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kubectx and kubens can be installed and used as native kubectl plugins through Krew, the kubectl plugin manager. This provides seamless integration with your kubectl workflow.

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Installation via Krew

1

Install Krew

If you don’t have Krew installed, follow the Krew installation guide.
2

Install the plugins

Install both kubectx and kubens as kubectl plugins:
kubectl krew install ctx
kubectl krew install ns
3

Verify installation

Check that the plugins are installed correctly:
kubectl plugin list
You should see kubectl-ctx and kubectl-ns in the output.
Krew installation does not include shell completion scripts. If you need tab completion, install the scripts manually or use another installation method like Homebrew.

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Usage as kubectl Plugins

Once installed via Krew, the tools are available as kubectl ctx and kubectl ns instead of standalone commands.

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kubectl ctx Commands

All standard kubectx operations work with the kubectl ctx prefix: 
# List all contexts
kubectl ctx

# Switch to a specific context
kubectl ctx minikube

# Switch to previous context
kubectl ctx -

# Show current context
kubectl ctx -c
kubectl ctx --current

# Rename a context
kubectl ctx new-name=old-name

# Rename current context
kubectl ctx new-name=.

# Unset current context
kubectl ctx -u
kubectl ctx --unset

# Delete a context
kubectl ctx -d context-name

# Delete current context
kubectl ctx -d .

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kubectl ns Commands

All standard kubens operations work with the kubectl ns prefix: 
# List all namespaces
kubectl ns

# Switch to a namespace
kubectl ns kube-system

# Switch to previous namespace
kubectl ns -

# Show current namespace
kubectl ns -c
kubectl ns --current

# Force switch to a namespace (even if it doesn't exist)
kubectl ns non-existent-ns --force
kubectl ns non-existent-ns -f

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Interactive Mode with fzf

When fzf is installed, the kubectl plugin versions support the same interactive fuzzy-search functionality: 
# Interactive context selection
kubectl ctx

# Interactive namespace selection
kubectl ns
The plugin automatically detects fzf and enables interactive mode when you run the commands without arguments.

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Disabling Interactive Mode

To disable fzf integration even when fzf is installed: 
export KUBECTX_IGNORE_FZF=1
Or pipe the output to another command: 
kubectl ctx | cat
kubectl ns | grep prod

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Advantages of kubectl Plugin Usage

All your Kubernetes tools are accessible through the kubectl command, providing a consistent user experience.
Users can discover available plugins using kubectl plugin list or kubectl krew search.
Update both tools with a single command:
kubectl krew upgrade ctx ns
Krew handles platform-specific installation details automatically.

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Switching Between Standalone and Plugin Usage

You can have both the standalone binaries and kubectl plugins installed simultaneously. They work identically: 
# These are equivalent:
kubectx minikube
kubectl ctx minikube

# These are also equivalent:
kubens kube-system
kubectl ns kube-system
If you have both installed, ensure they’re the same version to avoid inconsistent behavior.

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Uninstalling

To remove the kubectl plugins: 
kubectl krew uninstall ctx ns

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Plugin Information

View detailed information about the plugins: 
# Show plugin info
kubectl krew info ctx
kubectl krew info ns

# Show installed version
kubectl ctx --version
kubectl ns --version

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