Rancher MCP Server for Windsurf 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect Rancher through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Rancher and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"rancher": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About Rancher MCP Server
Connect your Rancher Kubernetes management platform to your AI agent, allowing seamless orchestration of your container infrastructure directly from a chat interface. By integrating this server, your AI can introspect and interact with multiple remote Kubernetes clusters managed governed by your Rancher deployment.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Rancher tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 10 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
What you can do
- Cluster Oversight — List and examine the status of all managed clusters connected to your Rancher control plane.
- Namespace Discovery — Explore specific logical partitions (namespaces) within those clusters without digging into complex kubectl configuration.
- Workload Management — Access deployments, daemonsets, and statefulsets to observe operational health across environments.
- Pod Introspection — Query individual pod states, find crashing containers, and pull context faster than running manual CLI queries.
The Rancher MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Windsurf in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect Rancher to Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Rancher MCP Server with Windsurf.
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
Start using Rancher
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Rancher, help me...". 10 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the Rancher MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with Rancher through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 10 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Rancher + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the Rancher MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from Rancher and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query Rancher tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from Rancher and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine Rancher data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
Rancher MCP Tools for Windsurf (10)
These 10 tools become available when you connect Rancher to Windsurf via MCP:
get_cluster
Retrieves details for a specific Kubernetes cluster
get_project
Retrieves details for a specific Rancher project
list_apps
Lists Helm applications installed in a project
list_catalogs
Lists available Helm chart repositories (Catalogs)
list_clusters
Lists all Kubernetes clusters managed by Rancher
list_namespaces
Lists Kubernetes namespaces associated with a project
list_nodes
Lists all nodes within a specific cluster
list_projects
Use this to find project IDs. Lists logical projects within a cluster
list_users
Lists all user accounts in the Rancher platform
list_workloads
Lists all Kubernetes workloads (Deployments, StatefulSets) in a project
Example Prompts for Rancher in Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf agent to start working with Rancher immediately.
"List all Kubernetes clusters managed by my Rancher instance."
"Query the namespaces available inside cluster 'c-8xk9z'."
"Check the status of the 'auth-service' pod located in the 'backend-production' namespace on cluster 'c-lq4x2'."
Troubleshooting Rancher MCP Server with Windsurf
Common issues when connecting Rancher to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
Rancher + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating Rancher MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Connect Rancher with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
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GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
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Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
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TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect Rancher to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 10 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.