CloudBolt adds MCP support to cloud management platform

CloudBolt has released an updated version of its cloud management platform, CloudBolt CMP, adding support for the Model Context Protocol, or MCP.

The update targets organisations using artificial intelligence tools in infrastructure operations while trying to maintain existing controls over access, approvals and policy enforcement. It also adds more granular role-based access controls, broader support for day-two operational tasks and expanded integration with alternatives to VMware.

Cloud management tools are taking on renewed importance as companies test AI agents for operational work once handled by engineers through tickets, scripts or self-service portals. In that setting, the central question is no longer just what can be automated, but which systems determine what an AI tool is allowed to do.

With MCP support, approved AI agents or conversational interfaces can interact with CloudBolt CMP through a standard protocol, while the platform remains the execution layer for governed actions. That means an AI assistant could request infrastructure provisioning, run approved post-deployment tasks or show a user which actions are available under their role, with the same permissions and policy checks applied underneath.

For enterprises, this reflects a broader effort to avoid introducing AI into operational workflows without a control layer that can track identity, permissions and audit trails. CloudBolt is positioning its platform as that intermediary between an AI interface and the underlying infrastructure estate.

Yasmin Rajabi, Chief Operating Officer at CloudBolt, said the product changes were designed around governance as much as automation.

"Enterprise infrastructure teams are under pressure to move faster, support more environments, and introduce AI without creating a new governance problem," Rajabi said. "This release is about providing more control. Customers can begin connecting AI-assisted workflows to CMP through MCP, while still preserving the permissions, guardrails, and operational accountability required in complex enterprise environments."

Access controls

Another part of the release focuses on how permissions are assigned within infrastructure teams. In many organisations, routine tasks still fall to a relatively small group of senior engineers because granting access to a single task often also grants access to a much broader set of administrative functions.

The revised platform lets customers expose specific actions to specific users without extending wider administrative rights. The goal is to separate narrowly defined operational tasks from full platform administration, so lower-tier operators can carry out approved work without being over-permissioned.

That could matter for companies trying to formalise internal platform teams and self-service operations, where the challenge is often less whether a task can be automated than whether it can be presented safely to the right user group. More contextual controls also align with broader enterprise efforts to tighten governance as hybrid cloud estates become more fragmented.

Day-two tasks

The release also extends custom forms and presentation features beyond initial provisioning into what infrastructure teams call day-two operations. These are tasks that take place after a resource has been created, such as resizing, modifying, updating, restarting, remediating, approving, decommissioning and enforcing policy over time.

This area has long been a source of manual effort in enterprise IT because repeatable provisioning is often easier to standardise than the operational changes that follow. By expanding support for these post-provisioning tasks, CloudBolt is aiming to help customers turn specialist operational procedures into governed workflows that can be presented to different user groups in a structured way.

VMware alternatives

The product update also comes as many enterprises review their infrastructure strategies after changes in the VMware market following Broadcom's acquisition of the business. That has prompted some customers to test different virtualisation platforms and reassess the management tools they use to govern mixed environments.

Over the past year, CloudBolt has expanded resource handler support across OpenShift Virtualization, Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, Windows Hyper-V, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Azure Local. Those additions point to a push to remain relevant for customers managing a mix of public cloud, private cloud and alternative virtualisation stacks rather than a single core platform.

Shawn Petty, Chief Customer Officer at CloudBolt, linked that work to customer demand for greater flexibility in infrastructure choices.

"Enterprises want optionality, not another forced ecosystem," Petty said. "They want to test alternatives and modernize without losing control. CloudBolt CMP gives them a way to govern and orchestrate across heterogeneous environments instead of being locked into one provider's operating model."

CloudBolt plans to add support for SUSE Virtualization, XCP-ng and so-called neocloud environments including CoreWeave, Nebius and Vultr. The latest release is available now as part of CloudBolt CMP.