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# CI/CD Tunnel
# CI/CD Tunnel **(PREMIUM)**
> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/327409) in GitLab 14.1.
> - Pre-configured `KUBECONFIG` [added](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/324275) in GitLab 14.2.
> - The pre-configured `KUBECONFIG` was [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/324275) in GitLab 14.2.
The CI/CD Tunnel enables users to access Kubernetes clusters from GitLab CI/CD jobs even if there is no network
connectivity between GitLab Runner and a cluster. GitLab Runner does not have to be running in the same cluster.
Only CI/CD jobs set in the configuration project can access one of the configured agents.
Prerequisites:
## Prerequisites
- A running [`kas` instance](index.md#set-up-the-kubernetes-agent-server).
- A [configuration repository](index.md#define-a-configuration-repository) with an Agent config file
- An [Agent record](index.md#create-an-agent-record-in-gitlab).
- The agent is[installed in the cluster](index.md#install-the-agent-into-the-cluster).
- The Agent[installed in the cluster](index.md#install-the-agent-into-the-cluster).
If your project has one or more Agent records, a `KUBECONFIG` variable that is compatible with `kubectl` is provided to your CI/CD jobs. A separate context (`kubecontext`) is available for each configured Agent. By default, no context is selected.
## Use the CI/CD Tunnel to run Kubernetes commands from GitLab CI/CD
If your project has access to one or more Agent records available, its CI/CD
jobs provide a `KUBECONFIG` variable compatible with `kubectl`.
Also, each Agent has a separate context (`kubecontext`). By default,
there isn't any context selected.
Contexts are named in the following format: `<agent-configuration-project-path>:<agent-name>`.
To access your cluster from a CI/CD job through the tunnel:
You can get the list of available contexts by running `kubectl config get-contexts`.
## Example for a `kubectl` command using the CI/CD Tunnel
The following example shows a CI/CD job that runs a `kubectl` command using the CI/CD Tunnel.
You can run any Kubernetes-specific commands similarly, such as `kubectl`, `helm`,
`kpt`, and so on. To do so:
1. In your `.gitlab-ci.yml` select the context for the agent you wish to use:
1. Set your Agent's context in the first command with the format `<agent-configuration-project-path>:<agent-name>`.