What is Tiny Systems?

Tiny Systems is a Kubernetes-native workflow engine that you control with natural language. Install the MCP server, describe what you want, and the AI builds production workflows as real Kubernetes CRDs in your cluster.

How it works

You (Claude Code / Cursor / any MCP client)
  │
  │  "Build a Slack bot that alerts when pods crash"
  │
  ▼
MCP Server (mcp-server binary, runs locally)
  │
  │  Creates TinyNode, TinyFlow CRDs via kubectl
  │
  ▼
Your Kubernetes Cluster
  │
  │  Module operators reconcile CRDs and run the workflow
  │
  ▼
Running workflow (watches pods, sends Slack messages)

1. You describe what you want in natural language
2. The MCP server translates that into TinyNode Custom Resources
3. Module operators (installed via Helm) watch those CRs and execute component logic
4. Data flows between components through typed ports with expression-based data mapping

Key concepts

Concept	What it is
Component	A reusable building block with typed input/output ports (e.g. http_server, slack_send, pod_watch)
Module	A Helm-installable operator that ships one or more components
Flow	A group of connected nodes — organizational, not isolation
TinyNode	A Kubernetes CRD representing one component instance with its configuration
Edge	A connection between ports with {{$.path}} expression-based data mapping

What makes it different

• AI-first — the primary interface is natural language via the MCP server, not a drag-and-drop UI
• Kubernetes-native — not a wrapper, not an abstraction layer. kubectl get tinynodes shows your workflows
• Self-hosted — runs on YOUR cluster. No SaaS dependency, no data leaving your infrastructure
• Open source modules — all modules are open source. Build your own with the Go SDK
• Production-grade — leader election, metadata persistence, graceful shutdown, exponential backoff

Use cases

• Alerting — watch pods, TLS certs, deployments and send Slack/email notifications
• Automation — scale clusters on schedule, mirror images, sync config
• API integration — connect REST APIs with data transformation
• Event processing — handle webhooks and trigger multi-step workflows
• Data pipelines — ETL with error handling and conditional routing

Architecture

Tiny Systems has three parts:

Part	Description
MCP Server	Local binary (brew install tiny-systems/tap/mcp-server) that exposes flow-building tools to AI clients
SDK	Go framework for building custom modules and components
Modules	Packaged operators deployed via Helm — each ships one or more components

There is also a visual desktop editor for inspecting and fine-tuning flows, and a hosted platform for team collaboration. But the MCP server is the primary entry point.

Next steps

• Quick Start — Install and build your first flow
• MCP Server Setup — Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, or Cursor
• Core Concepts — Deeper dive into nodes, ports, and expressions
• Developer Guide — Build custom modules