kafka-mcp-integration

# Kafka MCP Server Integration

Expert knowledge for integrating SpecWeave with Kafka MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers. Supports 4 MCP server implementations with auto-detection and configuration guidance.

---

> **Code-First Recommendation**: For most Kafka automation tasks, [writing code is better than MCP](https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/code-execution-with-mcp) (98% token reduction). Use **kafkajs** or **kafka-node** directly:
>
> ```typescript
> import { Kafka } from 'kafkajs';
> const kafka = new Kafka({ brokers: ['localhost:9092'] });
> const producer = kafka.producer();
> await producer.send({ topic: 'events', messages: [{ value: 'Hello' }] });
> ```
>
> **When MCP IS useful**: Quick interactive debugging, topic exploration, Claude Desktop integration.
>
> **When to use code instead**: CI/CD pipelines, test automation, production scripts, anything that should be committed and reusable.

---

## Supported MCP Servers

### 1. kanapuli/mcp-kafka (Node.js)

**Installation**:
```bash
npm install -g mcp-kafka
```

**Capabilities**:
- Authentication: SASL_PLAINTEXT, PLAINTEXT
- Operations: produce, consume, list-topics, describe-topic, get-offsets
- Best for: Basic Kafka operations, quick prototyping

**Configuration Example**:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kafka": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-kafka"],
      "env": {
        "KAFKA_BROKERS": "localhost:9092",
        "KAFKA_SASL_MECHANISM": "plain",
        "KAFKA_SASL_USERNAME": "user",
        "KAFKA_SASL_PASSWORD": "password"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### 2. tuannvm/kafka-mcp-server (Go)

**Installation**:
```bash
go install github.com/tuannvm/kafka-mcp-server@latest
```

**Capabilities**:
- Authentication: SASL_SCRAM_SHA_256, SASL_SCRAM_SHA_512, SASL_SSL, PLAINTEXT
- Operations: All CRUD operations, consumer group management, offset management
- Best for: Production use, advanced SASL authentication

**Configuration Example**:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kafka": {
      "comma