> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ilert.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ilert.com/ai-and-agents/mcp/hosted/kafka.md).

# Kafka

Give an agent access to Kafka through the ilert MCP connector you deploy in your own network.

#### Required permissions

<table><thead><tr><th width="177.515625">Tool</th><th width="178.515625">Required Permission</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>list_topics</code></td><td><code>read</code></td><td>List all Kafka topics in the cluster. Useful for discovering available topics and their configurations.</td></tr><tr><td><code>describe_topic</code></td><td><code>read</code></td><td>Get detailed information about a specific topic including partitions, replication factor, and configuration settings.</td></tr><tr><td><code>list_consumers</code></td><td><code>read</code></td><td>List all consumer groups in the cluster. Useful for monitoring consumer lag and group status.</td></tr><tr><td><code>describe_consumer</code></td><td><code>read</code></td><td>Get detailed information about a consumer group including member assignments, lag, and current offsets.</td></tr><tr><td><code>get_consumer_lag</code></td><td><code>read</code></td><td>Get consumer lag information for a specific consumer group and topic. Helps identify if consumers are falling behind.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Deploy the ilert MCP connector

ilert does not talk to your brokers directly. The Kafka MCP server calls the **ilert MCP connector**, a service you deploy in your own network and expose over a public HTTPS URL. Deployment, the auth token and all configuration options are on its own page:

{% content-ref url="/pages/cKuRiKPs7NQX5toTeOJo" %}
[ilert MCP connector](/ai-and-agents/mcp/ilert-mcp-connector.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

Enable Kafka on the connector with these variables:

```bash
KAFKA_ENABLED=true
KAFKA_BROKERS=kafka1:9092,kafka2:9092
KAFKA_AUTH_TYPE=PLAIN          # or NONE, SCRAM-SHA-256, SCRAM-SHA-512, SSL, SASL_SSL
KAFKA_USERNAME=your_username
KAFKA_PASSWORD=your_password
```

Use `KAFKA_AUTH_TYPE=NONE` if your cluster requires no authentication, and see the connector page for the TLS variables the `SSL` and `SASL_SSL` types need.

#### Connect Kafka with agent

To connect Kafka with your AI SRE agent:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Navigate to **Agents** in the ilert navigation menu
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Open the agent detail view for the agent you want to configure
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Go to the **Tools** tab
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Under the **ilert hosted MCP servers** section, locate the **Kafka** card
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Connect** on the Kafka card
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
In the connection dialog that appears:

* **Select connector:** Choose "Create new connector" (or select an existing connector if you have one)
* **Type:** Select **Bearer Token** from the dropdown
* **Secret name:** Enter a name for your connector (e.g., "Kafka Production" or "Kafka Main")
* **Secret value:** Enter the `AUTH_TOKEN` value from your connector deployment
* **Host URL:** Enter the public URL where your connector is reachable (e.g., `https://ilert-mcp-connector.example.com`)
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click **Connect** to complete the connection
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
After connecting, you can enable or disable specific tools needed for alert investigation, such as:

* `list_topics` - List all Kafka topics in the cluster
* `describe_topic` - Get detailed information about a specific topic
* `list_consumers` - List all consumer groups in the cluster
* `describe_consumer` - Get detailed information about a consumer group
* `get_consumer_lag` - Get consumer lag information for monitoring
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}

The Kafka integration is now connected and ready to use for root cause analysis.


---

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