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for the Rancher ecosystem: multi-cluster Kubernetes, Harvester HCI (VMs, storage, networks), and Fleet GitOps.

Demo

A walkthrough of how this MCP server works (example in Cursor).

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7d8fb814-e504-47b4-956d-28f43aeea3b8

Features

Harvester toolset: List/get VMs, images, volumes, networks, hosts; VM actions; addon list/switch (enable/disable)
Rancher toolset: Clusters and projects via Steve (management proxy); Norman management API (/v3) for schemas, users, tokens, auth configs, global role bindings, cluster registration tokens, node drivers, cloud credentials, catalogs, cluster repos, feature flags, settings, audit (when exposed); support bundle and generic actions when writes are enabled
Kubernetes toolset: List/get/create/patch/delete resources by apiVersion/kind; describe (resource + events), events, capacity
Helm toolset: List/get/history of releases; install, upgrade, rollback, uninstall; repo list
Fleet toolset: GitRepo list/get/create; Bundle list; Fleet cluster list; drift detection
Rancher APIs: Same Bearer token for Steve (/k8s/clusters/...) and Norman (/v3/...); no CLI wrappers
Security: Read-only default, disable-destructive, sensitive data masking (Norman token/credential fields redacted unless --show-sensitive-data)
Config: Flags, env (RANCHER_MCP_*), or file (YAML/TOML)

Related MCP server: MCP REST API Server

Quick start

Install

npm install -g rancher-mcp-server

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json (project-level) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global):

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": [
 "-y", "rancher-mcp-server",
 "--rancher-server-url", "https://rancher.example.com",
 "--rancher-token", "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "--toolsets", "harvester,rancher,kubernetes,fleet"
 ]
 }
 }
}

Restart Cursor after saving. Check Settings → Tools & MCP that rancher is listed and enabled.

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": [
 "-y", "rancher-mcp-server",
 "--rancher-server-url", "https://rancher.example.com",
 "--rancher-token", "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "--toolsets", "harvester,rancher,kubernetes,fleet"
 ]
 }
 }
}

With env vars instead of args

If you prefer to keep the token out of the JSON config:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "rancher-mcp-server"],
 "env": {
 "RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_SERVER_URL": "https://rancher.example.com",
 "RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_TOKEN": "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "RANCHER_MCP_TOOLSETS": "harvester,rancher,kubernetes"
 }
 }
 }
}

Enable write operations

For VM create, snapshots, backups, image/volume create, addon switch, host maintenance mode, VPC create/update/delete, Kubernetes create/patch/delete, Helm install/upgrade/rollback, Fleet gitrepo create/delete, and Norman writes (tokens, users, auth configs, role bindings, cluster registration tokens, cloud credentials, catalog refresh, feature flags, settings, rancher_norman_action, support bundle), add --read-only=false. Delete operations (Norman tokens/bindings/registration tokens/cloud credentials, plus existing toolset deletes) also require --disable-destructive=false (default).

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": [
 "-y", "rancher-mcp-server",
 "--rancher-server-url", "https://rancher.example.com",
 "--rancher-token", "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "--toolsets", "harvester,rancher,kubernetes,helm,fleet",
 "--read-only=false"
 ]
 }
 }
}

Streamable HTTP transport

For web clients or remote access (e.g. Claude Code claude mcp add -t http), add --transport and --port:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": [
 "-y", "rancher-mcp-server",
 "--rancher-server-url", "https://rancher.example.com",
 "--rancher-token", "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "--transport", "http",
 "--port", "8080"
 ]
 }
 }
}

The server uses the MCP Streamable HTTP transport. The default MCP path is /mcp; connect to http://localhost:8080/mcp (or your server base URL + /mcp). Best supported with Claude Code; Cursor support may vary.

Build from source

If you prefer to build the Go binary yourself:

go build -o rancher-mcp-server ./cmd/rancher-mcp-server

Then reference the binary directly in your MCP config:

{
 "mcpServers": {
 "rancher": {
 "command": "/absolute/path/to/rancher-mcp-server",
 "args": [
 "--rancher-server-url", "https://rancher.example.com",
 "--rancher-token", "token-xxxxx:yyyy",
 "--toolsets", "harvester,rancher,kubernetes,fleet"
 ]
 }
 }
}

Configuration

Option	Env	Default	Description
`--rancher-server-url`	`RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_SERVER_URL`	—	Rancher server URL (required)
`--rancher-token`	`RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_TOKEN`	—	Bearer token (required)
`--tls-insecure`	`RANCHER_MCP_TLS_INSECURE`	false	Skip TLS verification
`--read-only`	`RANCHER_MCP_READ_ONLY`	true	Disable write operations
`--disable-destructive`	`RANCHER_MCP_DISABLE_DESTRUCTIVE`	false	Disable delete operations
`--show-sensitive-data`	`RANCHER_MCP_SHOW_SENSITIVE_DATA`	false	Show Norman token/credential fields without redaction (use with care)
`--toolsets`	`RANCHER_MCP_TOOLSETS`	harvester	Toolsets to enable: harvester, rancher, kubernetes, helm, fleet
`--transport`	`RANCHER_MCP_TRANSPORT`	stdio	Transport: stdio or http (Streamable HTTP; default path `/mcp`)
`--port`	`RANCHER_MCP_PORT`	0	Port for HTTP (0 = stdio only)

Harvester tools

Tool	Description
`harvester_vm_list`	List VMs with status, namespace, spec/status
`harvester_vm_get`	Get one VM (full spec and status)
`harvester_vm_action`	start, stop, restart, pause, unpause, migrate
`harvester_vm_create`	Create VM (when not read-only). Supports network, interface_type (managedtap/bridge/masquerade), subnet for KubeOVN VPC.
`harvester_vm_snapshot`	Create/list/restore/delete VM snapshots
`harvester_vm_backup`	Create/list/restore VM backups (Backup Target)
`harvester_image_list`	List VM images (VirtualMachineImage)
`harvester_image_create`	Create VM image from URL (when not read-only)
`harvester_volume_list`	List PVCs (Longhorn-backed volumes)
`harvester_volume_create`	Create volume/PVC (optionally from image)
`harvester_network_list`	List VM networks (NetworkAttachmentDefinition)
`harvester_network_create`	Create VM network - KubeOVN overlay or VLAN (when not read-only)
`harvester_network_update`	Update VM network config (when not read-only)
`harvester_network_delete`	Delete VM network (when destructive allowed)
`harvester_subnet_list`	List KubeOVN Subnets (requires kubeovn-operator)
`harvester_subnet_create`	Create Subnet in VPC for VM network (when not read-only)
`harvester_subnet_update`	Update Subnet namespaces/NAT (when not read-only)
`harvester_subnet_delete`	Delete Subnet (when destructive allowed)
`harvester_host_list`	List nodes (Harvester hosts)
`harvester_host_action`	Enable/disable maintenance mode on a host (cordon/uncordon)
`harvester_settings`	List or get Harvester cluster settings (backup-target, etc.)
`harvester_addon_list`	List Harvester addons (enabled/disabled state)
`harvester_addon_switch`	Enable or disable an addon (when not read-only)
`harvester_vpc_list`	List KubeOVN VPCs (requires kubeovn-operator addon)
`harvester_vpc_create`	Create a KubeOVN VPC (when not read-only)
`harvester_vpc_update`	Update a KubeOVN VPC namespaces (when not read-only)
`harvester_vpc_delete`	Delete a KubeOVN VPC (when destructive allowed)

List tools accept cluster (required), namespace, format (json|table), limit (default 100), continue (pagination token for next page). Write tools require read_only: false.

Creating a VM on KubeOVN VPC with external internet

Use harvester_vm_create with:

network: Name of the overlay network (NAD) linked to a KubeOVN subnet. Create via harvester_network_create (type=kubeovn) then harvester_subnet_create with provider={network}.{namespace}.ovn, vpc=<vpc-name>, and nat_outgoing=true.
interface_type: managedtap (recommended for KubeOVN) or bridge. Uses Multus as primary network.
subnet: Optional KubeOVN subnet name for ovn.kubernetes.io/logical_switch annotation.

Example: VM on network vswitch1 in namespace default, managedTap interface, subnet vswitch1-subnet:

harvester_vm_create cluster=<cluster-id> namespace=default name=testvm image=<image> network=vswitch1 interface_type=managedtap subnet=vswitch1-subnet

Rancher tools

Rancher tools use the management cluster (local). There is no cluster parameter on these tools.

Steve API (management resources)

Tool	Description
`rancher_cluster_list`	List Rancher clusters (management)
`rancher_cluster_get`	Get one cluster (health, version, node count)
`rancher_project_list`	List Rancher projects
`rancher_overview`	Overview: cluster count and project count

Norman API (`https://<rancher>/v3/...`)

Norman tools call Rancher’s JSON management API. Discover types and collection URLs for your server with rancher_norman_schema_list / rancher_norman_schema_get (schema ids such as user, token, cluster).

Read-only (always registered with the rancher toolset)

Tool	Description
`rancher_norman_schema_list`	List API schemas (`/v3/schemas`)
`rancher_norman_schema_get`	Get one schema by id
`rancher_user_list` / `rancher_user_get`	Users
`rancher_auth_config_list` / `rancher_auth_config_get`	Auth providers (local, OIDC, etc.)
`rancher_token_list` / `rancher_token_get`	API tokens (values redacted unless `--show-sensitive-data`)
`rancher_global_role_binding_list` / `rancher_global_role_binding_get`	Global role bindings
`rancher_cluster_registration_token_list` / `rancher_cluster_registration_token_get`	Cluster registration tokens
`rancher_node_driver_list`	Node drivers
`rancher_cloud_credential_list` / `rancher_cloud_credential_get`	Cloud credentials (secrets redacted unless `--show-sensitive-data`)
`rancher_catalog_list` / `rancher_catalog_get`	Legacy Norman catalogs (`/v3/catalogs`)
`rancher_cluster_repo_list` / `rancher_cluster_repo_get`	App catalog cluster repos (see note below)
`rancher_feature_flag_list` / `rancher_feature_flag_get`	Feature flags (`/v3/features`)
`rancher_setting_list` / `rancher_setting_get`	Global settings (`/v3/settings`)
`rancher_audit_log_list`	`GET /v3/auditlogs` when supported (often 404/405; see note below)

When --read-only=false

Tool	Description
`rancher_norman_action`	`POST` a Norman `?action=` on a resource path under `/v3`
`rancher_token_create`	Create API token
`rancher_auth_config_update`	Replace an auth config (`PUT`)
`rancher_user_create`	Create user
`rancher_user_disable` / `rancher_user_enable`	User enable/disable actions
`rancher_global_role_binding_create`	Create global role binding
`rancher_cluster_registration_token_create`	Create registration token
`rancher_cloud_credential_create`	Create cloud credential
`rancher_catalog_refresh`	Refresh legacy catalog (`?action=refresh`)
`rancher_feature_flag_set`	Update feature flag (`PUT`)
`rancher_setting_update`	Update setting (`PUT`)
`rancher_supportbundle_generate`	Request support bundle (`generateSupportBundle` on a cluster)

When --read-only=false and --disable-destructive=false

Tool	Description
`rancher_token_delete`	Delete API token
`rancher_global_role_binding_delete`	Delete global role binding
`rancher_cluster_registration_token_delete`	Delete registration token
`rancher_cloud_credential_delete`	Delete cloud credential

Norman responses: catalog, cluster repos, audit

rancher_cluster_repo_list / rancher_cluster_repo_get: Tries Norman /v3/clusterrepos first. If that returns 404 (common), falls back to catalog.cattle.io/v1 ClusterRepo on the local cluster via Steve/Kubernetes, trying namespaces cattle-global-data, fleet-default, fleet-local, cattle-fleet-system. Success JSON includes "_source":"kubernetes_api_fallback". If nothing works, the tool still returns 200-style JSON with "_source":"unavailable" and per-attempt errors—not a hard MCP error—so automation can continue.
rancher_catalog_list / rancher_catalog_get: If Norman /v3/catalogs is not registered (404), returns JSON with "_source":"unavailable" instead of failing.
rancher_audit_log_list: If the server returns 404 or 405 (GET not supported), returns JSON with "_source":"unavailable" and _http_status; audit may be disabled or exposed outside Norman.

For catalog data when ClusterRepo is unavailable everywhere, use kubernetes_list on cluster local with api_version catalog.cattle.io/v1 and kind ClusterRepo, or Helm / Fleet tools as appropriate.

Helm tools

Tool	Description
`helm_list`	List Helm releases (optionally by namespace, deployed/failed/pending)
`helm_get`	Get release details (manifest, values, notes)
`helm_history`	Get revision history for a release
`helm_repo_list`	List configured Helm chart repositories (from local config)
`helm_install`	Install a Helm chart (when not read-only)
`helm_upgrade`	Upgrade a Helm release (when not read-only)
`helm_rollback`	Rollback a release to a previous revision (when not read-only)
`helm_uninstall`	Uninstall a release (when destructive allowed)

All tools take cluster (Rancher cluster ID). Install/upgrade require chart, release; optional repo_url, version, values (JSON).

Fleet tools

Tool	Description
`fleet_gitrepo_list`	List Fleet GitRepos (GitOps sources)
`fleet_gitrepo_get`	Get one GitRepo (spec, status)
`fleet_gitrepo_create`	Create a GitRepo (when not read-only)
`fleet_gitrepo_delete`	Delete a GitRepo (when destructive allowed)
`fleet_gitrepo_action`	Pause, unpause, disablePolling, enablePolling, forceUpdate
`fleet_gitrepo_clone`	Clone a GitRepo to a new name (copy spec)
`fleet_bundle_list`	List Fleet Bundles (deployment units from GitRepos)
`fleet_cluster_list`	List Fleet clusters (downstream clusters registered with Fleet)
`fleet_drift_detect`	Report BundleDeployments with Modified state (drift)

All tools use the Rancher management cluster (local). Optional namespace (default: fleet-default). List tools support format, limit, continue (pagination). fleet_gitrepo_create requires name, repo; optional branch, paths. fleet_gitrepo_action supports: pause, unpause, disablePolling, enablePolling, forceUpdate. fleet_gitrepo_clone copies spec from an existing GitRepo to a new name.

Kubernetes tools

Tool	Description
`kubernetes_list`	List resources by apiVersion/kind (e.g. v1 Pod, apps/v1 Deployment)
`kubernetes_get`	Get one resource by apiVersion, kind, namespace, name
`kubernetes_describe`	Get resource + recent events
`kubernetes_logs`	Get recent pod logs (tail only; container, tailLines, sinceSeconds)
`kubernetes_events`	List events in a namespace (optional involvedObject filter)
`kubernetes_capacity`	Node capacity/allocatable summary per node
`kubernetes_create`	Create resource from JSON (when not read-only)
`kubernetes_patch`	Patch resource with JSON (when not read-only)
`kubernetes_delete`	Delete resource (when destructive allowed)

All tools take cluster (Rancher cluster ID). List/get support namespace, format (json|table), limit, continue (pagination). Create/patch/delete are gated by read_only and disable_destructive. kubernetes_logs does not support follow (streaming); use tail_lines and since_seconds to limit output. In some Rancher/proxy setups pod logs can return 503 or stream errors; see Troubleshooting.

Setup: Rancher token & Harvester cluster ID

Get a Rancher API token

Log in to your Rancher UI.
Click your profile/avatar (top right) → Account & API Keys (or API & Keys).
Click Create API Key, name it (e.g. mcp-server), then Create.
Copy the token once (format like token-abc12:xyz...). Use it as --rancher-token or RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_TOKEN.

Find your Harvester cluster ID

Harvester tools require the cluster ID (e.g. c-tx8rn) on each call.

From Rancher UI: Go to Cluster Management → open your Harvester cluster. The URL contains the cluster ID: .../c/<cluster-id>/....
From API (Steve): curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" "https://YOUR_RANCHER_URL/k8s/clusters/local/v1/management.cattle.io.clusters" | jq '.data[] | {name: .metadata.name}'
Norman schemas: curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" "https://YOUR_RANCHER_URL/v3/schemas" | jq '.data[0:5].id'

Docker (Streamable HTTP)

For HTTP server mode, use the container image from GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io). For Cursor/Claude with stdio, use npm (see Quick start).

Run the server and expose the port:

docker run -d -p 8080:8080 \
 -e RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_SERVER_URL=https://rancher.example.com \
 -e RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_TOKEN="token-xxxxx:yyyy" \
 -e RANCHER_MCP_TRANSPORT=http \
 -e RANCHER_MCP_PORT=8080 \
 ghcr.io/mrostamii/rancher-mcp-server:latest

Connect clients to the MCP endpoint: `http://localhost:8080/mcp` (Streamable HTTP; default path is `/mcp`). Example: `claude mcp add -t http rancher http://localhost:8080/mcp`

Supported platforms

macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel)
Linux (x64 & ARM64)
Windows (x64)

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to check
"rancher-server-url and rancher-token are required"	Check `--rancher-server-url` and `--rancher-token` in args, or env vars `RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_SERVER_URL` and `RANCHER_MCP_RANCHER_TOKEN`.
401 Unauthorized	Token expired or invalid. Create a new API key in Rancher.
TLS / certificate errors	For self-signed Rancher, pass `--tls-insecure` (dev only).
"cluster not found" or empty lists	Wrong cluster ID. Get it from Rancher UI URL or API; pass it as `cluster` to Harvester/Kubernetes tools.
Cursor doesn't show tools	Restart Cursor after editing `mcp.json`; check Tools & MCP that the server is enabled.
Binary not found	Use absolute paths in `mcp.json` for `command` when building from source.
`kubernetes_logs` 503 or stream errors	Known in some Rancher/proxied setups (e.g. RKE2). Reduce `tail_lines` or try another cluster; see rancher/rancher#40711.
Norman tool returns `"_source":"unavailable"`	That collection may not exist on your Rancher version (e.g. legacy `catalogs`, `clusterrepos`, or audit via `GET`). Use `rancher_norman_schema_list` to see registered types, or `kubernetes_list` / Helm / Fleet for chart sources.
Cluster repo list shows `unavailable` or empty `data`	`catalog.cattle.io` `ClusterRepo` may not be installed or proxied for your token; try `kubernetes_list` with `catalog.cattle.io/v1` and `ClusterRepo` on cluster `local` across namespaces.

License

Apache-2.0

Install Server

license - permissive license

quality

maintenance

How are these scores calculated?

Maintenance

–Maintainers

11hResponse time

1wRelease cycle

8Releases (12mo)

Commit activity

Issues opened vs closed

Resources

GitHub Repository

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⇱ Servidor MCP de Rancher by mrostamii | Glama

rancher-mcp-server

Demo

Features

Quick start

Install

Cursor

Claude Desktop

With env vars instead of args

Enable write operations

Streamable HTTP transport

Build from source

Configuration

Harvester tools

Creating a VM on KubeOVN VPC with external internet

Rancher tools

Steve API (management resources)

Norman API (`https://<rancher>/v3/...`)

Norman responses: catalog, cluster repos, audit

Helm tools

Fleet tools

Kubernetes tools

Setup: Rancher token & Harvester cluster ID

Get a Rancher API token

Find your Harvester cluster ID

Docker (Streamable HTTP)

Connect clients to the MCP endpoint: `http://localhost:8080/mcp` (Streamable HTTP; default path is `/mcp`). Example: `claude mcp add -t http rancher http://localhost:8080/mcp`

Supported platforms

Troubleshooting

License

Maintenance

Resources

Tools

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

URL: https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/mrostamii/rancher-mcp-server?locale=es-ES

⇱ Servidor MCP de Rancher by mrostamii | Glama

rancher-mcp-server

Demo

Features

Quick start

Install

Cursor

Claude Desktop

With env vars instead of args

Enable write operations

Streamable HTTP transport

Build from source

Configuration

Harvester tools

Creating a VM on KubeOVN VPC with external internet

Rancher tools

Steve API (management resources)

Norman API (https://<rancher>/v3/...)

Norman responses: catalog, cluster repos, audit

Helm tools

Fleet tools

Kubernetes tools

Setup: Rancher token & Harvester cluster ID

Get a Rancher API token

Find your Harvester cluster ID

Docker (Streamable HTTP)

Connect clients to the MCP endpoint: http://localhost:8080/mcp (Streamable HTTP; default path is /mcp). Example: claude mcp add -t http rancher http://localhost:8080/mcp

Supported platforms

Troubleshooting

License

Maintenance

Resources

Tools

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

Norman API (`https://<rancher>/v3/...`)

Connect clients to the MCP endpoint: `http://localhost:8080/mcp` (Streamable HTTP; default path is `/mcp`). Example: `claude mcp add -t http rancher http://localhost:8080/mcp`