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VSCode Extension

The KSail VSCode extension brings cluster management into your editor. It integrates with the VS Code Kubernetes extension to surface KSail clusters in the Cloud Explorer and Cluster Explorer, provides interactive wizards for cluster operations, a command palette with keyboard shortcuts, and a built-in MCP server for AI assistants.

See the Installation Guide — VSCode Extension for Marketplace and VSIX installation steps.

Prerequisites:

  • KSail CLI installed and available in PATH
  • Docker running (for local cluster operations)
  • VS Code Kubernetes Tools extension (installed automatically as a dependency)
  • K9s (optional — for Connect to Cluster command)

KSail clusters appear as top-level entries under KSail in the Kubernetes extension’s Clouds view. Each cluster shows its name, provider, and status icon. Right-click a cluster for context-sensitive actions:

  • All clusters: Info, Start, Stop, Connect, Update, Switch, Backup, Restore, Delete
  • From the KSail cloud node context menu: Create Cluster

In the Kubernetes extension’s Cluster Explorer, KSail-managed contexts are annotated with (KSail) and a status label (Running / Stopped / Unknown). Right-click a KSail context for the same cluster lifecycle actions.

Selecting Create Cluster → KSail in the Kubernetes extension opens an HTML-based wizard. Configuration options (distribution, provider, CNI, GitOps engine) are fetched at runtime from the KSail MCP schema so they stay in sync with the installed CLI version. Built-in fallback values are used when the MCP server is unreachable.

The Init and Create commands launch multi-step wizards with:

  • Distribution selection: Vanilla, K3s, Talos, VCluster, KWOK
  • Provider selection: Docker, Hetzner, Omni
  • Component configuration (CNI, CSI, GitOps engine, etc.)
  • Output path selection for generated files

The extension exposes KSail as an MCP server for AI assistants in VSCode (e.g., GitHub Copilot). No separate configuration is needed — the extension handles server lifecycle automatically. See MCP Server for details on available tools.

Access all commands via the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P):

CommandDescriptionShortcut
KSail: Init ClusterInitialize a new ksail.yaml configurationCmd+Shift+K I
KSail: Create ClusterCreate and start a clusterCmd+Shift+K C
KSail: Update ClusterUpdate a running cluster
KSail: Start ClusterStart an existing cluster
KSail: Stop ClusterStop a running cluster
KSail: Switch ClusterSwitch the active kubeconfig context
KSail: Backup ClusterBackup cluster resources
KSail: Restore ClusterRestore cluster resources from a backup
KSail: Delete ClusterDelete the clusterCmd+Shift+K D
KSail: Connect to Cluster (K9s)Open K9s terminal UI
KSail: Show KSail InfoShow cluster info via KSail CLI
KSail: Refresh ClustersRefresh the Cloud Explorer and Cluster Explorer views (and clear cached status)
KSail: Show OutputOpen the KSail output channel

Configure in VSCode settings (Cmd+, / Ctrl+,) or settings.json:

SettingDescriptionDefault
ksail.binaryPathPath to the KSail binaryksail

For build instructions, architecture overview, and development workflows, see vsce/README.md in the repository.