MCP Server

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Apache-2.0

io.github.SystemCraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli MCP Server

io.github.SystemCraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli

Manage Apache Kafka on Kubernetes via Strimzi with a Kafka-native CLI and MCP server.

What is the io.github.SystemCraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli MCP server?

The Strimzi Kafka CLI MCP server is a Model Context Protocol server that enables AI assistants to manage Apache Kafka clusters deployed on Kubernetes using the Strimzi operator. It provides 42 tools for managing Kafka clusters, topics, users, connectors, MirrorMaker2, and related resources through a familiar Kafka-like command interface.

Strimzi Kafka CLI bridges the gap between traditional Apache Kafka tools and Kubernetes-native Kafka management via Strimzi. The MCP server exposes comprehensive tools for creating, altering, deleting, and describing Kafka clusters, topics, users, connectors, and backups. Use it to automate Kafka operations on Kubernetes, manage ACLs, configure brokers and topics, and handle disaster recovery—all through AI assistants like Claude.

How to install io.github.SystemCraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli

Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.

transport: stdio

Config generated by PluginBench — verify against the source before use.

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "strimzi-kafka-cli": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "strimzi-kafka-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "strimzi-kafka-cli": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "strimzi-kafka-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "strimzi-kafka-cli": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "strimzi-kafka-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

VS Code

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "strimzi-kafka-cli": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "strimzi-kafka-cli"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add strimzi-kafka-cli -- uvx strimzi-kafka-cli

Tools & capabilities

Tools this server exposes to the agent.

list_kafkas — List Kafka clusters
get_kafka — Get details of a specific Kafka cluster
get_kafka_status — Get status of a Kafka cluster
create_kafka — Create a new Kafka cluster
delete_kafka — Delete a Kafka cluster
alter_kafka_config — Alter Kafka cluster configuration
list_topics — List Kafka topics
get_topic — Get details of a specific topic
create_topic — Create a new Kafka topic
delete_topic — Delete a Kafka topic
alter_topic — Alter topic configuration
list_users — List Kafka users
get_user — Get details of a specific user
create_user — Create a new Kafka user
delete_user — Delete a Kafka user
alter_user — Alter user configuration
list_connects — List Kafka Connect clusters
get_connect — Get details of a specific Connect cluster
create_connect — Create a new Kafka Connect cluster
delete_connect — Delete a Kafka Connect cluster

Use cases

Automate Kafka cluster provisioning and configuration on Kubernetes via AI assistants
Create and manage Kafka topics, users, and ACLs without manual kubectl commands
Set up and manage Kafka Connect clusters and connectors for data integration pipelines
Perform backup and restore operations for Kafka clusters and Connect resources
Configure MirrorMaker2 for cross-cluster replication and disaster recovery

io.github.SystemCraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli MCP server FAQ

What is the Strimzi Kafka CLI MCP server?

It's an MCP server that exposes 42 tools for managing Apache Kafka on Kubernetes via the Strimzi operator. It allows AI assistants like Claude to create, configure, and manage Kafka clusters, topics, users, connectors, and backups using a Kafka-native command interface.

Is it free?

Yes, Strimzi Kafka CLI is open source under the Apache 2.0 license.

How do I install it?

Install via pip: `pip install strimzi-kafka-cli[mcp]` or with pipx: `pipx install strimzi-kafka-cli[mcp]`. Homebrew is also supported: `brew install strimzi-kafka-cli`. Requires Python >=3.11.

How do I use it with Claude?

Start the MCP server with `kfk mcp`, then register it with Claude Code using: `claude mcp add strimzi-kafka-cli -- kfk mcp`.

What authentication does it require?

Strimzi Kafka CLI uses the Python Kubernetes client, so it requires access to a Kubernetes cluster with Strimzi operator installed. Authentication is handled via your kubeconfig.

What Strimzi version is supported?

The CLI is compatible with Strimzi 1.0.0 and later.

README (reference)

Source of truth, from the repository.

Strimzi CLI logo

Strimzi Kafka CLI

Strimzi Kafka CLI is a CLI that helps traditional Apache Kafka users -both developers and administrators- to easily adapt to Strimzi, a Kubernetes operator for Apache Kafka.

The main intention is to ramp up Strimzi usage by creating a similar CLI experience with the traditional Apache Kafka tools that mostly starts with kafka-* prefix under the bin directory in an ordinary Kafka package.

Strimzi Kafka CLI uses the kfk command as an abbreviation for "Kafka For Kubernetes" or simply "k a f k a" which reminds of the kafka-* prefix of the ordinary Kafka script file names.

While having similar set of commands or options for some of the common objects, Strimzi Kafka CLI has some extra capabilities for managing or configuring Strimzi related resources.

Following are the commands of the current version of Strimzi Kafka CLI, that are used for different purposes:

Usage: kfk [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

  Strimzi Kafka CLI.

Options:
  --version  Show the version and exit.
  --help     Show this message and exit.

Commands:
  acls              Manages ACLs on Kafka.
  backup            Backs up and restores Strimzi resources.
    kafka             Backs up or restores a Kafka cluster and its resources.
    connect           Backs up or restores a Kafka Connect cluster and its connectors.
  clusters          Creates, alters, deletes, describes Kafka cluster(s).
  configs           Adds/Removes entity config for a topic, client, user...
  connect           Manages Kafka Connect clusters, connectors, and MirrorMaker2.
    clusters          Creates, alters, deletes, describes KafkaConnect cluster(s).
    connectors        Creates, alters, deletes, describes KafkaConnector(s).
    mirror-maker      Lists, describes, creates, deletes KafkaMirrorMaker2(s).
  console-consumer  Reads data from Kafka topics and outputs it to...
  console-producer  Reads data from standard input and publish it to Kafka.
  mcp               Starts the Strimzi MCP server.
  node-pools        Lists, describes, creates, deletes KafkaNodePool(s).
  operator          Installs/Uninstalls Strimzi Kafka Operator.
  topics            Creates, alters, deletes, describes Kafka topic(s).
  users             Creates, alters, deletes, describes Kafka users(s).

Please take a look at the relevant article Strimzi Kafka CLI: Managing Strimzi in a Kafka Native Way for more details.

Installation

Using Python Package Installer

pip install strimzi-kafka-cli --user

Or to install Strimzi Kafka CLI in an isolated environment, you can simply use pipx:

pipx install strimzi-kafka-cli

To install with MCP server support:

pip install strimzi-kafka-cli[mcp] --user

Or with pipx:

pipx install strimzi-kafka-cli[mcp]

Using Homebrew

#Tap the homebrew repository first.
brew tap systemcraftsman/strimzi-kafka-cli

#Install Strimzi Kafka CLI
brew install strimzi-kafka-cli

Installing the CLI by using Homebrew already uses a virtual environment, so you don't have to worry about your main Python environment. MCP server support is included by default.

Project requires: Python >=3.11

Examples

MCP Server

Strimzi Kafka CLI includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that allows AI assistants to manage Strimzi Kafka deployments on Kubernetes.

Starting the MCP Server

kfk mcp

Registering with Claude Code

claude mcp add strimzi-kafka-cli -- kfk mcp

Available Tools (42)

Category	Tools
Kafka Clusters	`list_kafkas`, `get_kafka`, `get_kafka_status`, `create_kafka`, `delete_kafka`, `alter_kafka_config`
Topics	`list_topics`, `get_topic`, `create_topic`, `delete_topic`, `alter_topic`
Users	`list_users`, `get_user`, `create_user`, `delete_user`, `alter_user`
Connect Clusters	`list_connects`, `get_connect`, `create_connect`, `delete_connect`, `alter_connect`
Connectors	`list_connectors`, `get_connector`, `create_connector`, `delete_connector`, `alter_connector`
MirrorMaker2	`list_mirror_maker_2s`, `get_mirror_maker_2`, `create_mirror_maker_2`, `delete_mirror_maker_2`
Backup	`backup_kafka`, `restore_kafka`, `backup_connect`, `restore_connect`
ACLs	`add_or_remove_acls`
Operator	`install_operator`, `uninstall_operator`
Node Pools	`list_node_pools`, `get_node_pool`, `create_node_pool`, `delete_node_pool`
Version	`get_version`

Dependencies

Python Dependencies

Please see pyproject.toml file.

External Dependencies

Strimzi resources are automatically downloaded when the first kfk command is run. Strimzi Kafka CLI uses the Python Kubernetes client to interact with the cluster directly. You can check the dependency versions with:

kfk --version