/context-manage

name: context-manage
description: Manage Kurtosis contexts for connecting to different Kurtosis instances. Add, list, switch, and remove contexts. Use when working with multiple Kurtosis environments (local, remote, team shared).
compatibility: Requires kurtosis CLI.
metadata:
  author: ethpandaops
  version: "1.0"

Context Manage

Manage Kurtosis contexts for connecting to different Kurtosis instances.

What are contexts?

Contexts define which Kurtosis instance the CLI talks to. The default context is `default` which connects to the local engine (Docker or Kubernetes).

List contexts

kurtosis context ls

Shows all configured contexts and which one is active.

Add a context

kurtosis context add <context-name>

Switch context

kurtosis context set <context-name>

After switching, restart the engine or portal as needed.

Remove a context

kurtosis context rm <context-name>

Common workflow

# Check which context is active
kurtosis context ls

# Switch to a different environment
kurtosis context set staging

# Verify the switch succeeded
kurtosis context ls

# Start portal if using a remote context
kurtosis portal start

# Switch back to local
kurtosis context set default

Error handling

| Scenario | Behavior | Resolution | |----------|----------|------------| | Switch to non-existent context | Command fails with error | Run `kurtosis context ls` to see available contexts | | Remove active context | Command fails — cannot remove active | Switch to another context first with `kurtosis context set` | | Engine running after switch | Engine still connected to old context | Run `kurtosis engine restart` after switching contexts |