mcp-k8s vs Radar

A side-by-side comparison of two DevOps & Cloud servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	mcp-k8s Kubernetes MCP server: manage cluster resources and Helm releases through MCP tools, with fine-grained write controls. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Go	Radar Built-in MCP server for the open-source Kubernetes UI — lets AI assistants query and operate your cluster. Unverified HTTP (remote) No auth Go
Category	DevOps & Cloud	DevOps & Cloud
Language	Go	Go
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	146	2.4k
Last commit	28 days ago	1 day ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`go install github.com/silenceper/mcp-k8s/cmd/mcp-k8s@latest`	`curl -fsSL https://get.radarhq.io \| sh`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick mcp-k8s if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Pick Radar if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add mcp-k8s

Install / run

go install github.com/silenceper/mcp-k8s/cmd/mcp-k8s@latest

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-k8s": {
      "command": "/path/to/mcp-k8s",
      "args": [
        "--kubeconfig",
        "/path/to/kubeconfig",
        "--enable-create",
        "--enable-delete",
        "--enable-update",
        "--enable-list",
        "--enable-helm-install",
        "--enable-helm-upgrade"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add Radar

Install / run

curl -fsSL https://get.radarhq.io | sh

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "radar": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:9280/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

FAQ

mcp-k8s or Radar — which is better?

Pick mcp-k8s if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine. Pick Radar if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both mcp-k8s and Radar?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do mcp-k8s and Radar work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View mcp-k8s →View Radar →More comparisons →