# GKE cluster connect error: executable gke-gcloud-auth-plugin not found

**URL:** https://forums.k8slens.dev/t/gke-cluster-connect-error-executable-gke-gcloud-auth-plugin-not-found/343
**Category:** FAQ
**Created:** [April 13, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://forums.k8slens.dev/t/gke-cluster-connect-error-executable-gke-gcloud-auth-plugin-not-found/343 "2023-04-13T17:03:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jehrismann](https://forums.k8slens.dev/user_avatar/forums.k8slens.dev/jehrismann/32/398_2.png) [@jehrismann](https://forums.k8slens.dev/u/jehrismann)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://forums.k8slens.dev/t/gke-cluster-connect-error-executable-gke-gcloud-auth-plugin-not-found/343/1 "2023-04-13T17:03:44Z")

</div>

If you find you cannot (or no longer) connect to your GKE cluster, and see a message like

```auto
executable gke-gcloud-auth-plugin not found

```

make sure that you installed the gcloud tools from the same kind of shell that Lens uses for its terminal shell. If, for instance, you installed the gcloud tools from `bash` then the gcloud setup may have modified your `.bash_profile` to make sure the `PATH` environment variable includes the path to the gcloud tools. From Lens go to the Terminal preferences ( **Lens** → **Preferences** → **Terminal** on Mac, **File** → **Preferences** → **Terminal** on Windows and Linux) and make sure the **TERMINAL SHELL PATH** is set to the same shell that you installed the gcloud tools from.

Alternatively, if you want Lens to use a different kind of shell then edit the appropriate shell initialization file (e.g. `.zprofile` for `zsh`) to similarly set the gcloud tools path in the `PATH`.

Also, it may be that you need to refresh the kubeconfig, especially if you’ve made changes to your **gcloud** installation.

As per [https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/cluster-access-for-kubectl](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/cluster-access-for-kubectl) you can get credentials, which updates your **kubeconfig** , by running:

```auto
gcloud container clusters get-credentials CLUSTER_NAME --region=COMPUTE_REGION

```

If that doesn’t help, first make sure you can still connect to the cluster from a terminal using `kubectl`. Then try launching Lens from the same terminal, e.g. on a mac:

```auto
/Applications/Lens.app/Contents/MacOS/Lens

```

(Make sure Lens isn’t already running by first quitting it from the tray, or from the **Lens** or **File** menu)

If you installed `gcloud` in WSL and are running the Windows version of Lens check [this](https://forums.k8slens.dev/t/using-wsl-and-lens/563) out.

If this doesn’t help post your detailed issue here on the forum.