How do I install the Rancher MCP Server skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add mrostamii/rancher-mcp-server in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Rancher MCP Server safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Rancher MCP Server?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Rancher MCP Server free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Rancher MCP Server?

mrostamii (@mrostamii) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Rancher MCP Server by mrostamii — Agent Skill

Name: Rancher MCP Server
Author: mrostamii

File contents

Rancher MCP Operator Skill

What this server is for

Operate Rancher ecosystems from AI tools using MCP.
Manage clusters, projects, VMs, workloads, Helm releases, and Fleet GitOps resources.
Use one Rancher API token for Steve (/k8s/...) and Norman (/v3/...) APIs.

When to use each toolset

rancher_*: Rancher management data (clusters, projects, users, tokens, settings, feature flags).
kubernetes_*: downstream cluster resources by apiVersion and kind.
harvester_*: VM, image, volume, network, subnet, host, addon, and VPC operations.
helm_*: release lifecycle (list, get, history, install, upgrade, rollback, uninstall).
fleet_*: GitRepo and bundle operations for GitOps/fleet state.

Safety defaults and write gates

Default mode is read-only.
Write operations require server startup with read-only=false.
Delete/destructive operations require both:
- read-only=false
- disable-destructive=false
Sensitive Norman data is redacted unless show-sensitive-data=true.

Cluster scoping rules

rancher_* tools target management scope and typically do not need a cluster argument.
kubernetes_*, harvester_*, and helm_* require cluster (Rancher cluster ID).
fleet_* works from management scope (local) with optional namespace.

API behavior that prevents confusion

Steve endpoints can return 404 for some resources depending on Rancher setup.
Native Kubernetes API proxy paths are generally reliable for downstream resources.
Some Norman collections are missing on certain Rancher versions; tools may return _source: "unavailable" instead of hard failure.
If one catalog/cluster repo path is unavailable, use Kubernetes/Helm/Fleet alternatives.

Practical workflow (token-efficient)

Start with read/list tools to discover names, namespaces, and IDs.
Narrow with get/describe tools before any write action.
For paginated data, use limit and continue.
Switch to write tools only when server gates allow it.
Prefer smallest safe action first (patch/update before delete).

Minimal troubleshooting checklist

401 or auth errors: verify Rancher token validity.
Empty results / not found: verify correct cluster ID and namespace.
TLS issues: enable tls-insecure only for trusted self-signed setups.
Logs/stream proxy errors (e.g., intermittent 503): reduce log scope and retry.

---name: rancher-mcp-serverdescription: Use when managing Rancher, Kubernetes, Harvester, Helm, or Fleet resources through this MCP server and you need safe, tool-oriented operational workflows.---# Rancher MCP Operator Skill## What this server is for- Operate Rancher ecosystems from AI tools using MCP.- Manage clusters, projects, VMs, workloads, Helm releases, and Fleet GitOps resources.- Use one Rancher API token for Steve (`/k8s/...`) and Norman (`/v3/...`) APIs.## When to use each toolset- `rancher_*`: Rancher management data (clusters, projects, users, tokens, settings, feature flags).- `kubernetes_*`: downstream cluster resources by `apiVersion` and `kind`.- `harvester_*`: VM, image, volume, network, subnet, host, addon, and VPC operations.- `helm_*`: release lifecycle (`list`, `get`, `history`, `install`, `upgrade`, `rollback`, `uninstall`).- `fleet_*`: GitRepo and bundle operations for GitOps/fleet state.## Safety defaults and write gates- Default mode is read-only.- Write operations require server startup with `read-only=false`.- Delete/destructive operations require both: - `read-only=false` - `disable-destructive=false`- Sensitive Norman data is redacted unless `show-sensitive-data=true`.## Cluster scoping rules- `rancher_*` tools target management scope and typically do not need a `cluster` argument.- `kubernetes_*`, `harvester_*`, and `helm_*` require `cluster` (Rancher cluster ID).- `fleet_*` works from management scope (`local`) with optional `namespace`.## API behavior that prevents confusion- Steve endpoints can return 404 for some resources depending on Rancher setup.- Native Kubernetes API proxy paths are generally reliable for downstream resources.- Some Norman collections are missing on certain Rancher versions; tools may return `_source: "unavailable"` instead of hard failure.- If one catalog/cluster repo path is unavailable, use Kubernetes/Helm/Fleet alternatives.## Practical workflow (token-efficient)1. Start with read/list tools to discover names, namespaces, and IDs.2. Narrow with get/describe tools before any write action.3. For paginated data, use `limit` and `continue`.4. Switch to write tools only when server gates allow it.5. Prefer smallest safe action first (patch/update before delete).## Minimal troubleshooting checklist- `401` or auth errors: verify Rancher token validity.- Empty results / not found: verify correct cluster ID and namespace.- TLS issues: enable `tls-insecure` only for trusted self-signed setups.- Logs/stream proxy errors (e.g., intermittent `503`): reduce log scope and retry.

Frequently asked questions

Rancher MCP Server