MCP profile

Last published : Nov 02, 2026
The mcpprofile custom resource definition (CRD) lets you define a Model Context Protocol (MCP) profile on NetScaler® using Kubernetes-native configuration. An MCP profile carries the settings that NetScaler applies when it proxies MCP traffic between your clients and the upstream MCP servers.
You can use the mcpprofile CRD to:
  • Apply a FRONTEND profile to the client-facing side of the MCP proxy. A FRONTEND profile is attached to a Gateway through its spec.infrastructure.parametersRef field.
  • Apply a BACKEND profile to the upstream side that connects to the MCP servers. A BACKEND profile is attached to an mcproute rule through an ExtensionRef filter and binds to the backend service group.
  • Select the proxy deployment mode: FORWARD (one NetScaler in the client environment that routes to many MCP servers, selected by a target-server header) or REVERSE (NetScaler in front of a single MCP backend).
  • Replace the client Host header and URL with the target MCP server values in forward-proxy deployments.
  • Inject the MCP access token as an Authorization header, sourced from a Kubernetes Secret, so that the raw token is never stored in the resource.
Note:
The profileType value is immutable after the profile is created. For a FRONTEND profile, NetScaler programs only the profileType, proxyMode, and comment values. The remaining settings apply to BACKEND profiles only.
Related information
NetScaler CRDs

Deploy the mcpprofile CRD

The mcpprofile CRD is in the mcpprofile.yaml file in the NetScaler Ingress Controller GitHub repository. The NetScaler Kubernetes Gateway Controller Helm chart also installs it. Deploy the CRD using the following command:
kubectl create -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/netscaler/netscaler-k8s-ingress-controller/master/crd/mcp/mcpprofile.yaml
Note:
Do not modify the CRD deployment YAML file.

mcpprofile CRD attributes

The following table lists the top-level attributes available under spec for the mcpprofile CRD.
Attribute Description Supported values
config Contains all the parameters for the MCP profile on NetScaler. This field is required. Object

config attributes

The following attributes are available under spec.config.
Attribute Description Supported values
profileType Side of the MCP proxy that this profile applies to. This value is immutable after it is set. FRONTEND, BACKEND (default BACKEND)
proxyMode Proxy deployment mode. FORWARD places NetScaler in the client environment and routes to many MCP servers through a target-server header. REVERSE places NetScaler in front of a single MCP backend. Applied to both FRONTEND and BACKEND profiles. FORWARD, REVERSE (default FORWARD)
hostReplacement Replaces the client Host header with the target MCP server FQDN before forwarding. Applies to forward-proxy BACKEND profiles only, and is ignored when proxyMode is REVERSE. ENABLED, DISABLED (default ENABLED)
urlReplacement Rewrites the client URL to the backend MCP URL before forwarding. Applies to forward-proxy BACKEND profiles only, and is ignored when proxyMode is REVERSE. ENABLED, DISABLED (default ENABLED)
insertHeaderInClientRequest When ENABLED, NetScaler injects the token from mcpTokenOrApi as an Authorization header on client requests, so that you do not need a rewrite policy that exposes the token. Applies to BACKEND profiles only. ENABLED, DISABLED (default DISABLED)
mcpProtocolVersion MCP protocol version that NetScaler advertises when it monitors an MCP server. String (maximum 10 characters)
mcpTokenOrApi Reference to a Kubernetes Secret that holds the MCP access token. Used for monitoring probes and, when insertHeaderInClientRequest is ENABLED, for client traffic. Object
comment Any information about the MCP profile. String (maximum 255 characters)

mcpTokenOrApi attributes

The mcpTokenOrApi object references a Kubernetes Secret. The Secret value must be the full authorization header line, for example Authorization: Bearer <token>.
Attribute Description Supported values
name Name of the Kubernetes Secret that contains the token. This field is required. String of lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (-) that starts and ends with a letter or number
namespace Namespace of the Secret. Must be the same namespace as the MCP profile; cross-namespace references are not supported. Defaults to the namespace of the MCP profile. String of lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (-) that starts and ends with a letter or number
key Key within the Secret data that holds the token. String (default token)

How to write the profile configuration

In the mcpprofile YAML definition, set the kind as mcpprofile. In the spec section, add a config block with the settings for the profile.
Keep the following guidelines in mind:
  • Set profileType to BACKEND (the default) for upstream profiles and FRONTEND for client-facing profiles.
  • The profileType value cannot be changed after the profile is created.
  • Set hostReplacement, urlReplacement, and insertHeaderInClientRequest on BACKEND profiles only. They apply in forward-proxy mode.
  • Store the MCP token in a Kubernetes Secret and reference it through mcpTokenOrApi. The Secret value is the full Authorization header line.
  • Attach a FRONTEND profile to a Gateway through spec.infrastructure.parametersRef, and attach a BACKEND profile to an mcproute rule through an ExtensionRef filter.

Sample profile configurations

Frontend profile

The following configuration creates a client-facing MCP profile and attaches it to a Gateway.
apiVersion: citrix.com/v1
kind: mcpprofile
metadata:
  name: mcp-frontend
  namespace: default
spec:
  config:
    profileType: FRONTEND
    proxyMode: FORWARD
    comment: "Client-facing MCP profile"
Attach the profile to a Gateway through the infrastructure.parametersRef field.
apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: mcp-gateway
  namespace: default
spec:
  gatewayClassName: netscaler-mcp
  infrastructure:
    parametersRef:
      group: citrix.com
      kind: mcpprofile
      name: mcp-frontend
  listeners:
  - name: mcp-http
    protocol: HTTP
    port: 80
    allowedRoutes:
      namespaces:
        from: All

Backend profile with token injection

The following configuration creates a backend MCP profile that injects the MCP token as an Authorization header. The token is stored in a Kubernetes Secret.
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: github-mcp-token
  namespace: default
type: Opaque
stringData:
  token: "Authorization: Bearer <your-mcp-access-token>"
---
apiVersion: citrix.com/v1
kind: mcpprofile
metadata:
  name: github-mcp-backend
  namespace: default
spec:
  config:
    profileType: BACKEND
    proxyMode: FORWARD
    urlReplacement: ENABLED
    insertHeaderInClientRequest: ENABLED
    mcpTokenOrApi:
      name: github-mcp-token
      key: token
    comment: "GitHub MCP backend profile"

Reverse-proxy backend profile

The following configuration creates a backend MCP profile for a deployment where NetScaler is in front of a single MCP server.
apiVersion: citrix.com/v1
kind: mcpprofile
metadata:
  name: single-mcp-backend
  namespace: default
spec:
  config:
    profileType: BACKEND
    proxyMode: REVERSE
    mcpProtocolVersion: "2025-06-18"
    comment: "Single upstream MCP server"