MCP server · Developer tools

Rancher MCP server

Let your AI manage Rancher clusters, Harvester VMs, and Fleet GitOps without leaving the chat.

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This is a helper that connects your AI assistant to Rancher, the tool many teams use to run Kubernetes clusters. Once it is set up, you can ask your AI to list clusters, check virtual machines, or look at Helm releases, and it will go and fetch the answers for you. It is handy if you work with Rancher, Harvester, or Fleet and want to skip clicking around dashboards.

What is an MCP server? The 30-second version

On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to another app. This one connects your AI to your Rancher setup, so it can look things up or make changes there when you ask. Think of it as a bridge between your chat window and your Rancher environment.

What this MCP server does

You ask your AI something like "list my clusters" or "show me the VMs in the default namespace". The AI passes that request to this helper program. The helper then talks to your Rancher server using the address and token you gave it. It gets the information back and hands it to the AI, which shows it to you in plain language or a table. If you turn on write mode, it can also create or change things like VMs, Helm releases, or Git repos.

Flow diagram: you ask your AI “List all my Rancher clusters and their status”, the Rancher MCP server connects it to Rancher, and you get back A table of your clusters.

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What you can do with it

List Rancher clusters and see their health and version
List, start, stop, or restart Harvester virtual machines
Check Helm releases and their history
List Fleet Git repos and detect drift
Look at Kubernetes resources like pods or deployments
Create a new VM or volume (if write mode is on)
Check Harvester hosts and their maintenance mode

Try asking your AI

“List all my Rancher clusters and their status”
“Show me the VMs in the default namespace on cluster c-abc123”
“What Helm releases are installed in the cattle-system namespace?”
“List Fleet Git repos and tell me if any are out of sync”

What it gives back to you

You get back lists, tables, or short summaries right in your chat. For example, it might show a table of clusters with names and health, or a list of VMs with their status. If you ask for details on one thing, it gives you the full information it found. When you make a change, it tells you if it worked or if something went wrong.

Before you start

What you need

A Rancher server URL (like https://rancher.example.com)
A Rancher API token (a kind of password for apps; you can create one in Rancher under your user settings)
Node.js 18 or newer (if you use the npx install method)
The Claude desktop app or Cursor editor to add the MCP server

Good to know

By default this server is read-only, but if you turn on write mode it can create, change, or delete things in your Rancher environment, including VMs, Helm releases, and user tokens. Be careful with the token you provide and only enable writes when you are sure.

Install it with your AI

Add Rancher MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed

You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.

Sign in to get the install prompt

Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Rancher MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.