rtk-ai/rtk

feat: comprehensive Kubernetes (kubectl) ecosystem support

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#857 opened on Mar 26, 2026

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 (1 comment) (6 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (2,914 forks)batch import
area:clieffort-largeeffort-mediumenhancementhelp wantedpriority:medium

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Description

Context

RTK has basic kubectl support (pods, services, logs) in src/container.rs but many common commands and global flags are missing.

Current state

Command Status Filter
kubectl get pods Rust Compact table
kubectl get services Rust Compact table
kubectl logs <pod> Rust Dedup
kubectl <other> Passthrough No filtering

Missing global flags (priority)

All kubectl subcommands support these flags but RTK ignores them:

  • --context — multi-cluster (essential for devops)
  • --kubeconfig — custom config file
  • -n / --namespace — only on pods/services, not on other subcommands
  • -l / --selector — label selector
  • --as / --as-group — impersonation

Scope — TOML filters preferred

Command Description Approach Expected savings
kubectl get deployments Deployment list TOML — strip headers, compact table 60-70%
kubectl get nodes Node list TOML — strip headers, compact 60-70%
kubectl get configmaps ConfigMap list TOML — compact table 60-70%
kubectl get ingress Ingress list TOML — compact table 60-70%
kubectl get all All resources TOML — strip empty, compact 70-80%
kubectl describe pod Pod details TOML — strip events noise, keep status 70-80%
kubectl describe node Node details TOML — strip conditions/events noise 70-80%
kubectl apply -f Apply output TOML — short-circuit on "configured/created" 80-90%
kubectl top pods Resource usage TOML — compact table 50-60%
kubectl top nodes Node usage TOML — compact table 50-60%
kubectl rollout status Rollout status TOML — short-circuit on success 80%
kubectl exec Exec passthrough No filter needed 0%

Global flags (Rust change needed)

The KubectlCommands enum in main.rs needs a shared struct for global flags (--context, --kubeconfig, -n, -l, --as) forwarded to all subcommands. This is a Rust change in main.rs + container.rs.

Implementation priority

  1. Global flags (Rust) — --context, --kubeconfig, -n, -l on all subcommands
  2. TOML filters — kubectl-describe.toml, kubectl-apply.toml, kubectl-rollout.toml
  3. Additional get resources — TOML for deployments, nodes, configmaps, ingress

References

  • Current implementation: src/container.rs (kubectl_pods, kubectl_services, kubectl_logs)
  • PR #426 (@jordi-murgo): global flags implementation (inactive, available for reference)
  • Rewrite rules: src/discover/rules.rs (kubectl already has rewrite)

Contributor guide

Research direction
Study existing kubectl implementation in src/container.rs and KubectlCommands enum in main.rs. Add global flags ( context, kubeconfig, n, l, as) to the enum and propagate them to all subcommands in Rust. Then create TOML filter files for new subcommands (describe, apply, rollout, etc.) in the appropriate directory, following the patterns in current filters. Validate by running RTK with kubectl commands and checking output.
Tech stack
rustkubernetes
Domain
clidevops
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
RustGitKubectl
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
30