k3d/docs/usage/kubeconfig.md

Handling Kubeconfigs

By default, k3d won't touch your kubeconfig without you telling it to do so. To get a kubeconfig set up for you to connect to a k3d cluster, you can go different ways.

??? note "What is the default kubeconfig?" We determine the path of the used or default kubeconfig in two ways:

1. Using the `KUBECONFIG` environment variable, if it specifies *exactly one* file
2. Using the default path (e.g. on Linux it's `#!bash $HOME/.kube/config`)

Getting the kubeconfig for a newly created cluster

1. Update your default kubeconfig upon cluster creation
   • #!bash k3d create cluster mycluster --update-kubeconfig
     • Note: this won't switch the current-context
2. Update your default kubeconfig after cluster creation
   • #!bash k3d get kubeconfig mycluster
     • Note: this won't switch the current-context
3. Update a different kubeconfig after cluster creation
   • #!bash k3d get kubeconfig mycluster --output some/other/file.yaml
     • Note: this won't switch the current-context
   • The file will be created if it doesn't exist

!!! note "Switching the current context" None of the above options switch the current-context. This is intended to be least intrusive, since the current-context has a global effect. You can switch the current-context directly with the get kubeconfig command by adding the --switch flag.

Removing cluster details from the kubeconfig

#!bash k3d delete cluster mycluster will always remove the details for mycluster from the default kubeconfig.