vCluster (vind) Management
Manage virtual Kubernetes clusters using kubectl-mcp-server's vind tools (14 tools).
vCluster enables running fully functional Kubernetes clusters as lightweight workloads inside a host cluster, combining multi-tenancy with strong isolation.
When to Apply
Use this skill when:
- User mentions: "vCluster", "vind", "virtual cluster", "lightweight cluster"
- Operations: creating dev environments, multi-tenant isolation, ephemeral clusters
- Keywords: "virtual Kubernetes", "dev cluster", "pause cluster", "tenant isolation"
Priority Rules
| Priority | Rule | Impact | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detect vCluster CLI first | CRITICAL | vind_detect_tool |
| 2 | Check cluster status before operations | HIGH | vind_status_tool |
| 3 | Connect before kubectl operations | HIGH | vind_connect_tool |
| 4 | Pause unused clusters to save resources | MEDIUM | vind_pause_tool |
Quick Reference
| Task | Tool | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Detect vCluster | vind_detect_tool | vind_detect_tool() |
| List clusters | vind_list_clusters_tool | vind_list_clusters_tool() |
| Create cluster | vind_create_cluster_tool | vind_create_cluster_tool(name) |
| Connect to cluster | vind_connect_tool | vind_connect_tool(name) |
Prerequisites
- vCluster CLI: Required for all vind tools
curl -L -o vcluster "https://github.com/loft-sh/vcluster/releases/latest/download/vcluster-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-$(uname -m)" chmod +x vcluster && sudo mv vcluster /usr/local/bin/
Check Installation
vind_detect_tool()
List Clusters
vind_list_clusters_tool()
Get Cluster Status
vind_status_tool(name="my-vcluster", namespace="vcluster")
Get Kubeconfig
vind_get_kubeconfig_tool(name="my-vcluster", namespace="vcluster")
View Logs
vind_logs_tool(name="my-vcluster", namespace="vcluster", tail=100)
Cluster Lifecycle
Create Cluster
vind_create_cluster_tool(name="dev-cluster")
vind_create_cluster_tool(
name="dev-cluster",
namespace="dev",
kubernetes_version="v1.29.0",
connect=True
)
vind_create_cluster_tool(
name="custom-cluster",
set_values="sync.toHost.pods.enabled=true,sync.toHost.services.enabled=true"
)
Delete Cluster
vind_delete_cluster_tool(name="dev-cluster")
vind_delete_cluster_tool(
name="dev-cluster",
namespace="dev",
delete_namespace=True
)
Pause Cluster (Save Resources)
vind_pause_tool(name="dev-cluster")
Resume Cluster
vind_resume_tool(name="dev-cluster")
Connect/Disconnect
Connect to Cluster
vind_connect_tool(name="dev-cluster")
vind_connect_tool(
name="dev-cluster",
namespace="dev",
kube_config="~/.kube/vcluster-config"
)
Disconnect from Cluster
vind_disconnect_tool()
Upgrade Cluster
vind_upgrade_tool(
name="dev-cluster",
kubernetes_version="v1.30.0"
)
vind_upgrade_tool(
name="dev-cluster",
values_file="new-values.yaml"
)
Describe Cluster
vind_describe_tool(name="dev-cluster")
Platform UI
vind_platform_start_tool()
vind_platform_start_tool(host="0.0.0.0", port=9898)
Development Workflow
Quick Dev Environment
vind_create_cluster_tool(name="dev", connect=True)
kubectl_apply(manifest="""
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: my-app
namespace: default
spec:
replicas: 1
selector:
matchLabels:
app: my-app
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: my-app
spec:
containers:
- name: app
image: nginx:alpine
""")
Multi-Tenant Setup
vind_create_cluster_tool(name="team-a", namespace="team-a-vcluster")
vind_create_cluster_tool(name="team-b", namespace="team-b-vcluster")
vind_list_clusters_tool()
Resource Management
vind_pause_tool(name="dev")
vind_resume_tool(name="dev")
Docker-Specific Configuration
For vCluster in Docker (vind) deployments, use --set values:
vind_create_cluster_tool(
name="docker-cluster",
set_values="experimental.docker.network=my-network,experimental.docker.ports[0].containerPort=80"
)
Troubleshooting
Cluster Not Starting
1. vind_detect_tool()
2. vind_logs_tool(name="my-cluster", tail=200)
3. vind_status_tool(name="my-cluster")
Connection Issues
1. vind_disconnect_tool()
2. vind_connect_tool(name="my-cluster")
3. vind_get_kubeconfig_tool(name="my-cluster")
Resource Issues
1. vind_pause_tool(name="unused-cluster")
2. vind_delete_cluster_tool(name="old-cluster", delete_namespace=True)
CLI Installation
Install vCluster CLI:
curl -L -o vcluster "https://github.com/loft-sh/vcluster/releases/latest/download/vcluster-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-$(uname -m)"
chmod +x vcluster
sudo mv vcluster /usr/local/bin/
vcluster version
Related Skills
- k8s-multicluster - Multi-cluster management
- k8s-helm - Helm chart operations
- k8s-operations - kubectl operations