install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install clusterctl

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#clusterctl

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/cl/clusterctl/package.nix · source: api.github.com

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install clusterctl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · clusterctl · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Kubernetes.clusterctl -e

Windows Package Manager source index · Kubernetes.clusterctl · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Home for the Cluster Management API work, a subproject of sig-cluster-lifecycle

Project links

Commands and aliases

clusterctl

history

Project history and usage

clusterctl is the command-line tool for bootstrapping and managing Kubernetes Cluster API providers and management clusters.

Project history

The Cluster API project was started by Kubernetes SIG Cluster Lifecycle to provide declarative APIs and tooling for provisioning, upgrading, and operating multiple Kubernetes clusters.

clusterctl became the user-facing CLI for that project. The official docs say it handles the lifecycle of a Cluster API management cluster, provides a simple day-1 experience, fetches provider component YAML, installs providers, and encodes best practices for provider management and upgrades.

Adoption history

clusterctl adoption follows Cluster API adoption across infrastructure providers. The docs describe default provider repositories sponsored by SIG Cluster Lifecycle and a provider contract that lets infrastructure, bootstrap, and control-plane providers publish release assets for clusterctl.

The input package facts show distribution through Homebrew, Nix, winget, and zypper, which matches its role as a cross-platform Kubernetes operations CLI.

How it is used

Common commands include `clusterctl init` for management-cluster initialization, `clusterctl generate cluster` for workload-cluster templates, `clusterctl move` for moving Cluster API objects between management clusters, and `clusterctl upgrade plan/apply` for provider upgrades.

clusterctl uses `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cluster-api/clusterctl.yaml` for provider repository configuration, variable substitution values, image overrides, and options such as log level or version-check behavior.

Why package nerds care

clusterctl matters to package maintainers because it is the small local binary that wires a large Kubernetes provider ecosystem together: it discovers releases, fetches YAML assets, talks to GitHub or Go proxies, and applies provider contracts across platforms.

It is also a classic modern infrastructure CLI: a single executable distributed by OS package managers while its real work coordinates remote releases, Kubernetes manifests, and cluster lifecycle state.

Timeline

2019: Cluster API GitHub releases include early v0.1.x and v0.3.x releases.
2021: Cluster API v1.0.0 was published.
2024: Cluster API v1.7 and v1.8 release candidates were published.
2026: The Cluster API book documents v1.13 and current clusterctl behavior.

Related projects

Cluster API is the parent project for clusterctl.
kubeadm is discussed in the official Cluster API introduction as prior SIG Cluster Lifecycle tooling that reduced Kubernetes bootstrap complexity.
Cluster API providers such as Cluster API Provider AWS implement the provider contracts that clusterctl consumes.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: orange

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

text:cluster

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cluster-api/clusterctl.yaml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`clusterctl`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version1.13.3

manager updated2026-06-23

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv1.13.3

https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:clusterctl
Version	1.13.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/clusterctl
Homepage	https://cluster-api.sigs.k8s.io
Repository	https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api
Upstream docs	https://cluster-api.sigs.k8s.io/clusterctl/configuration
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api/archive/refs/tags/v1.13.3.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-23T21:36:24Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	clusterctl
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

clusterctl

nix profile install nixpkgs#clusterctl

normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/cl/clusterctl/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

zypper95%

clusterctl 1.13.1-1.1

CLI tool to handle the lifecycle of a Cluster API management cluster

https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api

sudo zypper install clusterctl

License: Apache-2.0
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: clusterctl
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: clusterctl from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

clusterctl-bash-completion 1.13.1-1.1

Bash Completion for clusterctl

https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api

sudo zypper install clusterctl-bash-completion

License: Apache-2.0
Category: System/Shells
Architecture: noarch
Source Package: clusterctl
2 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: clusterctl-bash-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

clusterctl-fish-completion 1.13.1-1.1

Fish Completion for clusterctl

https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api

sudo zypper install clusterctl-fish-completion

License: Apache-2.0
Category: System/Shells
Architecture: noarch
Source Package: clusterctl
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: clusterctl-fish-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

clusterctl-zsh-completion 1.13.1-1.1

Zsh Completion for clusterctl

https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api

sudo zypper install clusterctl-zsh-completion

License: Apache-2.0
Category: System/Shells
Architecture: noarch
Source Package: clusterctl
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: clusterctl-zsh-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

winget95%

Kubernetes.clusterctl

winget install --id Kubernetes.clusterctl -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Clusterctl

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: Kubernetes.clusterctl from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/clusterctl.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install clusterctl with Homebrew, Nix, winget, zypper

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Windows

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: orange

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Configuration and credential file locations

Configuration files

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Related tools

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources