> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kosli.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Running on EKS with Karpenter

> Keep the k8s-reporter out of Karpenter's way so nodes can still consolidate.

By default the reporter runs as a CronJob every 5 minutes. On clusters that use [Karpenter](https://karpenter.sh) for node autoscaling, this frequent scheduling can prevent nodes from being **consolidated** (scaled down).

The cause is Karpenter's `consolidateAfter` timer: Karpenter only consolidates a node once it has seen no pod scheduling activity on it for the configured window. A reporter pod arriving every 5 minutes keeps resetting that timer, so any node whose `consolidateAfter` is longer than the reporter interval never becomes eligible for consolidation (see [karpenter#1921](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/karpenter/issues/1921)). This is Karpenter working as designed, not a reporter bug.

Frequent snapshots are what let Kosli surface drift or an unauthorized change quickly, so the best fix keeps the 5-minute cadence and moves the reporter out of Karpenter's way. Widening the interval trades away that detection speed and should be a last resort.

## 1. Pin the reporter to a stable node group (recommended)

If you run a stable managed node group that Karpenter does not manage, schedule the reporter there so it never disturbs Karpenter-managed nodes. Use `nodeSelector`, and `tolerations` if that node group is tainted:

```yaml theme={"theme":"dracula","languages":{"custom":["/languages/rego.json"]}}
nodeSelector:
  eks.amazonaws.com/nodegroup: system   # your managed node group

tolerations:
  - key: dedicated
    operator: Equal
    value: system
    effect: NoSchedule
```

To steer the reporter away from Karpenter-managed nodes instead, use `affinity` (a plain `nodeSelector` cannot express "not on these nodes"):

```yaml theme={"theme":"dracula","languages":{"custom":["/languages/rego.json"]}}
affinity:
  nodeAffinity:
    requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
      nodeSelectorTerms:
        - matchExpressions:
            - key: karpenter.sh/nodepool
              operator: DoesNotExist
```

## 2. Run the reporter out of the cluster

For zero footprint on cluster nodes, run `kosli snapshot k8s` on a schedule outside the cluster (for example a CI cron job) with kubeconfig access, keeping your reporting cadence without placing a pod on the cluster's nodes. See the [Kubernetes environment reporting tutorial](/tutorials/report_k8s_envs).

## 3. Widen the report interval (last resort)

Only if you cannot pin the reporter or move it out of cluster: set `cronSchedule` longer than your NodePool's `consolidateAfter` so nodes get quiet windows long enough to consolidate. This works, but a longer interval widens the window in which a change can go unreported, so prefer the options above.

```yaml theme={"theme":"dracula","languages":{"custom":["/languages/rego.json"]}}
cronSchedule: "*/15 * * * *"
```

<Warning>
  `karpenter.sh/do-not-disrupt: "true"` is **not** a fix here. It prevents Karpenter from disrupting the pod, which protects a mid-run report from interruption but makes consolidation of that node *less* likely, not more. Likewise `cluster-autoscaler.kubernetes.io/safe-to-evict` only affects the Kubernetes Cluster Autoscaler and is ignored by Karpenter.
</Warning>