Building the Bridge: Making Kubernetes Security Accessible Through MCP

Building the Bridge: Making Kubernetes Security Accessible Through MCP Why Kubernetes Security Needed a Bridge Why We Built an MCP Server How the Nirmata MCP Server Works Embedded Policies for Instant Security Overcoming Key Technical Challenges Multi-Transport Flexibility Namespace Filtering User-Centric Error Handling Real-World Use Cases Performance and Security Built-In Performance Security The Bigger Picture: AI Meets Cloud-Native Governance Getting Started What We Learned Learn More Kubernetes security is powerful—but notoriously complex. At Nirmata , we saw teams struggling to implement proper security governance because doing so requires deep expertise in Kubernetes internals and policy management. That expertise gap introduces real risk. So, we asked a simple question: How do we preserve Kyverno’s precision while making it accessible to non-experts? The answer wasn’t simplifying Kyverno itself—it was transforming how people interact with it. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) changed the game. MCP provides a standardized way for AI assistants to interact with systems like Kubernetes and Kyverno. By building a Kyverno MCP Server , we created one interface that works with any AI assistant that speaks MCP—whether that’s ChatGPT , Claude , or a custom-built internal assistant. This means anyone can query their cluster through natural language , asking questions such as: “Does my cluster follow pod security standards?” “Does my cluster follow pod security standards?” “Show me RBAC violations in production. ” “Show me RBAC violations in production. ” “Which policies am I failing, and why?” “Which policies am I failing, and why?” The MCP server translates those plain-language questions into Kyverno operations, runs the evaluations, and returns the results conversationally—bridging the gap between human understanding and machine precision. We exposed five key capabilities through the MCP interface: Cluster Discovery – View available Kubernetes environments Cluster Discovery – View available Kubernetes environments Context Switching – Seamlessly move between clusters in one conversation Context Switching – Seamlessly move between clusters in one conversation Policy Application – Scan resources against policies for compliance insights Policy Application – Scan resources against policies for compliance insights Violation Reporting – Identify issues and explain why they matter Violation Reporting – Identify issues and explain why they matter Interactive Help – Guide users on what’s possible through MCP Interactive Help – Guide users on what’s possible through MCP Each capability is implemented as a modular Go component, designed for extensibility as Kyverno and Kubernetes evolve. The data flow is straightforward but powerful: The AI assistant sends a question through MCP The AI assistant sends a question through MCP The server translates it into precise Kyverno operations The server translates it into precise Kyverno operations Kyverno evaluates the cluster Kyverno evaluates the cluster Results return enriched with context and explanations Results return enriched with context and explanations This cycle allows natural, ongoing dialogue—turning traditional command-line operations into conversational experiences.