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Module 9: Intro to Agentic Kubernetes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Estimated Time: 70 minutes (15 min reading + 45 min lab + 10 min quiz)

What You Will Learn​

By completing this module, you will understand:

  • What agentic AI means for Kubernetes operations and how it differs from traditional automation
  • Model Context Protocol (MCP) as the standardized interface for connecting AI models to Kubernetes tools
  • AI-assisted troubleshooting and diagnostics workflows for cluster operations
  • Human-in-the-loop safety patterns for AI-powered infrastructure management
  • The future of Kubernetes operations and the emerging agentic ecosystem

Prerequisites​

  • KIND cluster running with Voting App deployed
  • kubectl CLI installed and configured
  • kubectl-ai CLI (multiple installation options provided in lab)
  • An MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, or similar) - optional
Exploratory Module

This module is EXPLORATORY. kubectl-ai can be used interactively via CLI even without an MCP client, and the reading materials and quiz remain valuable for conceptual understanding. The hands-on experience is valuable across all usage modes.

Overview​

Throughout this course, you have been the operator. You deployed the Voting App, scaled it, secured it, charted it, and extended it manually. You made every decision: which nodes to schedule pods on, how many replicas to run, what network policies to apply, when to restart failing containers.

But what if an AI agent could help? Not replace you, but assist: diagnosing issues faster than you can read logs, suggesting fixes based on patterns it has seen across thousands of clusters, explaining what went wrong in plain language. This is Agentic Kubernetes - AI that works WITH you, not instead of you.

This module introduces the emerging field of AI-assisted Kubernetes operations. You will learn how Model Context Protocol enables AI models to interact with your cluster safely, try AI-powered troubleshooting on deliberately broken deployments, and develop the safety awareness needed to use these tools responsibly.

Emerging Technology

This module introduces an emerging technology. MCP implementations are evolving rapidly. Some tools may have changed since this content was written. The concepts and safety principles are durable; the specific tools may need updating.