Learn how to fix the “GCP Auth Plugin Has Been Removed” error. Our Google Cloud Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

How to Solve “The GCP Auth Plugin Has Been Removed” Error

Did you know that the error “The gcp auth plugin has been removed” occurs due to changes in the authentication process for Google Kubernetes Engine clusters?

Our Experts have put together this guide to help you with the causes and fixes for this error.

Deprecated GCP Auth Plugin

The built-in GCP authentication mechanism like `kubectl` is no longer in use from Kubernetes version 1.22. This mechanism is no longer supported and will soon be removed.

Fix: So, switch to using the new `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin`. Install it using the following command:

gcloud components install gke-gcloud-auth-plugin

Missing `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin` Installation

The `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin` is not installed on the system. Without it, we will run into the “The gcp auth plugin has been removed” error when interacting with the GKE cluster using tools like `kubectl`.

Fix: So, install the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin` on the system using one of the following methods:

So, using the `gcloud` tool:

gcloud components install gke-gcloud-auth-plugin

• For DEB-based systems:

  sudo apt-get install google-cloud-sdk-gke-gcloud-auth-plugin
• For RPM-based systems:

  sudo yum install google-cloud-sdk-gke-gcloud-auth-plugin

Incorrect Environment Variable Configuration

The `USE_GKE_GCLOUD_AUTH_PLUGIN` environment variable is incorrect. This variable enables or disables the use of the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin` for authentication with GKE clusters.

Fix: So, set the `USE_GKE_GCLOUD_AUTH_PLUGIN` environment variable to `True`:

export USE_GKE_GCLOUD_AUTH_PLUGIN=True

Then, verify that the environment variable is correct:

echo $USE_GKE_GCLOUD_AUTH_PLUGIN

This should display `True`.

Outdated `gcloud` Tool

Also, an outdated `gcloud` tool can cause issues with the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin`.

Fix: Update the `gcloud` tool using the following command:

gcloud components update

Stale Kubernetes Context

The existing Kubernetes context (credentials) is still using the deprecated GCP auth plugin. So, the credentials stored in your Kubernetes configuration file (typically located at `~/.kube/config`) are using the old GCP authentication mechanism.

Fix: Remove the existing Kubernetes context and fetch the credentials again using the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin`:

1. 1. First, create a backup of the existing Kubernetes configuration file:

      cp ~/.kube/config ~/.kube/config.backup
   2. Then, remove the existing Kubernetes context by deleting the `~/.kube/config` file:

      rm ~/.kube/config
   3. Next, fetch the credentials for the GKE cluster using the `gcloud` command and the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin`:

      gcloud container clusters get-credentials CLUSTER_NAME --region
REGION --project PROJECT_ID

      Here, replace CLUSTER_NAME, REGION, and PROJECT_ID with the right values for the GKE cluster.
      This command will create a new `~/.kube/config` file with the updated credentials using the `gke-gcloud-auth-plugin`.

      With these steps, we can easily fix the error.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to fix the “GCP Auth Plugin Has Been Removed” error.