GKE MCP Server Usage
The GKE MCP server provides 23 structured tools for cluster management, Kubernetes resource operations, and diagnostics — without requiring shell access or kubeconfig setup.
Connecting to the GKE MCP Server
The GKE remote MCP server is available for AI clients that support the Model Context Protocol. For setup instructions, see https://docs.cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/use-gke-mcp.md.txt
Available Tools
All tools use hierarchical resource paths:
Project+Region: projects/{PROJECT}/locations/{REGION}
Cluster: projects/{PROJECT}/locations/{REGION}/clusters/{CLUSTER}
Node Pool: projects/{PROJECT}/locations/{REGION}/clusters/{CLUSTER}/nodePools/{POOL}
Operation: projects/{PROJECT}/locations/{REGION}/operations/{OP_ID}Use locations/- to match all regions when listing.
Cluster Management
| Tool | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list_clusters |
READ | Discover clusters in a project/region |
get_cluster |
READ | Inspect cluster config. Use readMask to select fields |
create_cluster |
MUTATE | Create a cluster from JSON config |
update_cluster |
DESTRUCTIVE | Change Day-1 cluster settings |
Node Pool Management
| Tool | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list_node_pools |
READ | List pools in a cluster |
get_node_pool |
READ | Get pool details |
create_node_pool |
MUTATE | Add a pool (Standard clusters) |
update_node_pool |
DESTRUCTIVE | Modify a pool |
Kubernetes Resources
| Tool | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
get_k8s_resource |
READ | List/get any K8s resource (supports label/field selectors) |
describe_k8s_resource |
READ | Detailed info with events and conditions |
apply_k8s_manifest |
DESTRUCTIVE | Apply YAML manifests (supports dryRun) |
patch_k8s_resource |
DESTRUCTIVE | JSON patch resource fields |
delete_k8s_resource |
DESTRUCTIVE | Remove resources (supports cascade, dryRun) |
list_k8s_api_resources |
READ | Discover available resource types |
Diagnostics & Observability
| Tool | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list_k8s_events |
READ | Scheduling failures, OOM kills, evictions |
get_k8s_logs |
READ | Container logs (supports tail, since, previous) |
get_k8s_cluster_info |
READ | Control plane and service endpoints |
get_k8s_version |
READ | Kubernetes server version |
get_k8s_rollout_status |
READ | Deployment/StatefulSet rollout progress |
check_k8s_auth |
READ | Verify RBAC permissions for a user/SA |
Operations
| Tool | Mode | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
list_operations |
READ | Pending/running cluster operations |
get_operation |
READ | Track create/upgrade progress |
cancel_operation |
DESTRUCTIVE | Abort stuck operations |
Developer Knowledge MCP Server
The Developer Knowledge MCP server (developer_knowledge, proxied to https://developerknowledge.googleapis.com/mcp) provides authoritative, first-party documentation, API resource schemas, version lifecycle details, and recommended architecture patterns for Google Cloud and GKE.
Purpose & Capabilities
- GKE Facts & Architecture: Authoritative feature behavior, Autopilot vs Standard constraints, configuration semantics, and security best practices.
- API Schemas & Fields: Accurate resource definitions and field specifications across GKE and Kubernetes API versions.
- Version Lifecycle & Deprecations: Release notes, deprecation schedules, and breaking change timelines.
- Quotas & Limits: Built-in resource limits and quota requirements.
Available Tools
| Tool | Mode | Arguments | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
search_documents |
READ | query (string) |
Every lookup starts here: documentation chunks and document names. Takes only query (do NOT pass max_results). |
get_documents |
READ | names (array) |
Full document content by resource name (e.g. ["documents/docs.cloud.../..."]), when a chunk needs its surrounding page. |
answer_query |
READ | query (string) |
Do not use. Its quota is 50 requests per day per project, shared by every agent in the install, and it reads the same corpus as search_documents. Never retry its 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. |
Tool Preference
Tool usage follows two distinct, domain-specific hierarchies:
1. Knowledge & Documentation Lookups (GKE Facts, Schemas, Best Practices)
1. Developer Knowledge MCP (`mcp-developer_knowledge`) (preferred — authoritative, curated first-party docs)
`search_documents(query=...)` first, `get_documents(names=[...])` for a full page; never `answer_query`
2. Web Search (`web_search`) (fallback — third-party tools, external CVEs, or when DK returns no match)2. Live Cluster Operations & State Management
1. GKE MCP Tools (`mcp-gke`) (preferred — structured, auditable, no shell required)
2. gcloud CLI (fallback — when MCP doesn't expose the operation)
3. kubectl (fallback — purely in-cluster ops not covered by MCP)See cli-reference.md for the full coverage comparison, CLI fallback commands, and user preference override options.