# runpod-mcp

Connects the Runpod MCP server and routes agent tasks for managing pods and serverless endpoints on Runpod. Useful for orchestrating GPU cloud resources directly in the coding agent.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 12500 installs · ★ 47
- Author: runpod
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/runpod/runpod-plugins-official/tree/HEAD/plugins/runpod/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/runpod-mcp

## What it does

The skill acts as a dispatcher for the Runpod v2 control plane over MCP. It connects the MCP server using `claude mcp add` with a Bearer API key or local stdio, verifies status via `/mcp`, and routes requests into journey skills such as discovery or lifecycle CRUD. The live server schema takes precedence whenever tool bindings diverge.

It enforces operational checks before calling tools. When creating GPU pods or endpoints, it pins `gpu.minCudaVersion` (defaulting to 12.8) so modern workloads do not land on outdated host drivers. If a task requires combining a template with CPU or choosing across a multi-GPU priority list, the skill yields execution to `runpodctl`.

File transfers via `send` or `receive` and SSH setup stay outside this MCP workflow. Those commands delegate directly to `runpodctl`, while template project authoring routes to `runpod-build-template`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official --skill runpod-mcp -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/runpod-mcp/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official --skill runpod-mcp -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official --skill runpod-mcp -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install runpod/runpod-plugins-official runpod-mcp
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official --skill runpod-mcp -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/runpod/runpod-plugins-official --path plugins/runpod/skills/runpod-mcp
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official --skill runpod-mcp -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/runpod/runpod-plugins-official/tree/HEAD/plugins/runpod/skills/runpod-mcp/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- deploy serverless endpoints and verify them with test jobs
- provision GPU pods and attach network volumes
- inspect available GPU catalogs and rental pricing
- connect the Runpod MCP server to the coding agent

## Example prompts
- List all active pods in my Runpod account and show their status
- Create a serverless endpoint for my model and verify it with a test job
- Connect the Runpod MCP server using my API key

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: edd03bb1b6d05d98.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE edd03bb1b6d05d98
````text
---
name: runpod-mcp
description: >-
  Manage Runpod infrastructure through the connected Runpod MCP server's tool
  calls (pods, serverless endpoints and jobs, templates, network volumes,
  registry credentials, secrets, clusters, the GPU/CPU catalog, and billing),
  and connect the server when it is missing (hosted or local npx). Load it
  before the first Runpod MCP tool call of a request: it routes the task to the
  journey skill that carries the procedure, owns the answer contract and the
  rules on which resources you may change, and defers to runpodctl for the
  terminal, file transfer, and SSH setup; template project and Hub listing authoring
  routes to runpod-build-template.
allowed-tools: Bash(claude mcp:*)
compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows
metadata:
  author: runpod
  version: "1.8.0" # x-release-please-version
  concepts: [runpod-platform, pod, serverless-endpoint, job, template, network-volume, registry-credential, gpu-type, log-stream, api-key, api-rate-limit, hub-repo]
license: Apache-2.0
---

# Runpod MCP

The Runpod MCP server exposes Runpod's control plane as structured tool calls, so an
MCP-capable agent can manage infrastructure without shelling out. It is the same Runpod
REST API that `runpodctl` uses. Pick MCP when its tools are connected (typed params,
structured errors, no shell quoting).

This skill does three things: it connects the server, routes each request to the
journey skill that carries its procedure ([Route by intent](#route-by-intent)), and owns
the **answer contract** below, which every reply follows.

**For a multi-step job, read the worked example before calling tools.** Tool calls are
easy to issue and easy to issue in the wrong order. The verified end-to-end sequences
live in [runpod/golden-paths/README.md](../runpod/golden-paths/README.md) (image →
template → endpoint, pod → volume → serverless, multi-region, autoscaling, monitoring).
The journey skills cover procedure within one journey; the paths cover what order to do
a whole job in.

## Connect

Connect the hosted server with **your API key as a Bearer header** if you also use runpodctl/flash. That one key auths the MCP *and* the CLIs (the 80% path):

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http runpod -s user https://mcp.getrunpod.io/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $RUNPOD_API_KEY"
```

Plain **OAuth** ("Sign in with Runpod"; the user can set it up with the interactive `npx @runpod/mcp-server@latest add`) is MCP-only: the CLIs stay unauthed, so use it only for MCP-only work. Local **stdio** runs the server as a subprocess with your key. Those variants + the key-vs-OAuth tradeoff: **[reference/connect.md](reference/connect.md)**. After connecting, reconnect the client (in Claude Code, `/mcp`) so the tools load.

**Verify it's live (do this before relying on MCP):** in Claude Code run `/mcp`.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE edd03bb1b6d05d98

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the edd03bb1b6d05d98 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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