Add a local cluster#

Lens Desktop uses kubeconfig files to connect to Kubernetes clusters from your local filesystem. By default, Lens Desktop automatically detects kubeconfig files located in the ~/.kube/ directory.

To view clusters specified in kubeconfig files, click Kubernetes Clusters > Local Kubeconfigs in Navigator.

Add kubeconfig files#

In addition to the default automatic sync, you can add more clusters through various methods:

You can add Kubernetes clusters manually through the Lens Desktop interface.

Paste a kubeconfigImport a kubeconfig from filesystem

In Navigator, click Kubernetes Clusters> Local Kubeconfigs.
Click Add Kubeconfigs > Add kubeconfig by pasting.
In the following modal, paste the contents of your kubeconfig file into the input field.
Click Add Clusters.

Tip

Lens Desktop saves the configurations and creates a kubeconfig file in the kubeconfigs directory of the application: ~/.lens/kubeconfigs.

Open Preferences > Kubernetes > Manage Kubeconfigs.
Click Add from filesystem.
Select a kubeconfig file from your local filesystem.

Lens Desktop displays clusters specified in the kubeconfig file in Kubernetes Clusters > Local Kubeconfigs

Manage Kubeconfigs#

Right-click on Local Kubeconfigs and select Manage Kubeconfigs to open Preferences > Kubernetes. In this menu you can configure kubectl, specify kubeconfig files, and manage Helm chart repositories.

Troubleshooting#

Problems with adding or connecting to local clusters#

When having problems with connecting to a local cluster:

Check the cluster configurations in Terminal:
```
kubectl config view --minify --raw
```
Update your Kubernetes tools (kubectl, aws cli, eksctl, gcloud)
Generate new kubeconfig file for the cluster

Issues with old Kubernetes versions#

For Kubernetes clusters older than version 1.24:

Update the apiVersion field of the user definition from client.authentication.k8s.io/v1alpha1 to client.authentication.k8s.io/v1beta1
Review the rest of the kubeconfig file and adjust the configurations if necessary