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VMware VKS

PyPI License: MIT

English | 中文

Maintainer: Wei Zhou · zhouwei008@gmail.com

Community-maintained open-source project; not an official VMware or Broadcom product.

Overview · Quick Start · MCP Configuration · Capabilities and Workflows · Safety and Audit · Troubleshooting · Companion Skills · Reference · License

Overview

Runs locally over stdio by default; configure required targets and credentials on your own machine.

MCP Skill + CLI for VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) management — Supervisor clusters, vSphere Namespaces, and VKS Cluster lifecycle. 25 MCP tools.

MCP uses local stdio by default. Opt-in HTTPS opens the configured listener and requires TLS plus caller authentication; it is a network service, not a local-only mode. Credential examples create owner-only placeholder files without overwriting existing files; edit secrets locally.

Skills.sh examples pin skills@1.7.6 (Node.js >=22.20.0) separately from the repository release tag. These pins do not lock transitive dependencies.

Full agent instructions: skills/vmware-vks/SKILL.md.

Related MCP server: vmware-nsx

Quick Start

Requires Python >=3.10 and uv.

uv tool install vmware-vks==3.7.0
vmware-vks --help

Target, credential and local data setup: setup guide.

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==3.7.0

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

# One password env var per target, named after the target in config.yaml:
# target "vcenter01" (the one config.example.yaml ships) -> VMWARE_VKS_VCENTER01_PASSWORD
(
  umask 077
  set -C  # Refuse existing files; edit an existing .env locally instead
  cat > ~/.vmware-vks/.env <<'EOF'
VMWARE_VKS_VCENTER01_PASSWORD=REPLACE_IN_LOCAL_EDITOR
EOF
)
# Before continuing, edit .env locally; never type live secrets into shell commands.

# 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

This writes placeholders only. Enter passwords or tokens using a local editor after creation; do not paste live credentials into terminal commands, chat or commits. If the file exists, the command refuses to overwrite it; edit the existing file after checking its permissions are 600.

Offline / Air-Gapped Install (from source)

This project uses the modern PEP 517 build system (hatchling), so there is no setup.py by design — that is expected, not a missing file. If you cloned the source and hit ERROR: File "setup.py" or "setup.cfg" not found ... editable mode currently requires a setuptools-based build, your pip is older than 21.3 and cannot do an editable (-e) install with a non-setuptools backend. Editable mode is a developer convenience, not needed to run the tool — do one of:

# From the source tree — a normal (non-editable) install builds a wheel:
pip install .              # NOT  pip install -e .

# ...or upgrade pip first, and editable works too:
pip install --upgrade pip && pip install -e .

For a truly air-gapped host, build the wheels on a connected machine and copy them over — the target then needs no network:

# On a connected machine, collect this package + its dependencies as wheels:
pip wheel . -w dist        # → dist/*.whl   (or: uv build, for just this package)

# Copy dist/ to the air-gapped host, then install offline:
pip install --no-index --find-links dist vmware-vks

MCP Configuration

Copy this configuration into your MCP client's local stdio settings. The client must be able to find uvx; the initial package installation requires access to a package index.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vmware-vks": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--from", "vmware-vks==3.7.0", "vmware-vks-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VMWARE_VKS_CONFIG": "~/.vmware-vks/config.yaml"
      }
    }
  }
}

The following sections retain preinstalled CLI alternatives and product-specific MCP options.

MCP Server

After uv tool install vmware-vks==3.7.0, 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"
      }
    }
  }
}
# Run without installing (requires PyPI access each launch)
uvx --from vmware-vks==3.7.0 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.

Capabilities and Workflows

Common Workflows

Deploy a New TKC Cluster

  1. Check compatibility → vmware-vks check

  2. List available K8s versions → vmware-vks tkc versions -n dev

  3. 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)

  4. 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

  5. Get kubeconfig (credential; only when you need cluster access) → vmware-vks kubeconfig get dev-cluster -n dev -o ./kubeconfig — writes an owner-only file instead of printing the token

Scale Workers for Load Testing

  1. Check current state → vmware-vks tkc get dev-cluster -n dev

  2. Scale up → vmware-vks tkc scale dev-cluster -n dev --workers 6

  3. Monitor progress → vmware-vks tkc get dev-cluster -n dev (watch phase)

  4. Scale back down after test

Namespace Resource Management

  1. List namespaces → vmware-vks namespace list

  2. Check usage → vmware-vks storage -n dev

  3. Update quota → vmware-vks namespace update dev --cpu 32000 --memory 65536

Tool Reference (25 tools)

Supervisor

Tool

Description

Type

check_vks_compatibility

vCenter version check + WCP status

Read

get_supervisor_upgrade_risk

vCenter 9.1.0/9.1.1 pre-upgrade advisory scope; VUMDB schema remains unmeasured; links to the official checker

Read

get_supervisor_status

Supervisor cluster status and K8s API endpoint

Read

list_supervisor_storage_policies

vCenter storage policies (policy ID, name, description)

Read

For an upgrade from vCenter 8.0 Update 3 or 9.0.0–9.0.2 to 9.1.0/9.1.1, run supervisor upgrade-risk before scheduling. Its report cannot inspect the VUMDB schema or establish upgrade clearance. If a Supervisor/VKS environment is in scope, follow the Broadcom checker and remediation instructions or VDT, then back up vCenter and Supervisor before upgrading.

Namespace

Tool

Description

Type

list_namespaces

All vSphere Namespaces with status

Read

get_namespace

Namespace detail (quotas, storage, roles)

Read

create_namespace

Create Namespace; previews by default (confirm=True applies)

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: every worker pool, known total replicas, health, conditions

Read

get_tkc_available_versions

Supported K8s versions on Supervisor

Read

create_tkc_cluster

Create TKC; previews the YAML plan by default (confirm=True applies)

Write

scale_tkc_cluster

Scale worker node count

Write

upgrade_tkc_cluster

Upgrade K8s version

Write

delete_tkc_cluster

Delete with workload guard

Write

get_tkc_cluster.worker_pools lists every declared worker pool. worker_replica_total is the sum only when every pool has a known fixed replica count; it is null for an autoscaled or unreadable pool. The older worker_replicas field remains the first pool only for compatibility and must not be interpreted as the cluster total.

Access

Tool

Description

Type

issue_supervisor_kubeconfig

Supervisor kubeconfig — credential (bearer token); inline or owner-only file

Write

issue_tkc_kubeconfig

TKC kubeconfig — credential (bearer token); inline or owner-only file

Write

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

VCF 9.1 TKC access: In one live 9.1 report, issue_tkc_kubeconfig put a Supervisor JWT into the guest kubeconfig and the TKC API rejected it with 401. Treat the generated file as unverified for guest access; test it against the guest API before use. See issue #27. Supervisor-scoped TKC reads are unaffected in that report.

VM Service (vm-operator)

Tool

Description

Type

list_vm_service_snapshots

VirtualMachineSnapshot objects in a vSphere Namespace

Read

list_vm_service_groups

VirtualMachineGroup objects and their boot order in a Namespace

Read

list_vm_service_network_interfaces

Network interfaces (multi-NIC) of one VM Service VirtualMachine

Read

Permissions

Tool

Description

Type

get_access_info

Which account the server uses and whether it holds each tool's vSphere privileges on the root folder. Kubernetes calls are authorized by the namespace's own permissions, which it does not check

Read

CLI Reference

# Pre-flight diagnostics
vmware-vks check

# Supervisor
vmware-vks supervisor status <cluster-id>
vmware-vks supervisor upgrade-risk --to 9.1.1
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> [-o <path>]
vmware-vks kubeconfig get <cluster-name> -n <namespace> [-o <path>]

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

Safety and Audit

Safety

Feature

Description

Read-heavy

16/25 tools are read-only

Preview by default

create_namespace, create_tkc_cluster, delete_namespace, delete_tkc_cluster take confirm (default False): a call without it changes nothing and returns blast_radius — what would be created, or the TKC clusters, VMs, PVCs, nodes and workloads a delete destroys. confirm=True is refused when a blocker stands or part of the blast radius could not be read. the old confirmed / dry_run aliases were removed in 3.4.2 and are refused as unknown arguments

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

For the skill's own API calls the Supervisor/TKC kubeconfig (with the Supervisor 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+)

Kubeconfig is credential access

issue_supervisor_kubeconfig / issue_tkc_kubeconfig return a bearer token valid for hours: annotated readOnlyHint: false (clients ask first), risk_level: medium, audit row redacts the kubeconfig. Run only on explicit request; export with output_path / -o to an owner-only (0600) file

Audit logging

All write operations logged to ~/.vmware-vks/audit.log

MCP transport

Local stdio by default; optional authenticated HTTPS opens the configured listener

Remote access (HTTPS) and limiting tools

By default vmware-vks mcp speaks stdio to one local client and offers every tool. Two options change that (vmware-policy ≥ 1.21.0).

Serve over HTTPS so clients on other machines can connect. Every caller needs a bearer token:

vmware-audit token create alice          # prints the token once; give it to alice
vmware-audit token list                  # names only
vmware-audit token revoke alice          # refused from its next request, no restart
vmware-vks mcp --transport https --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8443 \
    --cert /etc/vmware-mcp/server.pem --key /etc/vmware-mcp/server-key.pem \
    --public-name mcp.example.com

Connect a client (Claude Code shown; any MCP client that supports streamable HTTP and custom headers works):

claude mcp add --transport http vmware-vks https://mcp.example.com:8443/mcp \
    --header "Authorization: Bearer $VMWARE_MCP_TOKEN"
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vmware-vks": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.example.com:8443/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${VMWARE_MCP_TOKEN}" }
    }
  }
}
  • The server will not start without a token, refuses Host/Origin values outside --public-name, and checks before it binds that unauthenticated requests get 401. Use a certificate your clients trust for those names.

  • Behind a TLS-terminating reverse proxy on the same machine use --transport http --host 127.0.0.1 --public-name mcp.example.com and pass the Authorization header through.

  • Behind a load balancer or gateway on another machine, keep --transport https (a self-signed certificate is fine), list in --public-name the host name the balancer sends as Host, and have it forward Authorization. Its health probe can use GET /healthz, which needs no token and returns only {"status": "ok"} (vmware-policy ≥ 1.23.0).

  • Send traceparent or X-Request-ID with each request to have it stored on the audit row; vmware-audit log --correlation-id ID then finds the calls behind one platform request.

  • Tools that read or write files on this server (here: issue_*_kubeconfig(output_path)) never touch its configuration, tokens, audit log or TLS key, and over the network they are off unless VMWARE_MCP_FILE_ROOT names a directory for them (vmware-policy ≥ 1.23.1).

  • The audit log records each caller as token:<name>. Calls run side by side, also on the same target: the server keeps up to VMWARE_MCP_POOL_SIZE (default 2) sessions per target, each one a login on that target, and a call waits at most 300 s for a free session (vmware-policy ≥ 1.22.0).

  • Everyone who can reach the endpoint acts with this server's account. Tokens identify callers; they grant nothing on the platform. Run one endpoint per privilege level. vmware-vks access-info shows which account that is and what it may do.

  • Several people or roles on one endpoint: run vmware-audit roles enable once, then give each token a role (vmware-audit token create NAME --role reader, or a role in roles.yaml naming tools and targets; vmware-policy ≥ 1.24.0). A role limits what the token may call on this endpoint; it cannot grant more than the account has. See vmware-policy's README, "Roles for network callers".

Offer only read tools, plus the writes you choose:

vmware-vks mcp --expose read --allow-write create_namespace
# or: VMWARE_VKS_MCP_EXPOSE=read VMWARE_VKS_MCP_ALLOW_WRITE=create_namespace vmware-vks mcp

Tools not offered do not appear in the client's tool list. A bad value or an unknown write tool stops the server (exit 2). This limits what clients are offered; it is not authorization, so the account itself should be least-privilege.

Details: skills/vmware-vks/references/setup-guide.md ("Serving MCP over HTTPS", "Limiting which tools are offered").

Troubleshooting

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.

Every command fails with "session is not authenticated"

The password is right. Either the session expired (run the command again; a new session is opened) or the account has no vSphere role, so vCenter shows no session for it and every call fails. VKS does not refuse such a login when it connects, because an account holding only Supervisor namespace permissions can look the same and still work; the error appears on the first call that needs a role. Assign the account a role (Read-Only or higher) on the vCenter root folder under Administration > Access Control > Global Permissions; Namespace and TKC work also needs Workload Management privileges.

Every REST tool returns 401

The namespace, storage-policy and Supervisor-status tools authenticate against the vSphere Automation REST API with a session id from POST /api/session — not the pyVmomi SOAP session key, which that API never issued and always rejects. A 401 is refreshed automatically once; if it persists, check whether a proxy between you and vCenter strips the vmware-api-session-id header. An account short of Workload Management permissions gets a 403, not a 401.

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.

Companion Skills

The VMware Skills family contains 14 MCP servers and the shared Policy library. Choose tools by responsibility: vmware-skills.

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

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

Reference

Release history: RELEASE_NOTES.md.

Read-only self-test with your own model and agent host: model-fit self-test.

Upgrading to 3.0

3.0 renames the two kubeconfig tools: get_supervisor_kubeconfig → issue_supervisor_kubeconfig, get_tkc_kubeconfig → issue_tkc_kubeconfig. They issue a credential (a Supervisor bearer token) rather than read something, and a get_ name told agents otherwise. Parameters, annotations, safety and CLI commands (vmware-vks kubeconfig supervisor / kubeconfig get) are unchanged; callers of the old names must switch (saved vmware-pilot workflows are translated by Pilot ≥ 2.0.0). Deny rules in ~/.vmware/rules.yaml naming the old names keep working with vmware-policy ≥ 1.19.0. Details in RELEASE_NOTES.md.

Upgrading to 2.0

2.0 renames the three VM Service tools: list_vm_snapshots → list_vm_service_snapshots, list_vm_groups → list_vm_service_groups, list_vm_network_interfaces → list_vm_service_network_interfaces. The reason is a name clash: in the family's 2.0, vmware-aiops and vmware-monitor call their vSphere VM snapshot tool list_vm_snapshots, while these list Kubernetes VM Service (vm-operator) objects. Trap: an agent prompt, script or saved workflow that still calls list_vm_snapshots with vmware-aiops or vmware-monitor also loaded now reaches the vSphere tool, not this one — update it. A VKS-scoped deny rule naming list_vm_snapshots now also matches the aiops/monitor tool (vmware-policy ≥ 1.18 matches both names; vmware-audit policy lists such rules). Parameters, safety gates and CLI commands are unchanged; the full table is in RELEASE_NOTES.md. If an install older than 2.0 shares that rules.yaml, give it vmware-policy ≥ 1.18.2 too: it matches each rule against both the old and the new name, so one file serves both.

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 (/sdk) + vSphere Automation REST (/api)
  │   Supervisor status, storage policies, Namespace CRUD, VM classes, Harbor
  │   Two session stores: the SOAP session from SmartConnect, and a separate
  │     REST session id from POST /api/session (vmware-api-session-id header)
  │
  └─ Layer 2: kubernetes client → Supervisor K8s API endpoint
      TKC CR apply / get / delete (requires a currently served
        cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1 or v1beta2 schema; discovery failure stops the operation)
      Kubeconfig built in-memory from the POST /wcp/login bearer token
        (a third credential, and no temp file on disk)
  ↓
vCenter Server 8.x+ (Workload Management enabled)
  ↓
Supervisor Cluster → vSphere Namespaces → TanzuKubernetesCluster

Version Compatibility

vSphere / VCF

Support

Notes

9.0 / 9.1

⚠ Partial external 9.1 report

A 9.1 lab confirmed Supervisor /wcp/login on the Supervisor endpoint, but its guest TKC API rejects the kubeconfig from this skill with 401 (#27). Maintainers have not verified the full Workload Management API surface; run check_vks_compatibility and report results.

8.0+

Full

Workload Management APIs available

7.x

Not supported

WCP API surface is different; use vSphere 8.x

VKS 3.8 introduces vendor-managed chained upgrades and more granular node placement (official announcement). This skill's upgrade_tkc_cluster still submits one requested Kubernetes version; it does not verify or orchestrate the 3.8 upgrade chain or placement policy. The new worker-pool summary is a read of the existing Cluster topology, not a VCF 9.1/VKS 3.8 compatibility claim. Live 9.1/3.8 validation is pending.

Official Broadcom References

License

MIT

Available from skill 3.7.0; the earlier 3.6.1 package supports v1beta1 only. Cluster API creation supports explicit cluster_class/cluster_class_namespace across served v1beta1 and v1beta2 schemas. MCP preview and apply require Supervisor admission dry-run; offline CLI templates remain unvalidated. VCF 9.1 end-to-end deployment is not lab verified. See schema boundaries.

Available Tools

25 tools
check_vks_compatibilityA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Check whether this vCenter supports VKS (requires vSphere 8.x+).

Returns compatible (bool), vcenter_version, wcp_enabled_clusters and wcp_clusters ({cluster, status}). Start here: those cluster MoRefs are the cluster_id for get_supervisor_status and create_namespace. Only reports vCenter-level support — a listed cluster may still be CONFIGURING.

Inputs: target.

create_namespaceA

[WRITE] Create a vSphere Namespace on a Supervisor Cluster.

Without confirm=True this only previews: it returns blast_radius (the spec that would be applied, and whether the name is already taken) and creates nothing. Show it to the user and get their decision. Do not set confirm=True on your own because the user asked earlier — they have not seen the preview yet. confirm=True returns {action: "created", namespace, status, cluster, blast_radius}; it is refused when the name is taken (use update_namespace) or the existing names could not be read. Confirm with get_namespace afterwards.

Inputs: name (required), cluster_id (required), storage_policy (required), target, +4 more.

create_tkc_clusterA

[WRITE] Create a TanzuKubernetesCluster in a vSphere Namespace.

Without confirm=True this only previews: it returns blast_radius (node counts, VM class, the YAML manifest, and whether the name is taken) and creates nothing. Show it to the user and get their decision. Do not set confirm=True on your own because the user asked earlier — they have not seen the preview yet. confirm=True returns {action: "created", name, namespace, status: "creating", yaml, blast_radius} and provisions in the background — poll get_tkc_cluster and inspect its conditions/readiness. Refused when the name is taken or the namespace's clusters could not be read. Call get_tkc_available_versions for k8s_version and list_vm_classes first. Requires a discovered v1beta1 or v1beta2 API. Preview and apply run Supervisor admission with dryRun=All and strict field validation; rejection stops creation. v1beta2 requires an explicit installed cluster_class; use cluster_class_namespace for shared classes. No automatic rebase or variable conversion. vSphere/VCF 9.1 end-to-end deployment is not lab validated.

Inputs: name (required), vm_class (required), namespace (required), k8s_version (required), +7 more.

delete_namespaceA
Destructive

[WRITE] Delete a vSphere Namespace and everything inside it (irreversible).

Without confirm=True this only previews: it returns blast_radius (the namespace, and the TKC clusters, VMs and PVCs inside it, with counts and names) and deletes nothing. Show that to the user and get their explicit decision. Do not set confirm=True on your own because the user said "delete" earlier: they have not seen what it destroys yet.

confirm=True returns {action: "deleted", namespace, status, blast_radius}. Refused while TKC clusters exist inside (run delete_tkc_cluster on each), and whenever the clusters, VMs or PVCs inside could not be read. Prefer update_namespace to only change quotas.

Inputs: name (required), target, confirm.

delete_tkc_clusterA
Destructive

[WRITE] Delete a TKC cluster and all of its nodes (irreversible).

Without confirm=True this only previews: it returns blast_radius (control plane and worker node counts per pool, and the running Deployments, StatefulSets and DaemonSets) and deletes nothing. Show that to the user and get their explicit decision. Do not set confirm=True on your own because the user said "delete" earlier: they have not seen what it destroys yet.

confirm=True returns {action: "deleted", name, namespace, status: "deleting", blast_radius}. Refused while workloads run (drain them, or pass force=True, which skips the workload check entirely) and whenever the node counts or workloads could not be read. Use scale_tkc_cluster instead for fewer nodes. Empty a namespace of TKC clusters before delete_namespace accepts it.

Inputs: name (required), namespace (required), force, target, +1 more.

get_access_infoA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Which account this server uses, and whether it holds each tool's vSphere privileges.

Use this when a tool fails with a permission error, or before a write, to check what the configured account may do. Asks vCenter about the current session (needs only System.View, so any account can ask about itself). Returns target, account, the privilege states, and for one tool its requires/verdict/meaning; without tool, every tool grouped by verdict. Gotchas: privileges are checked on the root folder only, and a verdict of not_granted_at_root is NOT "no access" — it may be granted on a specific cluster. undetermined means vCenter did not answer; never read it as granted. Kubernetes calls (TKC, VM Service, kubeconfigs) are authorized by the namespace's view/edit/owner permission, which this cannot check, so those tools report undetermined. Namespace writes need Namespaces.Configure.

Inputs: tool, target.

get_harbor_infoA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Get status of the embedded Harbor container registry on the Supervisor.

Returns {registries: [{id, cluster (Supervisor MoRef), version, url, status, storage_used_mb}]}; status and storage come from a detail call and are null if it fails. If Harbor is not enabled it returns {error, hint} rather than raising. Use it to check registry health or find the push URL — it does not list repositories or images. Run check_vks_compatibility first if the Supervisor may be down.

Inputs: target.

get_namespaceA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Get detailed configuration for a single vSphere Namespace.

Returns one raw vCenter namespace object, not the list envelope: config_status, description, storage_specs, quotas. Use list_namespaces first for the name; follow with list_namespace_storage_usage for PVC usage or list_tkc_clusters for the clusters inside. Point-in-time only — a CONFIGURING namespace may not have quotas applied.

Inputs: name (required), target.

get_supervisor_statusA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Get the health of one Supervisor Cluster (vSphere with Tanzu control plane).

Returns cluster_id, config_status (RUNNING = healthy, else CONFIGURING / ERROR / REMOVING), kubernetes_status (READY / WARNING / ERROR), api_server_cluster_endpoint, kubernetes_version (null plus kubernetes_version_hint if unavailable), and network_provider. Run check_vks_compatibility first for cluster IDs; use this to confirm a Supervisor is healthy before create_namespace or create_tkc_cluster.

Inputs: cluster_id (required), target.

get_supervisor_upgrade_riskA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Check the vCenter 9.1.0/9.1.1 Supervisor pre-upgrade advisory scope.

Reads the source vCenter version/build and Supervisor cluster inventory. Returns advisory_applicability, supervisor_presence and next_step. The vLCM/VUM database schema is unmeasured: this tool never grants upgrade clearance. Use the official checker in Broadcom KB 455737 or VDT before upgrading an affected environment. No database script is run here.

Inputs: target, target_version.

get_tkc_available_versionsA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List Kubernetes versions (TanzuKubernetesReleases) available on the Supervisor.

Returns {versions: [{name, version, e.g. 'v1.28.4+vmware.1'}]}, newest first. If the TanzuKubernetesRelease API is unavailable it returns an empty versions list with error and hint rather than raising. Call this before create_tkc_cluster or upgrade_tkc_cluster to pick a valid k8s_version.

Inputs: namespace (required), target.

get_tkc_clusterA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] Get detailed status for a single TKC cluster.

Returns one object, not the list envelope: name, namespace, phase, k8s_version, control_plane_replicas, worker_pools, worker_replica_total (null if any pool is autoscaled or unknown), conditions, infrastructure_ready, control_plane_ready. The legacy worker_replicas field names only the first pool. Run list_tkc_clusters first — a TKC name is only unique within one namespace. Poll this after create_tkc_cluster, scale_tkc_cluster or upgrade_tkc_cluster to watch an async change land.

Inputs: name (required), namespace (required), target.

issue_supervisor_kubeconfigA
Idempotent

[WRITE] Credential access: issue a kubeconfig for the Supervisor K8s API.

Call only when the user explicitly asks for this kubeconfig; never as a side step. Returns {namespace, kubeconfig} as a YAML string, or {namespace, written_to} when output_path is given. The kubeconfig embeds a Supervisor bearer token (JWT from /wcp/login) that acts as the configured vCenter account until the JWT expires (typically hours; not tied to this process) — always pass output_path so the token never enters agent context, and report only the path. The file is created owner-only (0600). For TKC workloads, see issue_tkc_kubeconfig and its vSphere 9.1 limitation before issuing a guest-cluster credential.

Inputs: namespace (required), target, output_path.

issue_tkc_kubeconfigA
Idempotent

[WRITE] Credential access: issue a kubeconfig for one TKC cluster.

Call only when the user explicitly asks for this kubeconfig; never as a side step. Returns {cluster, kubeconfig}, or {cluster, written_to} when output_path is given. The kubeconfig embeds a Supervisor bearer token (JWT from /wcp/login) that acts as the configured vCenter account until the JWT expires (typically hours; not tied to this process) — always pass output_path so the token never enters agent context, and report only the path. Nothing in the managed cluster changes, but output_path creates parent directories and truncates the named file (owner-only, 0600), so output_path='~/.kube/config' replaces the user's own kubeconfig. Run list_tkc_clusters first for name and namespace; use issue_supervisor_kubeconfig instead for Supervisor-level access. On one reported VCF 9.1 deployment, the guest cluster API rejects this Supervisor JWT with 401. A generated file does not prove guest access; verify it against the guest API before relying on it (issue #27).

Inputs: name (required), namespace (required), target, output_path.

list_namespacesA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List all vSphere Namespaces on the target vCenter with their status.

Returns the list envelope: items of {namespace, config_status (RUNNING = healthy, CONFIGURING, REMOVING, ERROR), description} plus returned/total/truncated — one call returns them all, so truncated is always false. Start here, then call get_namespace for detail, list_tkc_clusters for what runs inside, or update_namespace / delete_namespace to change one.

Inputs: target.

list_namespace_storage_usageA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List PersistentVolumeClaims and storage usage inside one vSphere Namespace.

Via the Supervisor K8s API. Returns the family list envelope: {namespace, items: [{name, namespace, status (Bound / Pending / Lost), capacity ('10Gi'), storage_class}], returned, limit, total, truncated, hint}. Every PVC comes back in one call, so truncated is always False. Run list_namespaces first for the namespace; use list_supervisor_storage_policies instead for policy-level rather than PVC-level information. 'pvcs' and 'pvc_count' are deprecated pre-1.8.0 aliases of 'items' and 'returned', removed in 2.0 — read 'items'.

Inputs: namespace (required), target.

list_supervisor_storage_policiesA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List vCenter storage policies assignable to Supervisor Namespaces.

Returns the list envelope: items of {policy (ID), name, description} plus returned/total/truncated — one call returns them all, so truncated is always false. Call this before create_namespace or update_namespace and pass the 'policy' ID as their storage_policy. For PVC-level usage use list_namespace_storage_usage instead.

Inputs: target.

list_tkc_clustersA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List TanzuKubernetesCluster (TKC) clusters, optionally in one namespace.

Returns the family list envelope: {items: [{name, namespace, phase, k8s_version}], returned, limit, total, truncated, hint}. The Supervisor list is walked to completion, so truncated is always False. Start here, then call get_tkc_cluster for full detail or issue_tkc_kubeconfig for access. 'clusters' is a deprecated pre-1.8.0 alias of 'items', removed in 2.0 — read 'items'.

Inputs: target, namespace.

list_vm_classesA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List VM classes available for sizing TKC cluster nodes.

Returns the list envelope: items of {id (e.g. 'best-effort-large'), cpu_count, memory_mb, gpu_count (vGPU + DirectPath I/O; 0 if none)} plus returned/total/truncated — one call returns them all, so truncated is always false. Call this before create_tkc_cluster and pass the chosen 'id' as its vm_class; 'guaranteed-' classes reserve resources, 'best-effort-' do not.

Inputs: target.

list_vm_service_groupsA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List VirtualMachineGroup objects and their bootOrder in a Namespace.

VM Service groups (vmoperator.vmware.com CRD, v1alpha4+) via the Supervisor K8s API — the served CRD version is discovered at runtime. Returns the family list envelope: items of {name, namespace, boot_order, member_count} plus returned/total/truncated (walked to completion) and served_version. boot_order mirrors spec.bootOrder: an ordered list of {members: [{kind, name}], power_on_delay?}. Older Supervisors without v1alpha4 return a teaching error naming the required version.

Inputs: namespace (required), target.

list_vm_service_network_interfacesA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List the network interfaces (multi-NIC) of one VirtualMachine.

Reads spec.network.interfaces[] off a single VM Service VirtualMachine (vmoperator.vmware.com) via the Supervisor K8s API; the served CRD version is discovered at runtime. Returns the family list envelope: items of {name, network_name, network_kind, network_api_version} plus returned/total/truncated and vm_name/served_version. A VM with no network block returns an empty list, not an error. Run list_namespaces for the namespace; the VM name comes from your own VM inventory in that namespace.

Inputs: vm_name (required), namespace (required), target.

list_vm_service_snapshotsA
Read-onlyIdempotent

[READ] List VirtualMachineSnapshot objects in a vSphere Namespace.

VM Service snapshots (vmoperator.vmware.com CRD, new at v1alpha5) via the Supervisor K8s API — the served CRD version is discovered at runtime, not hardcoded. Returns the family list envelope: items of {name, namespace, vm_name, created, ready} plus returned/total/truncated (walked to completion, so truncated is always false) and served_version. If the Supervisor is older than v1alpha5 the error names the required version. Run list_namespaces first for the namespace; use list_vm_service_network_interfaces for a VM's NICs.

Inputs: namespace (required), target.

scale_tkc_clusterA

[WRITE] Scale the worker node count of an existing TanzuKubernetesCluster (TKC).

Asynchronous: returns {name, namespace, pool, worker_count, status: "scaling"} immediately — poll get_tkc_cluster to watch nodes appear or drain. Scales workers only; use upgrade_tkc_cluster instead for the K8s version. Not destructive, but lowering worker_count drains removed nodes.

Inputs: name (required), namespace (required), worker_count (required), target, +1 more.

update_namespaceA

[WRITE] Update resource quotas or storage policy of an existing vSphere Namespace.

Only the fields you pass are patched; omitting all of them returns status "no_changes" without an API call, otherwise {namespace, status: "updated"}. Applies immediately — no dry run, no undo. Use this rather than create_namespace when the namespace exists; valid storage_policy values come from list_supervisor_storage_policies.

Inputs: name (required), target, cpu_limit, storage_policy, +1 more.

upgrade_tkc_clusterA

[WRITE] Upgrade a TKC cluster to a new Kubernetes version.

Returns {name, namespace, new_version, status: "upgrading"}. Asynchronous and irreversible — Kubernetes cannot be downgraded, so poll get_tkc_cluster until phase is running. There is no dry run. Use this only for the K8s version; prefer scale_tkc_cluster for node counts.

Inputs: name (required), namespace (required), k8s_version (required), target.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

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    TDQS

    A4.3/5.0

    Scored across 25 tools

    Disambiguation5/5

    Every tool targets a distinct resource+action pair: TKC vs Namespace vs Supervisor vs VM Service vs Harbor vs access introspection are cleanly separated, and the near-neighbours (list_supervisor_storage_policies vs list_namespace_storage_usage, issue_supervisor_kubeconfig vs issue_tkc_kubeconfig, check_vks_compatibility vs get_supervisor_status) are explicitly disambiguated in their descriptions. The heavy cross-referencing ('run X first', 'use Y instead') actively steers an agent away from misselection.

    Naming Consistency5/5

    All 25 names are snake_case and verb-led (list_/get_/create_/update_/delete_/scale_/upgrade_/issue_/check_), with resource prefixes that group the surface predictably (tkc, namespace, supervisor, vm_service, vm_class). The only mild deviation is get_access_info, which still follows verb_noun.

    Tool Count3/5

    25 tools sits at the top of the 'feels heavy' band, driven by four distinct sub-domains (TKCs, namespaces, Supervisor, VM Service) plus Harbor and access introspection. Each tool is defensible on its own, but the surface is large enough that discovery and selection cost is real for an agent.

    Completeness4/5

    TKC and namespace lifecycles are essentially complete (list/get/create/scale/upgrade/delete and list/get/create/update/delete respectively), with sensible preview-confirm semantics on destructive writes. Gaps are secondary: the VM Service surface is read-only (no create/snapshot/delete), Harbor exposes only status (no repositories/images), and there is no node-pool add/remove beyond worker-count scaling.

    Maintenance

    ActivityActive
    ResponsivenessNo recent community issues

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