Kafka MCP Server

What is Kafka MCP Server?

Kafka MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Apache Kafka implemented in Go. It bridges LLM models with Kafka, enabling them to produce and consume messages, manage topics and consumer groups, and assess cluster health through the standardized MCP interface.

How to use Kafka MCP Server?

Install via Homebrew on macOS/Linux with brew tap tuannvm/mcp && brew install kafka-mcp-server, or build from source with go build -o kafka-mcp-server ./cmd. Configure MCP clients like Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or ChatWise by editing JSON configuration files and setting environment variables such as KAFKA_BROKERS, KAFKA_CLIENT_ID, and MCP_TRANSPORT. Optionally use the companion tool mcpenetes to manage configurations across clients.

Key features of Kafka MCP Server

• Support for SASL (PLAIN, SCRAM-SHA-256, SCRAM-SHA-512) and TLS authentication.
• OAuth 2.1 authentication for HTTP transport (Native and Proxy modes).
• Flexible transport: STDIO for local clients, HTTP for remote access.
• Pre-configured prompts for common Kafka operations and diagnostics.
• Provides tools, resources, and prompts via the MCP protocol.
• Compatible with MCP-compatible LLM models.

Use cases of Kafka MCP Server

• Help an AI assistant investigate consumer lag and cluster health.
• Allow an LLM to produce and consume messages from Kafka topics.
• Enable an LLM to list, describe, and manage topics and consumer groups.
• Let an LLM monitor cluster health and configuration through standard MCP.

FAQ from Kafka MCP Server

What dependencies does Kafka MCP Server require?

Go 1.24 or later, Docker for integration tests, and access to a Kafka cluster.

What transport modes does Kafka MCP Server support?

STDIO (default for local clients) and HTTP (enables remote access with optional OAuth 2.1).

How do I configure authentication?

Set KAFKA_SASL_MECHANISM, KAFKA_SASL_USER, KAFKA_SASL_PASSWORD, and KAFKA_TLS_ENABLE environment variables. For HTTP transport, OAuth 2.1 supports providers like Okta, Google, Azure AD, and HMAC.

Does Kafka MCP Server support consumer lag reports?

Yes, it provides a kafka_consumer_lag_report prompt and the describe_consumer_group tool with lag metrics.

Can I manage configurations across multiple MCP clients easily?

Yes, the companion tool mcpenetes can search, apply, and backup Kafka MCP Server configurations across Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, and ChatWise.