rancher/rancher-ai-mcp

MCP Server for Rancher

The MCP server allows the Rancher AI agent to securely retrieve or update Kubernetes and Rancher resources across local and downstream clusters. It expects the Rancher token in a header, which the agent will always provide for authentication.

Overview

This Model Context Protocol (MCP) server provides a secure bridge between the Rancher AI agent and Kubernetes clusters, enabling AI-powered cluster management through a standardized tool interface. The server runs as a Kubernetes deployment within the Rancher environment and exposes tools for resource inspection, modification, and cluster operations.

Architecture

Package Structure

• cmd/ - CLI commands and server initialization

  • serve.go - HTTP/TLS server setup with dynamic listener support
  • root.go - Root command configuration

• pkg/client/ - Kubernetes client abstraction

  • Dynamic client wrapper with cluster ID resolution
  • Rancher API integration for cluster management
  • Support for both local and downstream cluster operations

• pkg/toolsets/ - Tool registration and organization

  • toolsets.go - Central registry for tool collections
  • core/ - Core Kubernetes operation tools

• pkg/response/ - Response formatting utilities

  • Structured text and content generation for MCP responses

• pkg/converter/ - Data transformation utilities

  • Group/Version/Resource (GVR) conversion helpers

Multi-Agent Architecture

The server is designed with a modular toolset architecture to support a multi-agent system. Each toolset contains a collection of related tools that serve a specific agent or domain within the Rancher AI ecosystem.

Current Toolsets:

• core - Fundamental Kubernetes operations (resource management, pod inspection, metrics)

This architecture allows different AI agents to access only the tools they need, improving security, maintainability, and scalability.

TLS & Security

The server supports two modes:

1. TLS Mode (Production): Uses Rancher’s dynamic listener with auto-generated certificates

   • Certificates stored as Kubernetes secrets
   • Automatic cert rotation and renewal
   • Client certificate authentication support
   • TLS 1.2+ with secure cipher suites

2. Insecure Mode (Development): Plain HTTP for local testing

   • Enabled via --insecure flag or INSECURE_SKIP_TLS=true

Available Tools

Each tool is exposed through the MCP protocol and can be invoked by the Rancher AI agent. The full, up-to-date list of tools grouped by toolset is maintained in TOOLS.md, which is generated from the tool definitions.

To regenerate it after adding or changing tools, run:

go generate ./...
# or
make generate

Configuration

Command-line Flags

--port               Port to listen on (default: 9092)
--insecure                Skip TLS verification (default: false)