# Install kubelogin with Homebrew

OpenID Connect authentication plugin for kubectl. Version 1.36.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-27.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:kubelogin
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install kubelogin
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:kubelogin
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.36.3
- **Source summary:** OpenID Connect authentication plugin for kubectl
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/int128/kubelogin>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/int128/kubelogin>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-27T21:58:46+02:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- kubectl-oidc_login (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.36.3
## Project history and usage

int128/kubelogin is a kubectl plugin for Kubernetes OpenID Connect authentication, also known as kubectl oidc-login. It became important as Kubernetes client authentication moved toward exec credential plugins and as clusters increasingly delegated user login to OIDC identity providers.

### Project history

The public GitHub repository was created on March 21, 2018. The README identifies kubelogin as a kubectl plugin for Kubernetes OIDC authentication and explains that it is designed to run as a client-go credential plugin.

The project tracks Kubernetes exec credential APIs and browser-based OIDC login flows. Its CLI can be invoked through kubectl plugin naming as kubectl oidc-login, and it stores token cache data in the filesystem by default with an option to use the system keyring.

### Adoption history

kubelogin gained adoption because Kubernetes documented client-go credential plugins as a stable feature in Kubernetes v1.22. That mechanism lets kubectl and client-go execute an external command to receive user credentials for authentication protocols such as OAuth2 and SAML.

The README documents installation through Homebrew, Krew, Chocolatey, and GitHub Releases. The package also appears in apk, Nix, Scoop, winget, and zypper metadata in the batch input, showing that an authentication helper crossed from Kubernetes plugin culture into general OS package managers.

### How it is used

When kubectl runs, kubelogin opens a browser for the user to authenticate with an OIDC provider, obtains a token, and returns Kubernetes ExecCredential output for client-go. The kubeconfig user.exec stanza points to the plugin command and arguments.

The default token cache path documented by the README is ~/.kube/cache/oidc-login, and kubectl oidc-login clean deletes cached credentials so the next kubectl run starts a fresh browser login.

### Why package nerds care

kubelogin is significant because it is both a kubectl plugin and a security-sensitive credential helper. Packaging matters here: users want a reproducible binary from Homebrew, Krew, Chocolatey, or distro packages because the tool participates directly in Kubernetes API authentication.

### Timeline

- 2018-03-21: Public GitHub repository created
- 2021: Kubernetes v1.22 marked client-go credential plugins stable
- 2026-05-30: v1.36.2 release published
- 2026: README documented Homebrew, Krew, Chocolatey, and GitHub Releases installation paths

### Related projects

- Kubernetes client-go credential plugins provide the exec-plugin mechanism kubelogin implements.
- Krew distributes kubelogin as the oidc-login kubectl plugin.
- OpenID Connect and OAuth2 identity providers are the authentication systems kubelogin bridges into kubectl.

### Sources

- <https://api.github.com/repos/int128/kubelogin>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/kubelogin>
- <https://github.com/int128/kubelogin>
- <https://github.com/int128/kubelogin/releases>
- <https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/authentication/>
- <https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/extend-kubectl/kubectl-plugins/>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ~/.kube/config

## Credential files

- Unix: ~/.kube/cache/oidc-login

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/kubelogin.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/kubelogin.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation