name: cluster-manage description: Manage Kurtosis cluster settings. Switch between Docker and Kubernetes backends, list available clusters, and configure which cluster Kurtosis uses. Use when you need to change where Kurtosis runs enclaves. compatibility: Requires kurtosis CLI. Kubernetes requires kubectl with cluster access. metadata: author: ethpandaops version: "1.0"

Cluster Manage

Switch between Docker and Kubernetes backends for Kurtosis.

kurtosis cluster get

Returns docker or kubernetes.

kurtosis cluster ls

# Switch to Docker
kurtosis cluster set docker

# Switch to Kubernetes (uses current kubectl context)
kurtosis cluster set kubernetes

After switching, restart the engine:

kurtosis engine restart

When using Kubernetes:

Ensure kubectl is configured and can reach your cluster:
```
kubectl cluster-info
kubectl get nodes
```

Switch Kurtosis to Kubernetes:

kurtosis cluster set kubernetes
kurtosis engine start

Start the gateway (required for local CLI to reach the k8s-based engine):
```
kurtosis gateway &
```
Verify:
```
kurtosis engine status
```

The cluster setting is stored in the Kurtosis config file:

kurtosis config path

Typically at ~/Library/Application Support/kurtosis/kurtosis-config.yml on macOS.