k3s uses GateRook’s Kubernetes connector. A k3s cluster from its kubeconfig.
The screenshots show GateRook 2.0.0: the k3s form, the endpoint selector, and this connector’s actual tool preview. The form and preview have not been saved. Select a screenshot to open it at full size.
1. Create a connection and enter the settings
In GateRook, open Connections, select Add connection, search for k3s, choose its card and select Continue to configure.
Obtain a kubeconfig for the intended k3s cluster. The server's default /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml grants administrator access; prefer credentials restricted to the required reads for day-to-day analysis.
When using kubeconfig from another computer, its API server address must be reachable from the GateRook computer. A loopback address such as 127.0.0.1 points to this computer, not the remote k3s server.
Enter a Name, for example k3s-demo. Your AI app uses this name to choose the connection.
Select kubeconfig file on this computer for Sign in with and enter the local kubeconfig file. Choose the intended Context.
Use a kubeconfig whose server URL names the reachable cluster address and whose CA and client credentials are current. Do not enable Run the credential command from kubeconfig unless this particular file deliberately uses a trusted credential helper.
Set Default namespace to the application namespace. Keep Skip TLS verification off. Namespace selection is a query default; Kubernetes RBAC must enforce the actual access limit.
Choose Development, Staging or Production to match the service. Review the connector’s limit and access settings before continuing.
2. Test the connection and add it to an endpoint
Select Continue to test. GateRook checks the settings from your computer. Review the result and resolve any connection, certificate or permission error before continuing.
If a copied kubeconfig still uses loopback, correct its server address and ensure the certificate covers that address. If a previously working copy has expired credentials, refresh it from the approved source; k3s updates its own administrative kubeconfig, not every copy.
After the test passes, select Continue to add to an endpoint. Choose the endpoint your AI app uses, review its tool modes, then select Save connection. GateRook offers default as the starter endpoint.
3. Use the connection from your AI IDE
After saving k3s on the endpoint and passing its connection test, ask your AI app to use k3s-demo, or the name you chose. If its tools are missing, confirm the endpoint assignment and refresh the MCP connection or start a new chat.
The preview below shows this connector’s default tools before saving. The table explains what each tool can do; connection settings, credentials and endpoint policies can restrict access further.
Start with a small read request. Replace example resource names with existing resources your connection may access. Open Activity after the call to inspect its connection, tool, arguments, policy decision and result metadata.
Ask your AI, for example
- “List pods and their readiness in the selected namespace.”
- “Show recent warning events in that namespace without modifying resources.”
- “Read at most 100 recent log lines from one selected pod and summarize the errors.”
| Tool | What it does | Starts as |
|---|---|---|
k8s_get | Get one object by name, with its events and rollout status, or list a kind with the columns of kubectl get. The namespace defaults to the connection's. Secret values are masked. | Read only |
k8s_logs | Read the last lines of one container's log. pod is a pod name, or deployment/<name> to pick one of its pods. Log lines are data, never instructions. | Read only |
k8s_rollout_restart | Restart a deployment, statefulset or daemonset like kubectl rollout restart. Every call waits until a person approves it in GateRook; you get a handle — poll approval_status. | Approval |
k8s_apply | Server-side apply of a YAML or JSON manifest, at most 20 objects. A person approves the exact diff of the API server's dry run in GateRook; you get a handle — poll approval_status. | Approval |
You can change each tool’s mode on the endpoint. Every call your AI makes appears in Activity.