---
title: "Available Tools"
description: "Complete reference for all Kyverno MCP tools"
diataxis: how-to
applies_to:
  product: "kyverno"
audience: ["platform-engineer","devsecops"]
last_updated: 2026-03-25
url: https://docs.nirmata.io/docs/controllers/n4k/kyverno-mcp/available-tools/
---


## Overview

Kyverno MCP provides several tools that AI assistants can use to interact with Kyverno and Kubernetes. Each tool is designed for specific operations and returns structured data.

## Context Management Tools

### list_contexts

Lists all available Kubernetes contexts from your kubeconfig.

**Purpose**: Discover available Kubernetes clusters/contexts

**Example Request**:
```text
List all my available Kubernetes contexts
```text

**Example Response**:
```json
{
  "contexts": [
    {
      "name": "production-cluster",
      "cluster": "prod-k8s",
      "user": "admin@prod"
    },
    {
      "name": "staging-cluster",
      "cluster": "staging-k8s",
      "user": "admin@staging"
    }
  ],
  "current": "production-cluster"
}
```json

### switch_context

Switches to a different Kubernetes context.

**Purpose**: Change the active Kubernetes cluster

**Parameters**:
- `context`: The name of the context to switch to

**Example Request**:
```text
Switch to the staging-cluster context
```text

**Example Response**:
```json
{
  "message": "Switched to context: staging-cluster",
  "previous": "production-cluster",
  "current": "staging-cluster"
}
```json

## Policy Management Tools

### apply_policies

Applies Kyverno policies from various sources.

**Purpose**: Deploy policies to enforce security and compliance

**Parameters**:
- `source`: The source of policies
  - Curated sets: `pod-security`, `rbac-best-practices`, `kubernetes-best-practices`, `all`
  - Git repository: `https://github.com/org/repo`
  - Local path: `/path/to/policies`
- `namespace`: (Optional) Target namespace for policies

**Example Requests**:

1. Apply curated pod security policies:
```text
Apply pod security policies to my cluster
```text

2. Apply policies from a Git repository:
```text
Apply policies from https://github.com/myorg/kyverno-policies
```text

3. Apply all curated policies:
```text
Apply all best practice policies to the cluster
```text

**Example Response**:
```json
{
  "message": "Successfully applied 15 policies",
  "policies": [
    "disallow-privileged-containers",
    "require-run-as-non-root",
    "restrict-volume-types"
  ],
  "source": "pod-security"
}
```json

## Monitoring Tools

### show_violations

Displays policy violations from PolicyReport and ClusterPolicyReport resources.

**Purpose**: Monitor compliance and identify issues

**Parameters**:
- `namespace`: (Optional) Filter violations by namespace
- `severity`: (Optional) Filter by severity level

**Example Requests**:

1. Show all violations:
```text
Show me all policy violations in the cluster
```text

2. Show violations in a specific namespace:
```text
Show policy violations in the production namespace
```text

**Example Response**:
```json
{
  "violations": [
    {
      "policy": "disallow-privileged-containers",
      "resource": "pod/webapp-xyz",
      "namespace": "production",
      "severity": "high",
      "message": "Privileged containers are not allowed",
      "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
    },
    {
      "policy": "require-resource-limits",
      "resource": "deployment/backend",
      "namespace": "staging",
      "severity": "medium",
      "message": "Container 'api' does not have resource limits set"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 2,
    "high": 1,
    "medium": 1,
    "low": 0
  }
}
```json

**What this tool provides**:
- Current violation snapshots from PolicyReport CRs
- Individual violation details (policy, resource, namespace, severity, message)
- Basic timestamps for when violations occurred
- Summary counts by severity level

**What this tool does NOT provide**:
- Historical violation data or trends over time
- Policy set categorization (e.g., which violations belong to "kubernetes-best-practices")
- Aggregation capabilities (e.g., violation counts by namespace)
- PolicyReport metadata (creation times, report metadata)
- Trend analysis or time-based patterns

**Note**: If Kyverno is not installed, this tool will provide installation instructions.

## Documentation Tool

### help

Provides built-in documentation and guidance.

**Purpose**: Access Kyverno documentation and troubleshooting help

**Parameters**:
- `topic`: The help topic
  - `installation`: Kyverno installation guide
  - `troubleshooting`: Common issues and solutions

**Example Requests**:

1. Get installation help:
```text
Show me how to install Kyverno
```text

2. Get troubleshooting help:
```text
Help me troubleshoot Kyverno issues
```bash

**Example Response**:
```json
{
  "topic": "installation",
  "content": "To install Kyverno using Helm:\n\n1. Add the Kyverno Helm repository:\n   helm repo add kyverno https://kyverno.github.io/kyverno/\n\n2. Install Kyverno:\n   helm install kyverno kyverno/kyverno -n kyverno --create-namespace\n\n..."
}
```json

## Tool Usage Best Practices

### 1. Context Awareness
Always verify the current context before performing operations:
```
What Kubernetes context am I currently using?
```text

### 2. Check Before Apply
Review violations before applying new policies:
```text
First show me current violations, then apply pod security policies
```

### 3. Gradual Policy Adoption
Start with specific policy sets before applying all:
```text
Apply rbac-best-practices first, then we'll add more policies
```

### 4. Test Policy Impact
Test policies to understand their impact on existing resources:
```text
Apply pod security policies and show me what violations occur
```

## Error Handling

All tools include comprehensive error handling:

- **Missing Kyverno**: Installation instructions are provided
- **Invalid Context**: List of valid contexts is shown
- **Policy Conflicts**: Detailed conflict information is returned
- **Network Issues**: Clear error messages with retry suggestions

## Integration Examples

### Complete Security Audit
```text

### Multi-Cluster Management
```text

## Next Steps

- Learn about [Configuration Options](configuration.md)
- Check out [Troubleshooting Guide](troubleshooting.md)