Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Permission Issues

If you encounter an error message like the following when accessing resources:

User admin does not have permission to get configmaps in namespace kube-sentinel in cluster in-cluster

This means that user admin does not have permission to access configmaps resources in the kube-sentinel namespace.

You need to refer to the RBAC Configuration Guide to configure user permissions.

Managed Kubernetes Cluster Connection Issues

If you're using a managed Kubernetes cluster (AKS, EKS, GKE, etc.) and encounter authentication errors when adding the cluster to Kube Sentinel, this is usually because the default kubeconfig uses exec plugins that require CLI tools (like kubelogin, aws, gcloud, or glab).

While Kube Sentinel runs as a server-side application, it now supports native authentication for AWS EKS and GitLab Agent by configuring your credentials in the Settings page.

For other providers (like AKS or GKE), or as an alternative, you should use Service Account token-based authentication.

Please refer to the Managed Kubernetes Cluster Configuration Guide for detailed instructions on both methods.

SQLite with hostPath Storage

If you're using SQLite as the database and encountering an "out of memory" error when using hostPath for persistent storage:

panic: failed to connect database: unable to open database file: out of memory (14)

This issue is related to the pure Go SQLite driver used by Kube Sentinel (to avoid CGO dependencies). The driver has limitations when accessing database files on certain storage backends.

Solution: Add SQLite connection options to improve compatibility with hostPath storage. In your Helm values, set:

db:
  sqlite:
    options: "_journal_mode=WAL&_busy_timeout=5000"

These options enable Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) mode and increase the busy timeout, which resolves most hostPath compatibility issues.

Recommended for Production: For production deployments requiring persistent storage, use MySQL or PostgreSQL instead of SQLite. These databases are better suited for containerized environments and persistent storage scenarios.

For more details, see Issue #204.

AI Features

Which AI providers are supported?

Kube Sentinel currently supports Google Gemini and OpenAI. More providers can be added through the AI administration interface if they follow a compatible API structure.

How do I configure my own API key?

If your administrator allows it, you can provide your own API key in Settings > AI Configuration. This allows you to use your personal quota and specific models.

Is my cluster data sent to AI providers?

Data is only sent to the configured AI provider when you explicitly interact with the AI assistant (e.g., asking a question about a resource). Only the necessary context (like resource YAML or logs) is sent to provide accurate answers.

How can I disable AI chat?

Administrators can disable AI chat for individual users in the User Management settings.

How to Change Font

By default, Kube Sentinel provides three fonts: system default, Maple Mono, and JetBrains Mono.

If you want to use a different font, you need to build the project yourself.

Build kube-sentinel with make and change the font in ./ui/src/index.css:

@font-face {
  font-family: "Maple Mono";
  font-style: normal;
  font-display: swap;
  font-weight: 400;
  src: url(https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/fontsource/fonts/maple-mono@latest/latin-400-normal.woff2)
      format("woff2"), url(https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/fontsource/fonts/maple-mono@latest/latin-400-normal.woff)
      format("woff");
}

body {
  font-family: "Maple Mono", var(--font-sans);
}

How Can I Contribute to Kube Sentinel?

We welcome contributions! You can:

• Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub Issues
• Submit pull requests
• Improve documentation
• Share feedback and use cases

Where Can I Get Help?

You can get support through:

• GitHub Issues for bug reports and feature requests
• Slack Community for questions and community support

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Didn't find what you're looking for? Feel free to open an issue on GitHub or start a discussion.