Kubefwd

io.github.txn2Published by GitHub account txn2v1.25.18Updated Oct 24, 2026

Kubernetes port forwarding for local development with automatic /etc/hosts entries.

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Server details

Identifier: io.github.txn2/kubefwd
Transport: STDIO
Runtime: Desktop only
Trust: Verified
Published: Sep 16, 2026

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Overview

AI-generated overview

Kubefwd bulk port-forwards Kubernetes services to your machine with unique loopback IPs and /etc/hosts names, exposed to AI assistants via MCP.

What you can do: Forward all services in one or more Kubernetes namespaces to local loopback addresses, optionally filtered by label.
Reach cluster services by their in-cluster names through automatic /etc/hosts entries, so existing connection strings work locally.
Monitor forwarded services, traffic and pod logs through an interactive terminal UI with automatic reconnection.
Drive forwarding programmatically through the built-in REST API, which the MCP integration exposes to assistants such as Claude Code and Cursor.
When to use it: Useful when developing locally against services running in a Kubernetes development cluster and you want the assistant to set up or inspect forwards instead of hand-running kubectl port-forward per service. It suits workflows that need many services reachable by name at once.
Requirements: Runs as a local process on the desktop (macOS, Windows or Linux packages, or Docker). Needs kubectl configured with cluster access and root/sudo privileges to modify /etc/hosts and create network interfaces. No environment variables, headers or authentication are declared.

Before you install

It requires sudo and edits the system /etc/hosts file and loopback interfaces, so changes affect the whole machine. It opens network paths into cluster services, which may expose internal databases or auth services to local processes. The optional REST API gives programmatic control over forwarding.

Installation

In SourceWeft

Open Kubefwd in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

kubefwd (Kube Forward)

[kubefwd - kubernetes bulk port forwarding]

[CNCF Landscape] [GitHub license] [codecov] [Go Report Card] [GitHub release] [GitHub Downloads] [OpenSSF Scorecard] [OpenSSF Best Practices] [SLSA 3]

Documentation | Getting Started | User Guide | API Reference | MCP (AI Integration)

Develop Locally, Connect to Kubernetes

kubefwd enables developers to work on their local machine while seamlessly accessing services running in a Kubernetes cluster. If you're building a new API that needs to connect to a database at db:5432, an auth service at auth:443, and a cache at redis:6379, all running in your development cluster, kubefwd makes them available locally by their service names, exactly as they would appear in-cluster. No environment-specific configuration, no local service setup, no Docker Compose files. Just run kubefwd and your application's existing connection strings work.

This is the essential use case: reduce or eliminate environment-specific connection setup and configurations during local development. Your code uses http://api-gateway:8080 in production? It works the same way on your laptop with kubefwd.

Bulk Kubernetes port forwarding with an interactive TUI, unique IPs per service, and automatic reconnection.

kubefwd is a command-line utility that bulk port forwards Kubernetes services to your local workstation. Each service gets its own unique loopback IP (127.x.x.x), eliminating port conflicts and enabling realistic local development with cluster services accessible by name.

[kubefwd TUI - Main View]

Quick Start

bash

# Install (macOS)brew install kubefwd
# Forward all services in a namespace with the interactive TUIsudo -E kubefwd svc -n my-namespace --tui

# Install (macOS)brew install kubefwd
# Forward all services in a namespace with the interactive TUIsudo -E kubefwd svc -n my-namespace --tui

Press ? for help, q to quit. See Getting Started for detailed installation and setup.

How It Works

[kubefwd - Kubernetes Port Forward Diagram]

kubefwd discovers services in your namespace, assigns each a unique loopback IP, updates /etc/hosts with service names, and establishes port forwards through the Kubernetes API. Access services by name just like in-cluster:

Features

Interactive TUI: Real-time service monitoring with traffic metrics
Unique IP per Service: Each service gets its own 127.x.x.x address
Auto-Reconnect: Reconnects when pods restart or connections drop
Bulk Forwarding: Forward all services in a namespace with one command
Live Traffic Monitoring: See bytes in/out and HTTP activity
Pod Log Streaming: View container logs in the TUI
REST API: Programmatic control via HTTP endpoints
MCP Support: Integration with AI assistants (Claude Code, Cursor)

Installation

macOS:

Linux: Download .deb, .rpm, or .tar.gz from releases

Windows:

Docker:

bash

docker run -it --rm --privileged \  -v "$HOME/.kube:/root/.kube:ro" \  txn2/kubefwd services -n my-namespace --tui

docker run -it --rm --privileged \  -v "$HOME/.kube:/root/.kube:ro" \  txn2/kubefwd services -n my-namespace --tui

Usage

bash

# Interactive mode (recommended)sudo -E kubefwd svc -n default --tui
# Multiple namespacessudo -E kubefwd svc -n default,staging --tui
# Filter by labelsudo -E kubefwd svc -n default -l app=api --tui
# With REST API enabledsudo -E kubefwd svc -n default --tui --api

# Interactive mode (recommended)sudo -E kubefwd svc -n default --tui
# Multiple namespacessudo -E kubefwd svc -n default,staging --tui
# Filter by labelsudo -E kubefwd svc -n default -l app=api --tui
# With REST API enabledsudo -E kubefwd svc -n default --tui --api

Why kubefwd?

Unlike kubectl port-forward, kubefwd:

Feature	kubectl port-forward	kubefwd
Services per command	One	All in namespace
IP allocation	localhost only	Unique IP per service
Port conflicts	Manual management	None (unique IPs)
Service name resolution	Not supported	Automatic (/etc/hosts)
Auto-reconnect	No	Yes
Real-time monitoring	No	TUI with metrics

See Comparison for detailed comparisons with Telepresence, mirrord, and other tools.

Documentation

Full documentation at kubefwd.com:

Getting Started - Installation and setup
User Guide - Interface and shortcuts
Configuration - CLI options
Advanced Usage - Multi-cluster, selectors
REST API - API reference
MCP Integration - AI assistant setup
Troubleshooting - Common issues
Architecture - Technical details
Comparison - vs Telepresence, mirrord

Requirements

kubectl configured with cluster access
Root/sudo access (for /etc/hosts and network interfaces)

Contributing

We welcome contributions for bug fixes, tests, and documentation. Feature development is limited to maintainers. See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

Apache License 2.0

Open source by Craig Johnston, sponsored by Deasil Works, Inc.

Source: README.md at commit a4dc494

Tools

SourceWeft has not started this package in its sandbox yet, so its tools are not known.

Version history

v1.25.18LatestOct 17, 2026
v1.25.16Sep 16, 2026

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