VMware VKS

Author: Wei Zhou, VMware by Broadcom — wei-wz.zhou@broadcom.com This is a community-driven project by a VMware engineer, not an official VMware product. For official VMware developer tools see developer.broadcom.com.

English | 中文

MCP Skill + CLI for VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) management — Supervisor clusters, vSphere Namespaces, and VKS Cluster lifecycle. 20 MCP tools.

Read-only mode (v1.8.0) — one env var (VMWARE_READ_ONLY=true) strips every write tool plus both kubeconfig tools from the MCP registry at startup; ideal for audits, PoCs, and untrusted/local models. See Read-Only Mode.

Companion Skills

Part of the VMware MCP Skills family. Each skill handles a distinct domain — install only what you need.

Skill	Scope	Tools	Install
vmware-aiops ⭐ entry point	VM lifecycle, deployment, guest ops, clusters	49	`uv tool install vmware-aiops`
vmware-monitor	Read-only monitoring, alarms, events, VM info	27	`uv tool install vmware-monitor`
vmware-storage	Datastores, iSCSI, vSAN	11	`uv tool install vmware-storage`
vmware-nsx	NSX networking: segments, gateways, NAT, IPAM	33	`uv tool install vmware-nsx-mgmt`
vmware-nsx-security	DFW microsegmentation, security groups, Traceflow	21	`uv tool install vmware-nsx-security`
vmware-aria	Aria Ops metrics, alerts, capacity planning	28	`uv tool install vmware-aria`

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ — required for uv tool install
vSphere 8.0+ — Workload Management (Supervisor) APIs require vSphere 8.x
Workload Management enabled — WCP must be enabled on at least one compute cluster
License — vSphere Kubernetes Service (Enterprise Plus or VMware Cloud Foundation)

Run vmware-vks check after setup to verify all requirements are met.

Quick Start

# Install
uv tool install vmware-vks

# Configure
mkdir -p ~/.vmware-vks
cp config.example.yaml ~/.vmware-vks/config.yaml
# Edit config.yaml with your vCenter host and username

echo "VMWARE_MY_VCENTER_PASSWORD=your_password" > ~/.vmware-vks/.env
chmod 600 ~/.vmware-vks/.env

# Verify
vmware-vks check

# Common operations
vmware-vks supervisor status domain-c1
vmware-vks namespace list
vmware-vks tkc list
vmware-vks tkc create my-cluster -n dev --version v1.28.4+vmware.1 --vm-class best-effort-large
vmware-vks tkc create my-cluster -n dev --apply

Read-Only Mode

Set VMWARE_READ_ONLY=true and the MCP server withholds 9 of its 20 tools at startup: the 7 write tools (Namespace/TKC create, update, scale, upgrade, delete) plus both kubeconfig tools. get_supervisor_kubeconfig / get_tkc_kubeconfig are read-only against vCenter, but they materialise a session-token kubeconfig file at a caller-supplied local path — so a locked-down deployment opts into credential files explicitly instead of receiving them by default.

The guarantee is structural, not a prompt instruction: withheld tools are removed from the registry, so list_tools() never offers them and the model cannot call what it cannot see. Off by default. Fail-closed: if the mode is requested but cannot be guaranteed, the server refuses to start rather than running open.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vmware-vks": {
      "command": "vmware-vks",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VMWARE_VKS_CONFIG": "~/.vmware-vks/config.yaml",
        "VMWARE_READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Per-skill override: VMWARE_VKS_READ_ONLY beats the family-wide VMWARE_READ_ONLY, so this skill can differ from the rest of the family.
Config alternative: read_only: true in ~/.vmware-vks/config.yaml. Precedence: per-skill env → family env → config → off.
Startup log: the server logs Read-only mode active for vmware-vks — withheld 9 write tool(s): ... so you can confirm the gate engaged.

Common Workflows

Deploy a New TKC Cluster

Check compatibility → vmware-vks check
List available K8s versions → vmware-vks tkc versions -n dev
Create namespace (if needed) → vmware-vks namespace create dev --cluster domain-c1 --storage-policy <policy-id> --cpu 16000 --memory 32768 --apply (get the policy ID from vmware-vks supervisor storage-policies)
Create TKC cluster → vmware-vks tkc create dev-cluster -n dev --version v1.28.4+vmware.1 --control-plane 1 --workers 3 --vm-class best-effort-large --apply
Get kubeconfig → vmware-vks kubeconfig get dev-cluster -n dev

Scale Workers for Load Testing

Check current state → vmware-vks tkc get dev-cluster -n dev
Scale up → vmware-vks tkc scale dev-cluster -n dev --workers 6
Monitor progress → vmware-vks tkc get dev-cluster -n dev (watch phase)
Scale back down after test

Namespace Resource Management

List namespaces → vmware-vks namespace list
Check usage → vmware-vks storage -n dev
Update quota → vmware-vks namespace update dev --cpu 32000 --memory 65536

Tool Reference (20 tools)

Supervisor

Tool	Description	Type
`check_vks_compatibility`	vCenter version check + WCP status	Read
`get_supervisor_status`	Supervisor cluster status and K8s API endpoint	Read
`list_supervisor_storage_policies`	vCenter storage policies (policy ID, name, description)	Read

Namespace

Tool	Description	Type
`list_namespaces`	All vSphere Namespaces with status	Read
`get_namespace`	Namespace detail (quotas, storage, roles)	Read
`create_namespace`	Create Namespace with dry-run preview	Write
`update_namespace`	Modify quotas and storage policy	Write
`delete_namespace`	Delete with TKC guard (rejects if clusters exist)	Write
`list_vm_classes`	Available VM classes for TKC sizing	Read

TKC

Tool	Description	Type
`list_tkc_clusters`	TanzuKubernetesCluster list with status	Read
`get_tkc_cluster`	Cluster detail (nodes, health, conditions)	Read
`get_tkc_available_versions`	Supported K8s versions on Supervisor	Read
`create_tkc_cluster`	Create TKC with YAML plan + dry-run default	Write
`scale_tkc_cluster`	Scale worker node count	Write
`upgrade_tkc_cluster`	Upgrade K8s version	Write
`delete_tkc_cluster`	Delete with workload guard	Write

Access

Tool	Description	Type
`get_supervisor_kubeconfig`	Supervisor kubeconfig YAML	Read
`get_tkc_kubeconfig`	TKC kubeconfig (stdout or file)	Read
`get_harbor_info`	Embedded Harbor registry info (id, cluster, version, URL, health, storage used)	Read
`list_namespace_storage_usage`	PVC list and capacity stats	Read

Architecture

User (Natural Language)
  ↓
AI Agent (Claude Code / Goose / Cursor)
  ↓ reads SKILL.md
  ↓
vmware-vks CLI  ─── or ───  vmware-vks MCP Server (stdio)
  │
  ├─ Layer 1: pyVmomi → vCenter REST API
  │   Supervisor status, storage policies, Namespace CRUD, VM classes, Harbor
  │
  └─ Layer 2: kubernetes client → Supervisor K8s API endpoint
      TKC CR apply / get / delete  (cluster.x-k8s.io API version auto-detected:
        prefers v1 when Supervisor serves it, falls back to v1beta1 for vSphere 8.0)
      Kubeconfig built in-memory from Layer 1 session token (no temp file on disk)
  ↓
vCenter Server 8.x+ (Workload Management enabled)
  ↓
Supervisor Cluster → vSphere Namespaces → TanzuKubernetesCluster

CLI Reference

# Pre-flight diagnostics
vmware-vks check

# Supervisor
vmware-vks supervisor status <cluster-id>
vmware-vks supervisor storage-policies

# Namespace
vmware-vks namespace list
vmware-vks namespace get <name>
vmware-vks namespace create <name> --cluster <id> --storage-policy <policy>
vmware-vks namespace create <name> --cluster <id> --storage-policy <policy> --apply
vmware-vks namespace update <name> [--cpu <mhz>] [--memory <mib>]
vmware-vks namespace delete <name>
vmware-vks namespace vm-classes

# VKS Cluster
vmware-vks tkc list [-n <namespace>]
vmware-vks tkc get <name> -n <namespace>
vmware-vks tkc versions -n <namespace>
vmware-vks tkc create <name> -n <namespace> [--version <v>] [--vm-class <c>]
vmware-vks tkc create <name> -n <namespace> --apply
vmware-vks tkc scale <name> -n <namespace> --workers <n>
vmware-vks tkc upgrade <name> -n <namespace> --version <v>
vmware-vks tkc delete <name> -n <namespace>

# Kubeconfig
vmware-vks kubeconfig supervisor -n <namespace>
vmware-vks kubeconfig get <cluster-name> -n <namespace> [-o <path>]

# Harbor & Storage
vmware-vks harbor
vmware-vks storage -n <namespace>

MCP Server

After uv tool install vmware-vks, start the MCP server with one command (v1.5.15+):

# Recommended — single command, no network re-resolve
vmware-vks mcp

# With a custom config path
VMWARE_VKS_CONFIG=/path/to/config.yaml vmware-vks mcp

Agent Configuration

Add to your AI agent's MCP config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vmware-vks": {
      "command": "vmware-vks",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VMWARE_VKS_CONFIG": "~/.vmware-vks/config.yaml"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: uvx (no install) or legacy entry point

# Run without installing (requires PyPI access each launch)
uvx --from vmware-vks vmware-vks mcp

# Legacy entry point (still works, kept for backward compatibility)
vmware-vks-mcp

Behind a corporate TLS proxy? uvx may fail with invalid peer certificate: UnknownIssuer. Use the recommended vmware-vks mcp form above (no network needed), or set UV_NATIVE_TLS=true.

Safety

Feature	Description
Read-heavy	13/20 tools are read-only
Read-only mode	`VMWARE_READ_ONLY=true` removes all 9 write-effecting tools (7 writes + 2 kubeconfig materialisers) from the MCP registry — see Read-Only Mode
Dry-run default	`create_namespace`, `create_tkc_cluster`, `delete_namespace`, `delete_tkc_cluster` all default to `dry_run=True`
TKC guard	`delete_namespace` rejects if TKC clusters exist inside
Workload guard	`delete_tkc_cluster` rejects if Deployments/StatefulSets are running
Credential safety	Passwords only from environment variables (`.env` file), never in `config.yaml`
In-memory kubeconfig	Supervisor/TKC kubeconfig (with vCenter session bearer token) is built as an in-memory dict and loaded via `load_kube_config_from_dict()` — never written to a temp file on disk (v1.5.18+)
Audit logging	All write operations logged to `~/.vmware-vks/audit.log`
stdio transport	No network listener; MCP runs over stdio only

Troubleshooting

"VKS not compatible" error

Workload Management must be enabled in vCenter. Check: vCenter UI -> Workload Management. Requires vSphere 8.x+ with Enterprise Plus or VCF license.

Namespace creation fails with "storage policy not found"

List policies first: vmware-vks supervisor storage-policies, then pass the Policy ID column value (not the display name) as --storage-policy.

TKC cluster stuck in "Creating" phase

Check Supervisor events in vCenter. Common causes: insufficient resources on ESXi hosts, network issues with NSX-T, or storage policy not available on target datastore.

Kubeconfig retrieval fails

Supervisor API endpoint must be reachable from the machine running vmware-vks. Check firewall rules for port 6443.

Scale operation has no effect

Verify the cluster is in "Running" phase before scaling. Clusters in "Creating" or "Updating" phase reject scale operations.

Delete namespace rejected unexpectedly

The namespace delete guard prevents deletion when TKC clusters exist inside. Delete all TKC clusters in the namespace first, then retry.

Version Compatibility

vSphere / VCF	Support	Notes
9.0 / 9.1	⚠ Not yet verified	Workload Management (Supervisor / WCP) API surface in vSphere 9 has not been tested by maintainers. Existing vSphere 8.x code paths should work but no guarantees until a lab run is completed — basic CRUD likely works, corner cases may need testing. File issues with `check_vks_compatibility` output if you run this on VCF 9.
8.0+	Full	Workload Management APIs available
7.x	Not supported	WCP API surface is different; use vSphere 8.x

Official Broadcom References

SDKs: https://developer.broadcom.com/sdks — VCF Python SDK (unified SDK in VCF 9+)
REST APIs: https://developer.broadcom.com/xapis — vSphere Automation API (Workload Management endpoints)
CLI Tools: https://developer.broadcom.com/tools — kubectl-vsphere, PowerCLI 9.1

Related Projects

Skill	Scope	Tools	Install
vmware-aiops ⭐ entry point	VM lifecycle, deployment, guest ops, clusters	49	`uv tool install vmware-aiops`
vmware-monitor	Read-only monitoring, alarms, events, VM info	27	`uv tool install vmware-monitor`
vmware-storage	Datastores, iSCSI, vSAN	11	`uv tool install vmware-storage`
vmware-nsx	NSX networking: segments, gateways, NAT, IPAM	33	`uv tool install vmware-nsx-mgmt`
vmware-nsx-security	DFW microsegmentation, security groups, Traceflow	21	`uv tool install vmware-nsx-security`
vmware-aria	Aria Ops metrics, alerts, capacity planning	28	`uv tool install vmware-aria`

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 131 Commits
docs/plans		docs/plans
examples/mcp-configs		examples/mcp-configs
skills/vmware-vks		skills/vmware-vks
tests		tests
vmware_vks		vmware_vks
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
README-CN.md		README-CN.md
README.md		README.md
RELEASE_NOTES.md		RELEASE_NOTES.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
config.example.yaml		config.example.yaml
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
server.json		server.json
smithery.yaml		smithery.yaml
uv.lock		uv.lock

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

VMware VKS

Companion Skills

Prerequisites

Quick Start

Read-Only Mode

Common Workflows

Deploy a New TKC Cluster

Scale Workers for Load Testing

Namespace Resource Management

Tool Reference (20 tools)

Supervisor

Namespace

TKC

Access

Architecture

CLI Reference

MCP Server

Agent Configuration

Safety

Troubleshooting

"VKS not compatible" error

Namespace creation fails with "storage policy not found"

TKC cluster stuck in "Creating" phase

Kubeconfig retrieval fails

Scale operation has no effect

Delete namespace rejected unexpectedly

Version Compatibility

Official Broadcom References

Related Projects

License

About

Topics

Resources

License

Security policy

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases 64

Packages 0

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Contributors

Uh oh!

Languages

Packages