# Kafka Managed MCP Server > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [agentic-data-plane-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/agentic-data-plane-full.txt) --- title: Kafka Managed MCP Server page-beta-text: This is a beta feature. Beta features are available for testing and feedback. They are not supported by Redpanda and should not be used in production environments. latest-operator-version: v26.1.5 latest-console-tag: v3.7.4 latest-connect-version: 4.96.1 latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.10 docname: managed/kafka page-component-name: agentic-data-plane page-version: master page-component-version: master page-component-title: Agentic Data Plane page-relative-src-path: managed/kafka.adoc page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/adp-docs/edit/main/modules/connect/pages/managed/kafka.adoc # Beta release status page-beta: "true" description: Produce messages to topics on Kafka or Redpanda brokers through a managed MCP server hosted in the Agentic Data Plane. page-topic-type: how-to personas: agent_builder, platform_engineer learning-objective-1: Configure the Kafka managed MCP server against a Kafka or Redpanda cluster learning-objective-2: Produce a test message through the Inspector learning-objective-3: Pick the right SASL mechanism for your broker (PLAIN or SCRAM-SHA-256/512) page-git-created-date: "2026-05-28" page-git-modified-date: "2026-06-09" release-status: beta - This is a beta feature. Beta features are available for testing and feedback. They are not supported by Redpanda and should not be used in production environments. --- The **Kafka** managed MCP server lets agents produce messages to topics on either an Apache Kafka cluster or a Redpanda cluster. Despite the name, it works against any Kafka-compatible broker. After reading this page, you will be able to: - Configure the Kafka managed MCP server against a Kafka or Redpanda cluster - Produce a test message through the Inspector - Pick the right SASL mechanism for your broker (PLAIN or SCRAM-SHA-256/512) ## [](#what-this-mcp-server-does)What this MCP server does The Kafka managed type proxies a managed Kafka producer. It exposes the following tool: - `produce`: Send a message to a Kafka topic, with an optional key, an optional partition, and optional headers. Consuming messages, listing topics, and inspecting metadata are not currently exposed by this managed type. To read from topics, use a [self-managed MCP server](https://docs.redpanda.com/agentic-data-plane/connect/register-remote/) or Redpanda Connect. ## [](#prerequisites)Prerequisites - A Kafka or Redpanda cluster reachable from the Agentic Data Plane. - The cluster’s bootstrap servers and SASL/TLS settings. - For SCRAM or PLAIN: Secrets in the Redpanda ADP secret store for the username and password (`UPPER_SNAKE_CASE`, for example `KAFKA_SASL_USER` and `KAFKA_SASL_PASSWORD`). ## [](#configure)Configure 1. Open **MCP Servers > Create Server**. 2. Pick **Kafka** from the marketplace picker. 3. Fill in the identity fields (`name`, `description`). 4. In the Kafka configuration form, provide: - `Seed brokers`: Bootstrap broker addresses for the cluster. - `TLS`: Enable for production. You can optionally skip certificate verification for local development only. - `SASL mechanism`: `PLAIN`, `SCRAM-SHA-256`, or `SCRAM-SHA-512`. Leave empty to disable SASL. - `Username / password`: `UPPER_SNAKE_CASE` secret references for the SASL credentials. - `Compression` (optional): Defaults to `lz4`. - `Max in-flight` (optional): Maximum number of in-flight produce requests. Defaults to `10`. - `Timeout` (optional): Produce request timeout. Defaults to `10s`. 5. Click **Create**. ## [](#test)Test 1. Open the **Inspector** tab on the server’s detail page. 2. In **Tools**, select the `produce` tool. 3. Produce a test message to a sandbox topic and confirm a successful response. 4. Verify the message landed by consuming the topic with `rpk topic consume` or another Kafka client. See [Test an MCP Server’s Tools with the Inspector](https://docs.redpanda.com/agentic-data-plane/connect/test-tools/) for general Inspector usage. ## [](#authentication)Authentication The Kafka managed type’s authentication is part of its config, not the generic MCP authentication modes: it uses Kafka protocol authentication (SASL over TLS), not MCP authentication. | Mechanism | Use when | | --- | --- | | PLAIN | Username and password over TLS. Common for managed Kafka services. | | SCRAM-SHA-256 / SCRAM-SHA-512 | Salted challenge-response. Default for Redpanda. | TLS controls transport encryption: enable it, and optionally skip certificate verification for development. Client-certificate (mTLS) and `OAUTHBEARER` authentication are not currently supported by this managed type. ## [](#use-with-agents)Use with agents Once the Kafka server is created, point an agent at the **API URL** on the server’s detail page. The agent can then produce messages to topics through the exposed `produce` tool. ## [](#troubleshooting)Troubleshooting | Symptom | What to check | | --- | --- | | connection refused or dial timeout | Brokers aren’t reachable from ADP egress. Confirm bootstrap addresses and any private-network requirements. | | SASL authentication failed | Check username/password reference content and the SASL mechanism. | | TLS handshake error | Certificate chain isn’t trusted, or you’ve enabled TLS against a plaintext broker. Confirm broker config. | | unknown topic or partition | The target topic doesn’t exist on the broker. Create it first, or confirm the topic name. | ## [](#limitations)Limitations - **Reading and administration**: This server only produces messages. Consuming, listing topics, and managing topics or ACLs aren’t exposed. Use rpk, a Kafka client, or Redpanda Connect. - **Schema registry**: Not exposed by this MCP server. - **Streaming joins or processing**: For stream processing, use Redpanda Connect.