@nogoo9/no-crd
v0.2.0
Published
Agent-driven, on-demand pod orchestration in Kubernetes (k8s/k3s) without Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)
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@nogoo9/no-crd
Agent-Driven, On-Demand Pod Orchestration in Kubernetes — Without Custom Resource Definitions.
@nogoo9/no-crd is a lightweight, cross-runtime Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that empowers AI agents and APIs to dynamically spawn, route to, and manage ephemeral containerized sandboxes on standard Kubernetes (k8s/k3s) clusters — without requiring Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs), cluster-level operators, or elevated RBAC permissions.
It provides JupyterHub-like dynamic pod lifecycle management but is completely agnostic to actual workloads and supports multi-runtime execution under Bun, Deno, and Node.js.
📚 For detailed guides, API reference, and configuration options, visit the Documentation Website.
🚀 Key Features
- No CRDs Required: Runs directly against core Kubernetes resources (Pods, ConfigMaps, ServiceAccounts). Highly portable, secure, and compatible with restricted/managed environments (EKS, GKE, K3s).
- Agent Sandbox Spawner: Specialized spawner tools that automate workspace provisioning with context validation, init containers, IAM roles, pre-stop hooks, and lifecycle sync.
- ConfigMap-Based Templates: Store, version, and load reusable pod templates stored as standard Kubernetes ConfigMaps.
- Isomorphic Multi-Runtime SDK: Imports seamlessly as a composable programmatic SDK or MCP server running under Node.js, Bun, or Deno.
- Workspace Routing Proxy (Experimental): Built-in reverse proxy routing that dynamically pipes traffic to running container IPs with secure user token ownership checks.
- Embedded Web UI App: Exposes an interactive React/web-based Pod Manager interface to view workspaces, templates, logs, and manage token details.
📦 Installation & Usage
You can run @nogoo9/no-crd directly via npx, install it globally, or run it with different JavaScript runtimes.
Run Directly via NPX (No Installation)
# Start SSE (HTTP) server on port 3000
npx @nogoo9/no-crd
# Run over standard input/output (stdio)
npx @nogoo9/no-crd --transport stdioInstall Globally
# Install package
npm install -g @nogoo9/no-crd
# Use the nocrd9 command-line binary
nocrd9 --transport stdio --mode clusterRun with Bun, Deno, or Node
The CLI dynamically supports routing execution through Deno, Bun, or Node.js runtimes:
# Run using Deno
nocrd9 --runtime deno --transport http --port 3050
# Run using Node
nocrd9 --runtime node --transport stdio
# Run with HTTPS / custom TLS certificates
nocrd9 --transport http --port 3443 --tls-cert /path/to/cert.pem --tls-key /path/to/key.pem🦕 Bun & Deno Kubernetes Certificate Compatibility
By default, the @kubernetes/client-node package uses Node.js's https.Agent to attach client certificates and verify server CAs. Because Bun and Deno use native web-standard HTTP engines, they ignore these Node-specific agents, which typically leads to connection failures (UnknownIssuer) or authentication errors (401 Unauthorized).
@nogoo9/no-crd solves this automatically by intercepting outbound requests with a custom isomorphic transport that:
- Dynamically Extracts Credentials: Intercepts the request agent constructed by
@kubernetes/client-nodeand extracts the fully-resolved cert, key, and CA certificate data. - Propagates to Bun: Feeds certificate options directly into the native Bun
fetchtlsconfigurations. - Propagates to Deno: Instantiates a temporary
Deno.HttpClientwithcaCertsto securely perform requests (meaning you do not need the--unsafely-ignore-certificate-errorsflag for Kubernetes connections).
⚙️ Configuration & Environment Variables
The server and command-line utility are configurable using CLI options or environment variables.
| CLI Option | Environment Variable | Defaults | Allowed Values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -t, --transport | TRANSPORT | http | http, stdio, both | Server transport mode. both fires up both transports simultaneously. |
| -m, --mode | MODE | cluster | cluster, namespaced | Kubernetes access scope. namespaced locks operations to a single namespace. |
| -n, --namespace | NAMESPACE | nogoo9 | String | Default Kubernetes namespace for operations. |
| -p, --port | PORT | 3000 | Number | HTTP server port for SSE transport. |
| -l, --log-level | LOG_LEVEL | info | debug, info, warning, error, fatal | Logging verbosity filter. |
| --tls-cert | TLS_CERT | - | Path string | Path to TLS certificate file to enable HTTPS. |
| --tls-key | TLS_KEY | - | Path string | Path to TLS private key file to enable HTTPS. |
| --disable-permission-checks | DISABLE_PERMISSION_CHECKS | false | true, false | Disable Kubernetes RBAC permission checks and assume all tools are enabled. |
| --cors-origin | CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGIN, CORS_ORIGIN | * | String | CORS Allowed Origin header. |
| --cors-methods | CORS_ALLOWED_METHODS, CORS_METHODS | GET, POST, OPTIONS | String | CORS Allowed Methods header. |
| --cors-headers | CORS_ALLOWED_HEADERS, CORS_HEADERS | Content-Type, Authorization, mcp-protocol-version | String | CORS Allowed Headers header. |
| - | UI_ENABLED | true | true, false | Enables the embedded HTML Pod Manager UI resource. |
| - | AUTH_ENABLED | false | true, false | When true, restricts workspace operations to JWT validated identities. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| - | AUTH_SUB_JSONPATH| $.sub | JSONPath | Payload path to extract unique user identity from JWT payload. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| - | REGISTRY_URL | - | URL string | Target container registry URL to query for images (e.g. http://localhost:5001). |
| --base-url | BASE_URL | - | Path string | Base subpath prefix for hosting behind a reverse proxy (e.g. /gateway/no-crd). |
| --jwt-secret | JWT_SECRET | - | String | Symmetric HMAC-SHA256 secret for token verification. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| --jwt-public-key | JWT_PUBLIC_KEY | - | String | PEM encoded RSA/ECDSA public key for asymmetric token verification. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| --jwks-uri | JWKS_URI | - | URL string | Remote JWKS endpoint URL to dynamically retrieve verification keys. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| --auth-issuer | AUTH_ISSUER | - | URL string | Identifier URL for the Authorization Server advertised in metadata discovery. (Experimental, likely to change) |
| --default-workspace-port | DEFAULT_WORKSPACE_PORT | 3000 | Number | Default target port inside the workspace pods to proxy traffic to. (Experimental, likely to change) |
☸️ Kubernetes Setup & RBAC Permissions
For the @nogoo9/no-crd MCP server to interact with Kubernetes, it must run with appropriate RBAC permissions. Depending on your configuration, you can deploy it with Cluster-Wide (ClusterRole) access or Namespace-Scoped (Role) access.
Tool-to-Permission Mapping
Below is the mapping showing which Kubernetes API resources and verbs each MCP tool requires. The server dynamically checks these permissions at startup (via SelfSubjectAccessReview) and only registers tools that the active identity is authorized to use.
Resource: configmaps
| Required Verb | Associated MCP Tools | Description / Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| create | create_template | Save a new pod template definition as a ConfigMap. |
| delete | delete_template | Delete a stored pod template ConfigMap. |
| get | create_pod_from_template, get_template | Read template pod specifications stored in ConfigMaps. |
| list | list_templates | Find ConfigMaps registered as reusable pod templates. |
| update | update_template | Modify metadata, annotations, or specifications of an existing template. |
Resource: namespaces
| Required Verb | Associated MCP Tools | Description / Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| list | list_namespaces | Discover namespaces in the cluster (only required in cluster access mode). |
Resource: pods
| Required Verb | Associated MCP Tools | Description / Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| create | create_pod, create_pod_from_template, spawn_workspace | Provision and deploy new pods or workspace sandboxes. |
| delete | delete_pod, stop_workspace | Terminate and clean up pods or workspace sandboxes. |
| get | get_pod | Retrieve detailed JSON spec for a specific pod. |
| list | list_pods, list_workspaces | Retrieve lists of pods or agent workspace pods. |
| patch | patch_pod | Strategic merge patch labels, annotations, or resource requests/limits. |
Resource: pods/log
| Required Verb | Associated MCP Tools | Description / Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| get | get_pod_logs | Retrieve standard output/error logs from pod containers. |
1. Cluster-Wide Mode (MODE=cluster)
Use this mode if you want the MCP server to manage sandboxes across any namespace in the cluster.
Create a ClusterRole and ClusterRoleBinding:
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRole
metadata:
name: nogoo-mcp
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "watch", "create", "delete", "patch", "update"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods/log"]
verbs: ["get"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["namespaces"]
verbs: ["get", "list"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["configmaps"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["serviceaccounts"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
name: nogoo-mcp
roleRef:
apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
kind: ClusterRole
name: nogoo-mcp
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
name: nogoo-mcp
namespace: nogoo9 # Change to the namespace where your MCP server runs2. Namespace-Scoped Mode (MODE=namespaced)
Use this mode if the MCP server should be restricted to a single namespace (e.g. nogoo9). In this mode, no cluster-level or administrative permissions are needed.
Create a Role and RoleBinding in the target namespace:
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
name: nogoo-mcp
namespace: nogoo9
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "watch", "create", "delete", "patch", "update"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods/log"]
verbs: ["get"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["configmaps"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["serviceaccounts"]
verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
name: nogoo-mcp
namespace: nogoo9
roleRef:
apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
kind: Role
name: nogoo-mcp
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
name: nogoo-mcp
namespace: nogoo9(Note: In namespace-scoped mode, the list_namespaces tool will only return the target namespace, and namespace parameter inputs to all tools will default to the target namespace.)
🛠️ MCP Integration Configs
To let AI coding assistants (like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, or Roo Code) orchestrate Kubernetes workspaces, add @nogoo9/no-crd to your MCP configuration. Choose the configuration block below that matches your deployment mode (Cluster-Wide vs. Namespace-Scoped).
1. Claude CLI / Claude Desktop
Add to your server configurations (usually ~/.config/Claude/config.json or ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/config.json):
Cluster-Wide Mode
{
"mcpServers": {
"no-crd": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@nogoo9/no-crd",
"--transport",
"stdio",
"--mode",
"cluster",
"--namespace",
"nogoo9"
]
}
}
}Namespace-Scoped Mode
{
"mcpServers": {
"no-crd": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@nogoo9/no-crd",
"--transport",
"stdio",
"--mode",
"namespaced",
"--namespace",
"nogoo9"
]
}
}
}2. Cursor
In Cursor Settings:
- Go to Settings > Features > MCP.
- Click + Add New MCP Server.
- Fill in details based on your variant:
- Name:
no-crd - Type:
stdio - Command:
- Cluster-Wide:
npx -y @nogoo9/no-crd --transport stdio --mode cluster --namespace nogoo9 - Namespace-Scoped:
npx -y @nogoo9/no-crd --transport stdio --mode namespaced --namespace nogoo9
- Cluster-Wide:
- Name:
3. Cline / Roo Code
Add to mcp_settings.json (inside VS Code global storage paths):
Cluster-Wide Mode
{
"mcpServers": {
"no-crd": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@nogoo9/no-crd",
"--transport",
"stdio",
"--mode",
"cluster",
"--namespace",
"nogoo9"
]
}
}
}Namespace-Scoped Mode
{
"mcpServers": {
"no-crd": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@nogoo9/no-crd",
"--transport",
"stdio",
"--mode",
"namespaced",
"--namespace",
"nogoo9"
]
}
}
}4. Local Development / Cross-Runtime Configurations
If you are developing locally or running the server directly from the source repository, you can register the local server with your MCP client using one of the following configurations:
Bun (Source execution)
Recommended for development on Bun:
"nogoo9-no-crd-local-bun": {
"command": "bun",
"args": ["run", "src/index.ts"],
"env": {
"TRANSPORT": "stdio",
"NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED": "0"
}
}Deno (Source execution)
Runs the server directly from source using Deno. The flags ensure sloppier Node compatibility imports and ignore self-signed certificate issues with local Kubernetes APIs:
"nogoo9-no-crd-local-deno": {
"command": "deno",
"args": [
"run",
"--allow-all",
"--unstable-sloppy-imports",
"--unsafely-ignore-certificate-errors",
"src/index.ts"
],
"env": {
"TRANSPORT": "stdio",
"NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED": "0"
}
}Node.js (Pre-compiled execution)
Runs the compiled bundle using Node.js:
"nogoo9-no-crd-local-node": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"TRANSPORT": "stdio",
"NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED": "0"
}
}(Make sure to run bun run build first to compile the code into the dist/ directory).
📑 Workspace Templates & Spawner Annotations
Templates in @nogoo9/no-crd are stored as standard Kubernetes ConfigMaps in your target namespace. This allows you to define, version, and share reusable sandbox environments without writing custom operators or CRDs.
1. How to Define a Template
To register a template with the spawner, create a ConfigMap meeting the following requirements:
- Discovery Label: Must be labeled with
nogoo9/pod-template: "true". - Spec Key: The
datablock must contain a key namedspecwhose value is a JSON string conforming to thePodSpecSchema(e.g.containers,volumes,restartPolicy). - Behavior Customization: Set
annotationson theConfigMapmetadata to configure advanced spawner integrations (like IAM role binding, init containers, and pre-stop lifecycle hooks).
Example Template Definition:
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
name: node-workspace-template
namespace: nogoo9
labels:
nogoo9/pod-template: "true"
annotations:
nogoo9/description: "A standard Node.js development sandbox with S3 storage sync"
nogoo9/tag: "node-20"
nogoo9/required-context: "PROJECT_NAME,REPO_URL"
nogoo9/iam-role-arn: "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/workspace-s3-access"
nogoo9/init-image: "alpine/git"
nogoo9/init-command: "git clone $REPO_URL /workspace/$PROJECT_NAME"
nogoo9/pre-stop-command: "aws s3 sync /workspace s3://my-workspace-backups/$PROJECT_NAME"
nogoo9/default-grace-period: "120"
data:
spec: |
{
"containers": [
{
"name": "workspace",
"image": "node:20-alpine",
"command": ["sleep", "infinity"],
"volumeMounts": [
{
"name": "workspace-storage",
"mountPath": "/workspace"
}
]
}
],
"volumes": [
{
"name": "workspace-storage",
"emptyDir": {}
}
]
}2. Supported Spawner Annotations
The spawner inspects ConfigMap metadata annotations (and custom inline annotations passed during spawn_workspace) to customize the workspace lifecycle:
| Annotation | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| nogoo9/description | String | A short explanation of what the template is configured to do. |
| nogoo9/tag | String | A tag/version associated with the template environment. |
| nogoo9/required-context | Comma-separated list | List of variable keys that must be supplied in the context parameter when spawning the workspace. |
| nogoo9/iam-role-arn | AWS IAM Role ARN | Automatically provisions a target-namespace Kubernetes ServiceAccount annotated with eks.amazonaws.com/role-arn and binds it to the Pod. |
| nogoo9/init-image | Container Image | The image to run in the dynamic spawner-init initContainer (requires nogoo9/init-command). |
| nogoo9/init-command | Shell Command | The command to run inside the initContainer. The container shares volume mounts and receives all context vars as environment variables. |
| nogoo9/pre-stop-command | Shell Command | A command run in a Kubernetes preStop lifecycle exec hook when the workspace is stopped. |
| nogoo9/pre-stop-sidecar-image | Container Image | Optional. If specified alongside pre-stop-command, the pre-stop hook executes in a dedicated sidecar running this image instead of the main container. |
| nogoo9/default-grace-period | Number (seconds) | Overrides the Pod's terminationGracePeriodSeconds (defaults to 60 if pre-stop is defined) to ensure cleanup commands have sufficient time to finish. |
📦 Programmatic SDK & API Proxy Services
@nogoo9/no-crd provides a complete programmatic SDK and dynamic cluster routing proxy to allow developers to build custom pod orchestrators and route workspace traffic natively.
1. Composable Programmatic SDK
You can import @nogoo9/no-crd in your Bun, Deno, or Node.js codebase to control pod sandboxes and templates programmatically, bypassing the MCP HTTP server.
import { KubeConfig } from "@kubernetes/client-node";
import {
initK8sContext,
spawnWorkspace,
stopWorkspace,
listWorkspaces
} from "@nogoo9/no-crd";
// 1. Initialize Kubernetes API Context (optionally pass custom configuration)
const kc = new KubeConfig();
kc.loadFromDefault();
const ctx = initK8sContext(kc);
// 2. Spawn a workspace sandbox from a template
const spawnResult = await spawnWorkspace(ctx, {
id: "agent-session-42",
templateRef: "nogoo9/default-agent-workspace",
context: {
"S3_BUCKET": "my-bucket",
"S3_FOLDER": "session-42"
}
});
console.log(`Spawned pod: ${spawnResult.podName}`);
// 3. List active workspaces running in the namespace
const list = await listWorkspaces(ctx, {
namespace: "nogoo9"
});
console.log(`Active workspaces count: ${list.workspaces.length}`);
// 4. Terminate the workspace sandbox
await stopWorkspace(ctx, {
id: "agent-session-42"
});2. Workspace Routing Proxy (Experimental)
[!WARNING] The workspace routing proxy and JWT authentication engine are experimental and likely to change in the next version.
The server includes a built-in reverse proxy routing service. HTTP requests targeting:
http://<mcp-server-host>/route/<workspace-id>/<subpath>
are dynamically proxied directly to the running workspace pod's IP address inside the cluster.
If AUTH_ENABLED is true:
- The proxy requires a valid Bearer token in the
Authorizationheader or a?token=query parameter. - The workspace pod's
nogoo9/user-sublabel must match the JWT's subject claim, preventing unauthorized access to other users' workspaces. - The proxy target port inside the workspace pod defaults to
3000or can be overridden via pod annotationnogoo9/workspace-portor theDEFAULT_WORKSPACE_PORTenvironment variable.
3. OAuth Resource Discovery (RFC 9728)
Exposes the standardized metadata endpoint GET /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource returning:
- Supported authorization servers.
- Token format specifications.
- Required scopes.
This allows client interfaces (and MCP clients) to automatically discover security requirements and handle dynamic OAuth authentication flows.
🔌 API Reference (MCP Tools & Resources)
Pod Tools
list_pods: Retrieve a summary of pods in the namespace. Filters bylabelSelector,fieldSelector, andlimit.get_pod: Fetch full Kubernetes API JSON payload for a target pod name.create_pod: Create a custom pod with direct container/volume specifications.patch_pod: Apply a Strategic Merge Patch to modify labels, annotations, or container resource limits dynamically.delete_pod: Terminate a pod with optionalgracePeriodSeconds.get_pod_logs: Fetch logs for a container with options liketailLines,sinceSeconds,timestamps,limitBytes, andprevious.list_namespaces: List all namespaces accessible with current credentials.list_registry_images: List catalog images from the configuredREGISTRY_URL.
Pod Template Tools
Manage preconfigured pod specifications stored as standard Kubernetes ConfigMaps (labeled nogoo9/pod-template=true).
list_templates: Show available templates.get_template: Get the raw pod template spec.create_template: Store a new pod template spec.update_template: Update labels, annotations, or specs on an existing template.delete_template: Delete a template.create_pod_from_template: Spawn a pod using a template, applying container overrides (environment variables, commands, resources) and top-level overrides.
Agent Workspace (Spawner) Tools
Specially designed for AI agents to safely spawn and clean up their own workspace sandboxes.
list_workspaces: List active agent workspaces (with JWT/owner mapping support).spawn_workspace: Spawn a workspace sandbox pod. Features:- Context Validation (
nogoo9/required-context): Requires the caller to supply critical env variables (e.g. API keys) before spawning. - Init Containers (
nogoo9/init-image/nogoo9/init-command): Initialize workspace directories/files before main containers start. - Pre-Stop Hooks (
nogoo9/pre-stop-command): Run custom cleanup commands (e.g., commit/sync code to git or S3) upon termination. - IAM Role Mapping (
nogoo9/iam-role-arn): Dynamically provisions AWS EKS IAM Role service accounts.
- Context Validation (
stop_workspace: Clean up and terminate the workspace pod.
Utilities
current_namespace: Returns active namespace and access mode.
MCP Resources
pod-template://{namespace}/{name}: Exposes stored pod templates directly as read-only MCP resources.ui://nogoo9/app: Exposes the embedded React/web UI app (ifUI_ENABLED=trueand built). When the server runs in HTTP/SSE transport mode, the UI is also served directly at/or/ui(e.g.http://localhost:3000/) and automatically falls back to standard HTTP JSON-RPC calls when loaded outside a postMessage-compatible MCP host (such as in a standard browser tab or the MCP Inspector).
🏗️ Architecture
┌───────────────────────┐
│ AI Agent / Client │
└───────────┬───────────┘
│ (Stdio or SSE Transport)
▼
┌───────────────────────┐
│ MCP Server │ <── (Queries ConfigMaps for specs)
└───────────┬───────────┘
│ (Kubernetes API - CoreV1)
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Kubernetes Cluster │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Target Namespace │ │
│ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Agent │ │ Custom │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ Sandbox │ │ Workload │ │... │ │ │
│ │ │ Pod │ │ Pod │ │ │ │ │
│ │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └────┘ │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘The server interacts directly with the Kubernetes API using @kubernetes/client-node. By using standard Pod and ConfigMap resources, the setup is highly scalable, requires no cluster operator installs, and easily adheres to strict enterprise namespace-level security policies.
🛠️ Development
We use Moon for toolchain management and task running, and Biome for formatting and linting.
Prerequisites
- Bun
1.3.11+ - Node.js
22.14.0+ - Moon
2.1.3+ - k3d (for local Kubernetes cluster)
Setup Environment
# Install dependencies
bun install
# Auto-fix code formatting and linting via Biome
bun run format
# Run TypeScript compilation checks
bun run typecheckRunning Tests
# Run unit tests
moon run mcp:test
# Run full spawner workspace lifecycle tests (requires local k3d)
bun run test:lifecycleLocal Cluster Testing (k3d)
Bootstrap a local k3d Kubernetes cluster complete with a local registry, built-in mock S3, and Traefik:
# Spin up development cluster
moon run k3d:bootstrap
# Rebuild, push, and deploy MCP server to the cluster
moon run mcp:deploy
# Tear down the cluster
moon run k3d:teardown📄 License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details.
